Nomadic Notes Newsletter (March 2025)

Vietnam update, the old and new bamboo railway in Battambang, the end of the line in South Sumatra, writing for Lonely Planet, airports in Malaysia, and other site updates

Welcome to the Nomadic Notes Newsletter. This newsletter summarises the latest posts at nomadicnotes.com, site updates, and other unblogged ramblings.

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Travel updates

Hello from Hue in Vietnam. I’ve been travelling around Vietnam this month, visiting old favourites with a few new places added to the mix.

I was in Da Nang last week, which has become a digital nomad hotspot. I was there last year, and it feels like something has changed, like the word has got out. I will be back there this week, so I will be writing a report on Da Nang in 2025.

Latest posts at Nomadic Notes

• The bamboo railways in Battambang: Comparing the original and new bamboo trains

A guide for the original bamboo railway in Battambang and the new bamboo tourist train in Banon.

• Notes on Lubuk Linggau – At the end of the line in South Sumatra

Lubuk Linggau (or Lubuklinggau) is a city in South Sumatra, Indonesia. A train goes from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau, so that was the only excuse I needed to visit.

• Where to stay in Nha Trang – best areas near the beach

Updated posts at Nomadic Notes

• Chiang Mai burning season: News and information about air pollution in Northern Thailand

A common question about Chiang Mai is when the burning season starts.

The burning season in Northern Thailand usually starts in February, and pollution levels remain high until the rainy season starts in May. I keep track of the dates when Chiang Mai becomes the most polluted city in the world. This year, that dubious honour was reached on the 17th of March.

What I’ve been working on / My other sites

Lonely Planet

I wrote my first article for Lonely Planet! The online guide is about train travel in Vietnam (of course):

Taking the train in Vietnam ⁠— everything you need to know

Lonely Planet was my go-to guidebook before the internet era, so I was happy to contribute (and get a Lonely Planet bio page). Younger me would have considered being a Lonely Planet guidebook writer, but I wouldn’t be able to do it now. I tip my hat to the active guidebook writers out there.

The Travel Wire

If you are a new Nomadic Notes subscriber, I have a weekly newsletter dedicated to curated travel reads at The Travel Wire. Subscribe to get travel reads delivered every Friday.

Future Southeast Asia

Most of my writing time is spent on the Future Southeast Asia Newsletter. Subscribe to that if you want updates on future transport and infrastructure news.

This month I made a map of airports in Malaysia. All of the airports are listed on Wikipedia, but the list is useless when the airports are named after people or are in remote places in Borneo.

Malaysia Airports: Map of every commercial airport

Southeast Asia Railways

The monthly Southeast Asia Railways Newsletter goes out next week. Subscribe for updates on new services and projects.

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James Clark – Hue, Vietnam.