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Our man in Vietnam

Name: Our man in Vietnam
Address: 157 Nguyen Phan Vinh, An Bang beach, Cam Ha commune, Hoi An, 560000, VN
Telephone: +84702763199
Rating: 5

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Our man in Vietnam

The things I see and the things I do. My personal experiences living in and traveling around Vietnam
(1)

11/10/2023

23/03/2022

Tra Que vegetable village was set up on a small island over 300 years ago and takes its name from a King.

It’s located on the main road between Ancient Town and An Bang beach and is famous for quality organic vegetables and herbs.

Take a look at the rich soil in the gardens and you’ll see what centuries of seaweed application to the local sand can do.

It’s peaceful, crowd-free and with the beautiful working gardens to view you can easily spend ours hhere getting around by foot or bicycle.

There are some great restaurants here along with a number of cooking classes and my wife and I have relocated our top-rated business, Heaven Garden Spa, to Tra Que late last year.

On Sunday the local speakers were busy and they were loud and the message was, simply, time to clean up because the tourists are coming back soon.

Well, nothing has been easy over the last couple of years so I'm not making any predictions, but hope to be able to welcome you to our beautiful corner of the world sometime soon.
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08/03/2022

Guys, we need to talk!

Double dipping and 3 times a charm!

In Vietnam women’s day is celebrated twice a year.
National Women's Day is on October 20th.
International Women's Day is today (March 8th).

If you’re a mum then throw Mother’s Day in the mix, plus a birthday, and you’re cracking it for 4 (FOUR!) special days a year!

Each one of these days means flowers.
So, that means 4(FOUR!) big bunches of flowers a year!
Chocolates and stuffed toys get a look in as well.

Valentine’s Day makes it 5 (FIVE!), by my reckoning!

Do you think that International men’s day is on the radar?
Not a chance!

But I jest.
Apart from celebrating women’s economic, political and social achievements, people here also celebrate love and beauty.
Today is a day where Vietnamese society shows their love and respect for Vietnamese women, who receive flowers and gifts from lovers, husbands and male friends.

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25/07/2021

It's a beautiful, sunny day in An Bang, Hoi An.

This is from the 3rd floor of our house/business (Heaven Garden Spa) on the main road, about midway, with Driftwood Pizza, just to our right.

We've seen some activity recently with international schools on Summer break but now that most school staff have returned to Ha Noi it's very quiet.

This is just after 9am local and the road has very little activity.
Most people are happy to stay home or stay local, especially with 5 more cases announced in Hoi An this morning.

Tannoys have been going pretty well non-stop over the last few days, from early morning and well into the night.

09/04/2021

Happy.
Carefree.
Joyful.
Innocence of youth.

That’s what this made me think of and made me smile big time.
Still does.

13/02/2021

Plenty of people around in Ancient Town, Hội An tonight.

11/02/2021

The Tet (Lunar New Year) vibe.

All the year round we’re building up to this with an energy that you need to be amongst to experience.

It’s the last day of the Year of the Rat and the local market at An Bang, Cho An Bang, is busier than ever.

Markets will close for 3 days so everyone is stocking up.

Prices on everything go up at this time of the year.
There’s no rhyme or reason, it’s just a Tet thing.
The locals will try to haggle but if you really need a product you need to pay the Tet price.
That’s Capitalism for you!

31/01/2021

Highlights.
It's not long before the Year of the Rat ends so maybe it's time to take a look over our shoulder at highlights from a very different year to what we planned.
You can follow my travel blog Our man in Vietnam https://www.facebook.com/chrisminvietnam/

28/12/2020

Some days are diamonds, even when they start out as stones.

It’s a big day out for a great lunch and some very cheap($1.14AUD per kg in the shell) oysters to bring back home.

159km on scooters from Hoi An Hai, up and over Hai Van Pass and then around the Western side of Lang Co lagoon(avoiding the A1/main road to Hue) to stop for a fabulous lunch at nha hang Be Than, then back up the Northern side, stopping at Hanging Rock, before heading for home.

20/12/2020

It’s beginning to look a lot like Trissmas in Hội An and surrounding areas.
The Vietnamese love a party and dressing up so there’s more and more red and white every year.
Christmas parties, lunches, long lunches and the ever popular 12/12 which is a big day out.

01/12/2020

Island living.
Flooding in Hoi An can be a real problem around this time of year, in fact one friend of mine has cleaned out his wife’s shop 7 times this Wet Season.
7
So far.

This morning there was torrential rain and strong wind and since then it’s rained off and on pretty consistently which has again meant more flooding in and around Ancient Town.

Some of the kids are up for that though because they will get time off from school work.

16/11/2020

It’s business as unusual at An Bang beach in Hoi An.

While one local secures more red and white tape to keep people out, 2 more fashion a makeshift handrail from repurposed bamboo to make it easier to get onto the beach.
Welcome to Vietnam😄

Swimming, volleyball, soccer, it’s all happening.

15/11/2020

An Bang beach, Hoi An.
Today.
Vamco has gone.
No big winds or rain.
BUT a big tide.

06/11/2020

If 2020 was a picture?

20/10/2020

Flooding and coastal erosion have been major problems in central Vietnam in recent weeks.
Yesterday a group of about 25 got together to help out at Salt Pub in Hoi An.

13/10/2020

Staying positive.
Taking care of essentials.

https://www.facebook.com/230755717016019/posts/3366644713427088/

11/10/2020

A bit of a lull, so time for a walk down to the beach.
Tropical Storm SEVENTEEN is currently located near 14.9 N 110.3 E with maximum 1-min sustained winds of 40kts (46 mph).

08/10/2020

Torrential rain over 3 days for lengthy periods has led to localised flooding but, so far, nothing like November 2017.

Thursday(today)has seen moderate rain but I’m told that the previous 3 days have been between 300 & 500ml per day(12-20inches) in different areas.

Video by Chris Moonie, Đinh Nguyen & Huong Lyly from Lyly’s homestay and restaurant on Cham Island.

27/09/2020

And, yes, there are still things I see that will make me do a U-turn😀

18/09/2020

So you want to know how strong the winds were during Tropical Storm Noul?
This was in Hue.
Video: source provided.

13/09/2020

Nothing like starting your workday by having brekky with your mates and having a good laugh.

29/08/2020

Elephant Springs, Hue(Suoi Voi).

First, the name.
In spite of the name there not a pachyderm in sight other than a man made concrete version that sprays water.

You can follow my travel blog Our man in Vietnam https://www.facebook.com/chrisminvietnam/

The river and waterfalls are at a low level right now because of the ongoing drought.

Located midway between Da Nang and Hue, at the bottom of the Norhern side of Hai Van pass.
Easily accessible from the road that runs up the Western side of Lang Co lagoon which,by the way, is a far more picturesque option than the main highway, AH1, that runs up the coast.

Living it up like a local.
There are extreme differences in opinion on this place so, be warned that it’s very “rustic”.
Okay then, it’s very basic with unsophisticated bungalows set up alongside the river BUT this is the sort of thing that Vietnamese really enjoy. None of the frills and the glitzy type of thing you’d find in this type of area overseas, just clean, clear, refreshing running water along with cheap beer and some great local food.

For a truly local experience this place is fantastic, you’ll have 20 new friends by the time you leave and I love it.

Entrance fee is 10.000vnd and be prepared for travel down a rough road before reaching your destination.

22/08/2020

Probably my favourite experience in Vietnam.

This small fishing village is about 40 minutes North of Tuy Hoa.
Getting there is a breeze on top quality single lane roads.

Other than the Tet holiday period this beach activity is repeated every day of the year.

The boats started hitting the beach at around 4.30am and over the next 2&1/2 hours the activity was frenetic.

A huge variety of seafood and the tonnage was eye boggling.

And there I was with a camera in each hand, one pointed North and one pointed South!

15/08/2020

Wait until you see the local taxi!

On our visit to Tuy Hoa we headed about 16km or 1/2 an hour West to a little village called Dinh Thanh.
The locals here just don’t see foreigners, as you’ll see when we head off to the local market.

This was one fun day with our friend Cam and her extended family.

06/08/2020

Life’s a beach.
If you are a beachie then check out Tuy Hoa and the coastline South and North.

Wide beaches.
Clean.
Clear, blue water.
And.
You’ll probably have it pretty much to yourself because in an area that attracts mostly Vietnamese tourists they’re not likely to spend time in the heat or the sun.

We visited several beaches during our time our time in Phu Yen province and they’re amongst the best I’ve seen in this country, along with the likes of Qui Nhon.

This one is called Bai Xep(Bai means beach or sometimes you’ll see the likes of Bai Bien An Bang, which is where I live, and that means the same thing) and is a very popular spot because of the headland which gives fabulous views.
AND.
So many selfie and pic perfect opportunities.

Infrastructure is very good but why pay to go to a beach when there are so many other opportunities that don’t cost.

02/08/2020

Covid.
The government here in Vietnam has done an incredible job and after initially following the suggestions of the Australian government and health professionals I quickly realised that the Vietnamese were handling things a lot better.
They started monitoring very early and treated this, from the get go, as a SARS type problem unlike many Western countries that treated it as a bad flu.
They tightened border controls and also put hospitals and local health departments on high alert for the new pneumonia cases on January 3.
That was before the first fatality in China and only three days after confirmation of the outbreak there.

Testing was followed by strict contact tracing (including secondary contacts) for anyone known to be infected, immediate isolation followed by quarantining, and the prompt creation of a real-time database and two mobile apps by which people could record their health status and symptoms.

All this was backed up by the mass mobilization of the country’s military, public security forces, the health care system, and public employees, and an energetic and creative public education campaign that included TV cartoons, social media, and posters depicting heroic medical professionals in face masks.

With this second wave these are some of the ways that are being used to minimise infections.

26/07/2020

This is one of the oldest churches in Vietnam and today, July 26, is a very special day at Mang Lang Church, being the date of the death and martyrdom of Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên.

Andrew was beheaded(only after a thoroughly good beating though) on this day in 1644 at the tender age of 19 or 20 after he refused to renounce his faith.

He was in recent times made Patron of Youth by Pope John Paul 2.

This day it’s a stinking hot 37 degrees and feeling like a lot more, so we ended up standing under the water sprinkling system in the garden to cool down.
Papal rain, Papal rain?
I can hear Prince now.

Let’s rewind.
With the annexing(that’s a polite way of saying that you’ve just taken ownership of another country by use of force)of Vietnam in 1858 there was a building programme for churches in the late 1800’s to help the spread of Catholicism.

Mang Lang was part of that programme and you’ll find it 35 km North of Tuy Hòa(Tee Hwa), an easy trip on very good roads.
It was built in 1892 in the Gothic style in the the village of blessed Andrew of Phu Yen.

The church is near Da Dia reef and Vietnam’s longest timber bridge and all 3 are comfortably done in a day. With an early start you’ll be back at your homestay in Cu Lao Mai Nha knocking back a chardy by mid/late afternoon after a very nice lunch on the river.

Inside the church are original stained glass windows, wood-paneled ceilings and lanterns.

There is an artificial hill in the church’s campus, to the left of the gates, where the first book to be printed in the modern Vietnamese script in 1651 is preserved.
There’s a display of a lot of other memorabilia, a lot of which was self explanatory but It’s handy to have a Vietnamese friend to translate because there is nothing in English.

To go with someone who knows the area I’d strongly suggest getting in touch with local guide Cam La Xoi.

25/07/2020

Not all trains are the same.
The Reunification Express is a collection of trains that all wear the same name but have different designations such as SE2,7,21 etc and roll up and down the North/South line, started by the French in the 1870’s and completed over the following 40 years.

Tuy Hoa is about midway between Sai Gon and Da Nang.

At the time of writing there are no directs flights from Da Nang so road or rail are the options.

For the trip South we climbed on board SE7 (which was the only overnight option other than a 1am departure).
10.42pm departure/5.58am arrival.
We left on time and arrived 40 minutes late.

This train does not have all the creature comforts that the likes of SE2 has, including leg rests, USB ports in the chair back and an LED screen at both end so f the carriage that gives real time position, temperature and speed.

At 6’ 3” Steve wouldn’t fit a sleeper berth so we had two choices.
The hard seats are all of that. Timber slats.
“Soft” is up for discussion but,anyway, we had a reasonable nights sleep.
These are a bucket style seat that’s a little narrow for some foreigners but they have good leg room and great recline on them.
There’s power points available.
Our carriage had blankets available which was just as well because the temperature gauge was set to a point where brass monkeys were having trouble keeping it together.

Outside of Christmas and Easter tomorrow, July 26th, is one of the biggest days of the year at Mang Lang church in Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen province(Tea Hwa/Foo Ian, respectively).

23/07/2020

Rainy season has started in the North.
Torrential rain in China has moved South to Northern Vietnam with five people killed.

Heavy rains from Monday evening to early Tuesday morning have damaged hundreds of houses in Hà Giang City(receiving 220mm) and surrounding areas, submerging most of the roads in the area and causing landslides which are blocking traffic with the rain continuing through Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some areas in Hà Giang City were 1.2 metres underwater.

There’s a high risk of flash floods and landslides in Lai Châu, Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, Cao Băng and Bắc Kạn provinces.

23/07/2020

Countryside rides throw up little gems like floating bridges every now and then.
This one will soon be a thing of the past.
Bicycle or scooter, it’s out there if you know where to look.

20/07/2020

Beach erosion.
Maybe there’s some hope.

It’s been an ongoing problem at Cua Dai for a number of years.

In late 2015 it got to the point when the beach at Cua Dai where the sun lounges and choi(the thatched umbrellas) usually sit just disappeared and the sea started to eat into the beachfront areas of restaurants.

I’m no scientist but 2 big hydroelectric stations on the Thu Bon/37 more on the tributaries, all affecting the volume and speed of water in the river, and continued sand mining on the river banks probably hasn’t helped.

It was at this time in 2015 that An Bang became a hot spot because it’s the only other beach area that has a road direct to it from Ancient Town. That’s seen a boom that’s inflated prices from $250USD per m2 to $3,000USD in a very short time.

In 2020 there’s a new plan at Cua Dai with a project to retain and build up sand levels. Steel cages are being lowered onto the sea floor and filled with waste concrete.

Fingers crossed.

Address

157 Nguyen Phan Vinh, An Bang Beach, Cam Ha Commune
Hoi An
560000

Telephone

+84702763199

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Hai Van Pass. Made popular by BBC’s Top Gear programme back in 2008. It’s a beautiful coastal drive with great photo opps. A typical ride as a loop out of Hoi An is about 200km and 8 hours with regular stops. The market at the top is at just over 400 meters altitude but from the Hoi An side you’ll do 7.5km on the road and 9.5km on the Northern side through switchbacks and climbs/declines of up to 11%. Our usual itinerary is a swim at Dream Waterfalls at Lang Co, a beach run (depending on the time of year), lunch on the beach then head South with a stop at the market at the top of Hai Van Pass, “Hanging Rock”, fishing fleet and then drive back along the Han River in Da Nang. #vietnam #travel #traveller # #hoian #anbangbeach #vietnam #holidays #wanderlust #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #goexplore #wonderfulplaces #lovetotravel #travelbloggers #travelblogging #bloggerlife #bloggerslife #bloglife #travelpreneur #tourism #tourist #trip #vacation #travelling #holiday #holidays #wanderlust #travelblogger #follow