Thieves in Nha Trang, how to avoid meeting a thief- my story

No matter how lovely Nha Trang is there are thieves there. You never know when you can meet a bad person. To avoid meeting a thief, general recommendations are :

- Stay away from the beach after dark.

- Never leave any valuables on the beach when you go swimming. A thief can steal your bag in no time.

I had a very unpleasant time when my bag was stolen on the beach and I am writing about it to worn you what can happen. I have few personal recomendation how to avoid being robbed in Nha Trang. Thieves can be everywhere. Not only on another motorbike comming close to you. Many people report being robbed while walking. Somebody on a motorbike comes close to you and grabs your bag within a second. However there is another place where you can be robbed. This is on the beach. Thieves are always in the same places where tourists are.

When you go swimming do not leave on the beach in Nha Trang anything that you don't want to be stolen. There are waterproof bags (see the picture) where you can carry your mobile and money when you swim. Never keep it in your bagpack when you change your clothes or tan on the beach. Keep it on your neck. A thief will probably not attack you when you swim or tan. You should be quite safe. They don't attack tourists. They only use a moment when you don't keep your valuables in your hands and take them from you without asking.

Swim in places where there are a lot of people. There are two beaches in Nha Trang. The main one where all hotels are and all tourists swim and the other one, smaller, but more beautiful. However on the small beach which is located near Hon Chong and the university there are usually no people so a tourist sitting lonely there is a perfect point of interest for a thief. This is what can happen when you go there alone and especially when you are not prepared that you can get robbed.

I was swimming on the beach along Dai Lo Pham Van Dong street , near Hon Chong. There were no people on the beach. This was my mistake to swim there, but I could never expect that somebody wanted to steal my bag. However, to be sure I would not loose any valuables I took from my hotel only a towel, very little money and my mobile. I put the mobile to a waterpoof bag and I went swimming with it on my neck. I left my clothes to my bag when I was swimming.

However when I finished swimming just for few seconds I put my waterproof bag to my backpack and I put my hand there to take my clothes. Then absolutely from nowhere somebody appeared (behind my back so I didn't see or hear him) and within a fraction of a second he removed my backpack from my hands and run so quickly with it that I even didn't see the person. I remember only long legs running incredibly quickly.

I was left on the beach only wearing a swimming suit. My heart was beatting so quickly. I didn't know what was happening. I only saw myself left almost naked sitting on the beach and I imagined comming back to my hotel, walking 30 minutes wearing only the swimming suit. I imagined all possible people starring at me on the street and then I would go inside the hotel and again everybody would look at me wearing almost nothing. So embarrassing.

So immediately I run after the thief but he was quicker that a morotbike. I just can't believe a human being can run so quickly. I was running only wearing the swimming suit through the street even without shoes. I looked so stupid and i was shouting help me somebody stole my bag. After 2 minutes I realised I had no chance to catch that guy. I was standing almost naked in the middle of the street and again I imagined myself comming back to my hotel for the next 30 minutes wearing the swimming suit and wearing no shoes. The thief dissapeared somewhere so quickly that I even didn't see in which street he turned. In few seconds absolutelly all the people on the street stopped working and without any movement observed me running along the street and shouting. It was still before noon and the sun was burning people's skin so much that everybody was hiding at homes, in coffe shops and street bars. So the street was totally empty before I came there. When they saw me running immediatelly the empty street turned really crowded. People who usually don't have too much to do found it really interestig to see something happening around them.

I felt really stupid standing there and wondering there the thief dissapeared. And then from nowhere a man on a motorbike came to me and showed me a bag lying on his motorbike asking me if it was mine. Wow what a surprise!!! I couldn't believe. He found the thief and took my bag from him. When I think about this moment even now, my heart beats quicker. I was so shocked that there are such good people in Vietnam. He could also use his chance to get some money for free, but he decided to help me. I guess I looked to stupid with a swimming suit that people felt sorry for me. I couldn't thank this man enough. I was still so shocked I even didn't know what to say when I saw my bag on his motorbike. I was starring at him with my mouth open and just said to him thank you so much for your help.

The first think I did was to put my clothes on and shoes. The street was so burning hot from the sun that I couldn't stand anymore without shoes. My feet hurt me so much from running on that hot street. Then all people from local bars and shops gathered around me showing me with their hands to check it my wallet and money is still there. I was clever enough to take with me only 10.000 dong (0.5 US$), because I had a feeling that it is always possible that somebody on the beach could rob me. I don't know what people expected, but I guess that they thought I had few milion dong with me and maybe few hundred dolars hahaha. When they saw my almost empty wallet everybody started laughingand showing with their hands to my wallet. For me of course the most precious in my bad was actually my dress, which was useless to the thief, but also my mobile with all numbers to my friends and all pictures that I took within 3 weeks. I could never get it back if I lost my mobile.