“What’s the first thing you are going to eat when you get back?” I asked Dan while we waited for our flight to Hanoi. “Fried eel soup.” Dan said this without missing a beat. He said it like he had already thought of this, and I asked him because I knew he would be the […]
Best cafes in Hanoi
Following up on my guide to cafes in Ho Chi Minh City I now present my guide to cafes in Hanoi. In my previous cafe reports I have usually had at least a month to try out the cafes of each city. My trip to Hanoi was for one week, so this meant I had […]
Iconic Saigon war photo locations revisited
There are some cities in the world where I can’t help but think about its troubled past. I lived in London for two years where its ugly post-war buildings are a constant reminder of the blitz. I have spent several months in Budapest where you see plaques everywhere inscribed with 1956. Ho Chi Minh City […]
Ridiculously skinny buildings of Vietnam
[A tall and skinny building in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.] Spend any amount of time in Vietnam and you will soon notice that there are skinny buildings everywhere. Some are so slender that they barely look like they could fit a double bed across. Don’t ask me how they would get a double bed […]
Hotel Review: Kim Ngan Hotel, Nha Trang – Vietnam
Hotel Name: Kim Ngan Hotel Address: 52 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Nha Trang, Vietnam. I stayed at the Kim Ngan Hotel in Nha Trang over the new years period. I booked via Agoda and picked it for it’s price and proximity to the beach. I lucked out making this booking because I didn’t know where […]
Cost of living Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City for $724 a month
[Ho Chi Minh City Hall] Here at nomadicnotes.com I keep a cost of living tally for when I spend a month at a time in one location. I had heard from some online business friends that Ho Chi Minh City (AKA Saigon) is the new hotspot for online entrepreneurs, so naturally I had to go […]
The best cafes in Saigon
Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest coffee exporters, and socialising in cafes is a way of life here. The cafe scene in Saigon is one of the best in Asia, and cafe hopping is an activity in itself. There are hundreds of cafes across the city, from street vendors with little plastic seats on […]
In Pictures: Ho Chi Minh City – 30 Instagram photos in 30 days
I have become quite a fan of using Instagram to record daily observations and follow friends and other interesting photographers. I resisted joining at first, dismissing it as yet another social media platform that will eat into my work day. However after Instagram was acquired by Facebook for one billion dollars I joined up just […]
