Nomadic Notes Newsletter (May 2025)
Da Nang is the digital nomad capital of Southeast Asia, Notes on Bandung, a proposed railway for Krabi (and my dream extension), Nha Trang fantasy rail map.
Welcome to the Nomadic Notes Newsletter. This newsletter summarises the latest posts at nomadicnotes.com, site updates, and other unblogged ramblings.
Travel updates
Hello from Chiang Mai. Thailand is still issuing two-month visa-free stays for some countries, so I am here for two months. The visa-free duration was going to revert to one month, but the drop in tourism arrivals after the Myanmar earthquake might have been what changed their mind.
It’s not peak travel season here, but it still feels quieter than usual. The old town feels like a ghost town at night.
There are also not as many nomads as usual. Maybe I wouldn’t have noticed this if I hadn’t been in Da Nang last month. It is apparent that Da Nang is now the digital nomad hub of Southeast Asia, and I have written about this changing of the guard of nomad cities.
Latest posts at Nomadic Notes
• Da Nang is the new digital nomad hub of Southeast Asia
How Da Nang has overtaken Chiang Mai and Canggu to become the digital nomad capital of Southeast Asia.
• Notes on Bandung: The decolonization capital and the high-speed gateway to Java
The “Notes on” series is a chronological archive of my travels. I’m still blogging my way through last year’s trip to Indonesia.
• Where to stay in Da Lat: The former hill station in the Central Highlands of Vietnam
I like Da Lat, but its colonial heritage gets over-romanticised, and people arrive with expectations of finding a mini Paris in the highlands. My guide explains the realities of this modern provincial city.
• Reunification Day Vietnam 2025: The 50th anniversary of the end of the war
My record of being in Ho Chi Minh City during the 50th anniversary of reunification.
Updated posts at Nomadic Notes
• International train services in Southeast Asia
Hanoi to Nanning and Hanoi to Beijing train services have restarted, so I have updated the list. This was only announced days before it reopened. I’m overdue for a China visit, so this might be part of my plan.
What I’ve been working on / My other sites
• An expat’s guide to An Bang Beach (login may be required)
I wrote an article for Escape Artist about An Bang Beach in Hoi An. Whenever I stay in Da Nang, I usually spend some time in Hoi An as well. The beach of Hoi An has a good village vibe, and it makes a nice change of pace from Da Nang.
Future Southeast Asia
• Thap Put – Krabi Railway: Connecting Krabi and Krabi Airport to Phuket and Bangkok by train
I write about new transport projects at Future Southeast Asia, and part of that involves finding news that doesn’t appear on English news sites. This proposal to build a railway to Krabi in southern Thailand would be amazing if it were to happen. My dream would be for the train to extend to near Ko Lanta.
Nha Trang HSR Airport Railway Concept Map
Sometimes I write about railways that haven’t been proposed, but I want to happen. I made a map of a transit system for Nha Trang that would connect the proposed high-speed railway and airport. Someone has to propose it, so I may as well get it started.
The Travel Wire
The Nomadic Notes Newsletter used to feature a travel reads section. This section is now a separate newsletter at The Travel Wire. Subscribe to get weekly travel reads.
…
James Clark – Chiang Mai, Thailand.