On a first for Magees on the Go, we made port this morning in an active military base. Cam Ranh Air Force Base was part of the large Cam Ranh Bay logistics facility built by the United States in 1965. It was the major military seaport used by the United States for the offloading of supplies, military equipment and as a major Naval base. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force units all had compounds and units assigned to the Cam Ranh Bay facility from its opening in 1965 until its closure in 1972 as part of the drawdown of United States military forces in South Vietnam. Our friend Ron’s father worked at this base, and if Ron’s draft number had been called, he likely would have been stationed here. We drove for miles before

Between 1979 and 2002, the facility was used by the Soviet Navy and the Russian Navy. Today, it is used by the Vietnamese Airforce and Navy. Security was tight; we were told not to take pictures as there were CCTV cameras everywhere and if they see you taking photos, they will confiscate your phone. It took about 30 minutes to drive to the gate of the base on a shuttle provided by Princess. Eventually, we were dropped off at a new sprawling development called CaraWorld.

At nearly 2000 acres, CaraWorld will become a massive tourist destination, with pristine beaches, its own airport, resorts, nightclubs, restaurants and the infrastructure to house all of the workers that will be needed. Today there are at least 12 resorts already operational, and we wanted to visit one on a day pass to enjoy the award-winning beaches. We negotiated an SUV cab from the CaraWorld Visitor Center to the Radisson Blu, and back, for $100USD. There was a bit of miscommunication with our driver and initially he took us to a local beach that was pretty seedy. However, eventually he got us to the Radisson and the day-pass cost about $18USD per person, which included a $15 food/drink voucher.

Unfortunately, by the time we got to the hotel, the few loungers and umbrellas were already spoken for but we found a table and chairs in the shade and enjoyed the view.

The waters were gorgeous and warm; the sand was white and there were just a few people on the beach. We enjoyed the swim very much.

To get back, we called our driver and he picked us up and returned us to the CaraWorld Visitor Center where we caught the shuttle back to the ship. The visitor center has a restaurant, shopping and vendors selling tours to Nha Trang. We marveled at the scope of this CaraWorld project and what it will look like in just a couple years.

Tomorrow: Sea Day