Nha Trang

Nha Trang means "bamboo river" in Cham language, which refers to the bamboo trees covering the banks of the river in the past. Up until the end of the nineteenth century the area consisted of some sleepy fishermen's villages at the mouth of the river and near the coast.  All this changed when the French arrived and opened an administrative post in the area. Later the Vietnamese emperor Gia Long gave it the official status of a district town. In the harbour many colourful fishermen's boats lie at anchor. Because of the calm sea the boats sail the sea ten months out of  twelve catching tuna, mackerel, shrimps, lobster and squid. Fishery is an important part of the city's economy. In the markets near the harbour many kinds of fish are bought and sol. The menus of the restaurants in the city make notice of various fish specialities. Fish is the most important source of protein for many Vietnamese living near the coast.  

 The Cham towers of Po Nagar are situated on a hill north of the city centre. The buildings were constructed between the 7th and 12th century and were dedicated to Po Nagar, the mother goddess of the Cham. She is also known as Uma, the black lady and the wife of the hindu god Shiva. From the entrance a stairway leads up to the platform on the hill. Ten columns on the right hand side of the stairway are the only remnants of an old mandapa or assembly hall. On the platform are four towers.  Their entrance is directed to the east, to the residence of the gods. The northern tower with its pyramidal roof was constructed in 817 under the auspices of the king.  In 965 the king had a stone statue of the goddess Uma placed in the tower.  A hall marks the entrance to the sanctuary.  The black statue of the goddess with ten arms stands on an altar with a cloak around her body.  The central tower on the left of the nortern tower is dedicated to the Chinese prince Bac Hai. Unfortunately the temple was badly restored in the 12th century and the sculptured ornaments have vanished in the course of centuries.  The tower contains a lingam.  The little  southern tower is dedicated to a lumberman who was the godfather of princess Quy. The northwestern tower behind the temple of Uma was dedicated to this princess. 

The most important buddhist sanctuary of Nha Trang is the Long Son pagoda to the west of the city centre. The pagoda was built in 1889 on the Trai Thuy hill. The original building was made of clay walls and a rotan roof. Because of wind and rain the temple had to be restored each year.  People built a new pagoda at the present location at the foot of the hill.  The pagoda has been restored several times.  A stairway on the right hand side of the pagoda leads to a large white Buddha statue on a lotus flower on top of the hill. The statue was constructed in 1963 as a symbol of the buddhist struggle against the catholic president Diem. 

Outside the coast of Nha Trang is the island of Mieu.  At the eastern side of the island is a charming little fishermen's village called Bai Mieu. The water near the village is too shallow to moor a boat.  The fishermen's boats strand when they come too close to the shore.  Hence the local people move in thung chai or round bamboo basket boats from ship to shore. The basket boats are made impermeable by means of tar. The people row the boats standing or sitting down. The villagers are relatively rich because of the abundance of fish they can sell. Many villagers have relatives abroad who left the country as refugees and now endorse them financially.  

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