In the plague year that was 2020, I was fortunate to have spent most of the year in Vietnam, where the virus has so far been contained. I’ve been making the most of my time here by travelling around the country. During my travels, I’ve seen how hard the pandemic has hit tourism destinations that […]

Where I’m At: January 2021 – Saigon edition
Greetings from Saigon, happy new year, and especially good riddance to 2020. I saw out the new year in Saigon, which wasn’t in my game plan at the start of the week. It seems only appropriate that I ended the plague year of 2020 with a travel plan going wrong. Not that I’m complaining, as […]

Notes on Lao Cai – The provincial capital on the Vietnam-China border
Lao Cai is the capital city of the province of the same name, in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Most visitors only pass through here on the way to Sapa. Train enthusiasts know it as the place to disembark and then walk across the border to China to get the train to Kunming. This year […]

Where I’m At: December 2020 – Tam Ky edition
Greetings from Tam Ky! Here is the December 2020 edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve been Here is where I’ve been over the last month. All in Vietnam of course, where I am currently holed up while riding out the pandemic. Vietnam got […]

Notes on Sapa – Visiting a tourist town without tourists (2020 pandemic edition)
Sapa is a market town in the Northwest region of Vietnam, near the border of China. Its proximity to Mount Fansipan (the highest mountain in Vietnam) makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. It’s become so popular in recent years that the town has also become famous for over-tourism. There is […]

Sky 22 – A rooftop cafe on the most famous roof in Saigon
Every time I see the rooftop of 22 Ly Tu Trong I can’t help but think about that famous photograph by Hubert van Es that came to symbolize the U.S. evacuation of Saigon. Even if you don’t know the name you would know the photo, as it’s one of the most iconic images of the […]

Where I’m At: November, 2020 – Nha Trang edition
Greetings from Nha Trang! Here is the November 2020 edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve been Saigon View this post on Instagram Wamdering the streets of Saigon at night. A post shared by James Clark ✈️ (@nomadicnotes) on Oct 28, 2020 at 5:39am […]

Notes on Ha Long – the city by its namesake bay
Ha Long is the capital of Quang Ninh province in Northeast Vietnam, and as the name would suggest it’s also the main city of Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam, yet most people visit straight from Hanoi. I visited Ha Long Bay on my first visit […]

Notes on Phan Thiet – Mui Ne Beach, Phan Thiet city, and riding along the Binh Thuan coast
Phan Thiet is the capital of Binh Thuan province, located in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. The main drawcard of Phan Thiet is the beach that runs from Phan Thiet city to Mui Ne town. The beach is marketed as Mui Ne, even though only a small section of the beach is in […]

Where I’m At: October, 2020 – Saigon edition
Greetings from Saigon! Here is the October 2020 edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. I haven’t been blogging much here lately, but I still publish a weekly travel newsletter with updates not featured on the blog. The newsletter includes a round up of the best […]
