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Our man in Vietnam, 159 Nguyen Phan Vinh, An Bang beach, Cam Ha commune, Hoi An (2026)

12/03/2026

In a quiet alley (kiet) in Hoi An, this isn't a satellite dish—it’s a parabolic solar cooker, a brilliant piece of low-tech engineering that’s been boiling water for years without a single software update.

How It Works (The "Death Ray" Science)
The dish's curved shape acts like a giant magnifying glass. It bounces every sunbeam hitting its 1.5-meter surface toward a single focal point.

By placing a matte-black (for max heat absorption) kettle at that exact spot, you’re concentrating enough energy to match a 1,500W electric burner. It’s basically a solar-powered laser beam aimed at your morning cuppa.

The Tea Timeline
Under the intense Vietnam sun, this setup can be incredibly fast:
Peak Summer Sun: 10–15 minutes
Hazy/Partly Cloudy: 20–35 minutes
Winter/Low Sun: 45+ minutes
Weather like this morning: 2027 is a fair bet.

The Catch?
You have to "track" the sun.
If the dish is even a few degrees off-target, the focal point misses the kettle and you’re left with lukewarm water. You also need to keep any strong breezes off it, or the heat just blows away.

Fun Fact: The focal point gets hot enough to ignite wood or melt plastic instantly. It’s effective, sustainable, and just a little bit dangerous.

17/02/2026

Ghosts in the Machine
I meant for this to go live yesterday, on the eve of Tết. Instead, thanks to a few editing gremlins, it’s appearing on the day itself.
So let’s shift the focus slightly.

Tết is here.

Today, markets around the country are closed.
Here in Hội An, you will still find a bit of activity around Chợ Hội An, the central riverside market in the Ancient Town, but elsewhere the shutters are down. That will remain the case for the next three days.

Yesterday, though, was another story entirely.
The markets were heaving.
We live at An Bàng Beach, just off of Lạc Long Quân, the main coastal road between Đà Nẵng and Hội An.

The local market is around the corner from our back gate, so I took a walk and it was chaos.
Extra stalls set up.
Scooters wedged into every available gap.
Everyone buying in bulk.

Over the next few days, homes will see a steady stream of friends and family. If you open your doors, you feed and water whoever arrives, so cupboards and fridges must be well stocked.
Note to self: I need more Huda.

Tết is the most important time of year for the Vietnamese. It is about renewal and fresh starts. Anything that can be replaced or refreshed usually is. Towels, helmets, shoes, clothes and housewares — if it can be made to look new, it will be. The past fortnight has been a whirlwind of painting, scrubbing, repairing and cleaning. Homes polished, gardens tidied.

The scale of movement across the country is extraordinary. It’s estimated that between 10 and 12 million people — roughly a tenth of the population — are on the move, travelling from cities and industrial zones back to their hometowns. It’s the single largest annual migration in the country. On top of that, hundreds of thousands of overseas Vietnamese, the Viet Kieu, return from around the world.
The pull of home and family is incredibly strong.

It is not uncommon to hear of people walking away from jobs or forfeiting bonuses rather than miss the reunion. They choose family over financial reward, confident they will find work again later.
That is how important these days are.
Family is everything.

So here we are. The Year of the Horse, or more specifically, The Year of the Fire Horse, has begun.

The markets are quiet, the houses are gleaming and the roads are chockers.

However you are celebrating, I wish you, your family and your friends a happy new year filled with good health and prosperity.

Một, hai, ba, dzo — and crank the karaoke.

08/02/2026

The End of Gold Shop Money Exchange

In my experience, Vietnamese have always “coloured outside the lines”.
Rules existed, but reality is often different.

Money exchange was a perfect example.
For years, travelers, expats and locals skipped the banks and went straight to gold shops.
Trusted, efficient, and almost always offered better rates, faster service, and less hassle than legal options. No paperwork. No queues. No fuss.

It was an open secret.

That era is gone.

Gold shops were never legally allowed to exchange foreign currency unless they held a licence. For a long time enforcement was light, and the system worked.

Recently, that has changed. Authorities are now actively enforcing long-standing foreign exchange regulations, with tougher penalties tied to gold and currency trading. Inspections are more frequent, fines are higher, and the risk to businesses is real. As a result, most gold shops have stopped changing money altogether. What once operated in a legal grey zone has been firmly shut down.

Foreign currency can now only be legally exchanged at banks or licensed exchange counters, usually in large hotels, airports, or tourist areas. These options are slower, more bureaucratic, and typically offer worse rates than gold shops.
Banks may require passports, operate limited hours, and charge service fees.

For anyone used to Vietnam’s informal efficiency, it’s a noticeable shift.

So how do you handle money in Vietnam now?
ATMs have become the most efficient option. They are widespread, and withdrawing VND directly usually delivers a better rate than cash exchange. Withdraw VND, not your home currency, and expect a small local ATM fee. Withdrawing larger amounts less often helps keep those fees down.

Travel-friendly debit cards like Wise make life easier. These cards generally use near real mid-market exchange rates, have transparent fees, and work well for both ATM withdrawals and card payments.
Carry a backup debit card in case one isn’t accepted.

For USD/EUR, licensed exchange counters remain.
Typically found in large hotels or tourist centres and clearly displaying authorisation to exchange foreign currency.
Clean, new notes matter.
Always ask the rate before handing over cash.

Airport rates are usually poor.

Banks remain the fallback option.
They’re legal, slower, paperwork-heavy, and often offer the worst rates. Best used if cards fail or you need to exchange a large amount formally.
Take your passport!

The gold shop workaround is gone, and money exchange is more official and regulated.

Will you still find those that are still willing to “colour outside the lines”?
I'd put money on that.

Travel safe, wherever you land.

EDIT;
From a friend who has used Wise for 8 years:

Wise card is better with ATM withdrawn and when our Aussies $$ high (like now) you can exchange and they keep that rates.. get the app too. They will tell you when/where you took money from what ATM. If you lose your physical card. You can trace it too. I've been using Wise card for the last 8yrs.. works perfectly 🙂

having Wise is like having your personal ATM card with you everywhere.. you can use it any ATM.. some may charge 5000 d**g extra (like 30 cents!).

20/01/2026

Planning to be here in the weeks before or after Tết?
The biggest takeaway is simple: this is not the time to wing it.

Accommodation, flights, transport need to be organised well in advance.

Tết is the most important time of the year.
Millions travel from the cities to their hometowns.
Millions more return from OS to be with family.
The scale of movement is enormous.
In terms of importance, it’s bigger than Christmas and New Year combined — and the energy's already building.

If you’re travelling around Tết, preparation matters.

It’s an incredibly social time of year.
There are constant gatherings, plenty of food and drink, and you’ll hear a lot of “một, hai, ba, dô” as people toast.
Traditional games such as bầu cua cá cọp — similar to Crown and Anchor — are played, and gambling enforcement is relaxed during the holiday, much like two-up on Anzac Day in Australia.

Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, follows the lunar calendar, so the dates shift each year.
In 2026, Tết falls on 17 February and marks the Year of the Horse.

Tết is about renewal, so you’ll see painting, deep cleaning and locals buying new things.
Local markets fill with pop-ups selling everything from clothes and shoes to household items and helmets.
The build-up is very busy.

People ask if it’s worth visiting Vietnam during Tết, and whether anything will be open.
The short answer is yes. You won’t struggle to find food or drink, especially in larger towns and tourist areas.
Many businesses now stay open, though some smaller family-run places close for a few days or apply a temporary holiday surcharge.

My wife and I own Heaven Garden Spa at An Bang Beach in Hoi An, and we will be closed during Tết, as staffing cost hikes make it prohibitive.

Smaller neighbourhood markets close briefly around Tết, but larger markets such as Tân An (Tiger Market) and the Central Market by the river continue operating to some degree.

Tết travel requires more planning, but you won’t be stuck with nothing to eat or drink.
It’s a fascinating time to be here — just make sure everything is in place well ahead of time.

Travel well, wherever you land.

26/12/2025

Staying Ahead of the Weather.

Following on from my last post about the Wet Season in Hoi An, I thought I'd refer a site that I find invaluable: Tropical Storm Risk (TSR).

I’ve followed TSR for over a decade and found their forecasts impressively accurate; in my experience, they're batting at 100%.
AND.
It's free.

Why TSR stands out
Founded over 20 years ago by major insurers, shipping companies, and humanitarian agencies, TSR provides professional-grade, long-range tracking of global weather threats. While I use it for Southeast Asia, it covers all major ocean regions worldwide.

What sets it apart:
Probability ratings: Uses University College London models to calculate the likelihood of a weather event impacting your location.

How to use it
There’s no app—just visit a website: choose your region, and subscribe to email alerts. You’ll receive detailed updates on storm type, location, timing, and probability straight into your inbox.

Tip: Check your spam folder for the confirmation email.

If you want to stay ahead of the weather anywhere in the world then, form , this is the site to bookmark:
https://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

23/12/2025

Wet Season in Hội An: A Quick Traveller’s Guide
No, it’s not flooding right now—and we don’t expect it to.

Those dramatic flood photos of Hội An you see are often from Bạch Đằng Street by the river. It sits about half a metre lower than An Hội Island (Night Market area), so it floods first and drains last—often looking worse than it is.
Locals are used to it; cafés often serve to tables and chairs in shallow water.

Clean-up is fast.
Unlike many “developed” countries, where a week later there'd still be safety tape up and people still organising rosters for traffic control, Hội An usually returns to normal within two to three days. For travellers arriving after a flood, it’s most often “nothing to see here.”

Now?
Yesterday it rained, as it has done often since the Ancient Town floods.
Today is sunny.

Normally, rice paddies would be cleared and planted by now. Instead, many remain flooded, shimmering like small lakes.
Locals are out fishing in them rather than farming — the water is fed from the local river network, so yes, you really can find lunch in there.
Life adapts.

Rice farmers here have their own quiet way of knowing when the water is gone for good: they wait for a tiny white flower to bloom along the paddy banks.
That, they say, is the sign.
No more floods after that.

Wet season runs October to December here, but the Wet doesn’t happen every year. Most floods are brief and localised - low lying areas - but being sand based here water doesn't sit long.
“Bad” seasons come from a perfect mix of upstream hydropower releases, high tides, storm surges, and heavy rainfall.

Hội An has lived with its river for centuries.
The town, and its people, are built to cope.
When the water recedes, the streets dry, lanterns light up, and life carries on.
Beautifully.

07/02/2025

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! 🎉
A New Year and new posts sharing MY Vietnam: sights, sounds, experiences & travels, coming soon!

10 years living in Hội An & 150,000+ km explored by scooter, motorbike & car in and around Hoi An and beyond.

Hai Van Pass (countless times!), Huế, Saigon, Đà Nẵng, Lăng Cô, Kon Tum, Hồ Chí Minh Trail, Phong Nha, Ninh Bình, Hạ Long, Hà Nội, Nha Trang, Đà Lạt, and so many more!

✨ You can support me with Stars!
Just look for the icon to send some.

Message me for local info.

Our man in Vietnam

12/03/2026

17/02/2026

08/02/2026

20/01/2026

26/12/2025

23/12/2025

07/02/2025

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