Nomadic Notes

I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. I’m currently based in Ho Chi Minh City writing about transport and city development in Southeast Asia.

Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel tips, where to stay guides, rail travel, and old-school trip reports.

More about me and Nomadic Notes.

Where I’m At: August, 2020 – Saigon edition

Greetings from Saigon and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve Been I’m in Vietnam where domestic travel has still been possible. I’m not entertaining or encouraging any thought of international travel, and as mentioned later this post it looks like there’s going […]

Notes on Quy Nhon – an emerging beach city in Vietnam (2020 trip report)

Quy Nhon is a provincial capital in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. I was last in Quy Nhon in 2018, and a 2020 visit wasn’t on my travel radar until I visited the beaches of Phu Yen to the south. After visiting Phu Yen it made more sense to go to Quy Nhon […]

Vinh Hoa Beach – An idyllic small beach getaway in Vietnam

Vinh Hoa Beach is near a fishing village of the same name in Phu Yen Province, on the south-central coast of Vietnam. It’s not near any major city, so it’s best to describe is as being approximately half way between Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa. If those cities are obscure to you, it’s about half […]

Notes on Tuy Hoa – Just the right amount of nothing much to do

Tuy Hoa is the provincial capital of Phu Yen province on the south-central coast of Vietnam, about half way between Quy Nhon and Nha Trang. I arrived in Tuy Hoa to visit the beaches of Phu Yen. Rather than heading straight to the coast, I stayed to explore the city. There’s not much to do […]

Where I’m At: July, 2020 – Thanh Hoa edition

Greetings from Thanh Hoa and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve Been This is a summary of my travels for the last month in Vietnam, where domestic travel has resumed. For real time updates, follow me on Instagram at @nomadicnotes. I also […]

Comparing the beach neighbourhoods of Da Nang and Hoi An

Da Nang and Hoi An are becoming increasingly popular as bases for digital nomads. The two cities are connected by the same long stretch of sandy beach, and if you stand on the beach of Hoi An you can see the burgeoning Da Nang skyline. There are two beach neighbourhoods in particular that have become […]

Life’s a Beach Bai Xep – The beachside backpackers in a fishing village in Vietnam

Guesthouse Name: Life’s a Beach Bai Xep. Address: To 2, Khu Vuc 1, Bai Xep, Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh, Vietnam. If you’ve ever found yourself saying that you wish you could stay on a beautiful beach in a little fishing village, then Life’s a Beach Bai Xep in Vietnam could be what you’re looking for. […]

Lucky Spot Beach Bungalow – an almost perfect beach break on one of the most scenic beaches in Vietnam

Guesthouse Name: Lucky Spot Beach Bungalow. Address: Vinh Hoa, Tu Nham, Song Cau, Phu Yen, Vietnam. I stayed at Lucky Spot Beach Bungalow on Vinh Hoa Beach, located in Phu Yen Province on the south-central coast of Vietnam. I had read about this beach on a forum, which led me to book at Lucky Spot. […]

Visiting Hoi An without international tourists

Hoi An is one of the most charming little cities in Southeast Asia. Having personally travelled to most of the famous tourist sights in the region I can confirm that there are few places that can match its beauty. As such, Hoi An has become one of the overtourism hotspots of Southeast Asia, and by […]

Where I’m At: June, 2020 – Da Nang edition

Greetings from Da Nang and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve Been I’m happy to report that I’ve been somewhere this month, and here’s a summary of the previous month. For real time updates, follow me on Instagram at @nomadicnotes. Saigon The […]