Tet Lunar New Year, Year of the Dragon, Vietnam

Enter the Dragon | Lunar New Year

On the eve of the Year of the Dragon, Vietnam prepares to welcome another year of growing prosperity, opportunity & modernity…

My Green Hoodie: A Mongolian Sketch

My Green Hoodie: A Mongolian Sketch

The origin story of a piece of clothing I’ve worn for 20 years…

Farewell to my neighbourhood: Ward 25, Binh Thanh District, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Farewell My Neighbourhood

After nearly 9 years, I’m leaving my neighbourhood in Saigon’s Binh Thanh District, where I have many memories of many people, places & experiences…

Vietnam Coracle 2022 End of Year Review

2022: Year-End Review

I reflect on a significant year, focusing on post-pandemic travel and life in Vietnam…

Travel Fitness

Travel Fitness

Travellers often neglect their fitness. I practice exercise routines, methods & activities that are suitable for travel & help to maintain my fitness while on the road…

The Odes: A Collection

The Odes | A Collection

Over the years, I’ve written ‘odes’ in praise of aspects of Vietnam: from natural phenomena to types of food to specific places & personalities…

Lonely Planet Experience Vietnam

Lonely Planet Article

For the new Lonely Planet ‘Experience Vietnam’ book, I explore the joys, history & practicality of motorbiking Vietnam…

Vietnam Coracle 10 Year Anniversary

10 Year Anniversary of Vietnam Coracle

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, I’ve written an account of my website’s conception and development and an evaluation of its ‘success’.

The New Vietnam Coracle Logo

New Logo

Vietnam Coracle has a new logo. Read the story behind the logo’s creation & design…

Instant Pot Noodles in Vietnam

Instant Noodles: Pandemic Staple

A national comfort food, a convenience, an indulgence & in some cases a necessity, instant noodles are a staple of the Vietnamese diet. During the pandemic, however, national consumption rose by 30%…

Ode to a Banyan Tree

Ode to a Banyan Tree

Temples of the forest, banyan trees are great, natural edifices rich in cultural, spiritual & folkloric symbolism. A bridge between the human, natural & spirit worlds, banyan trees are found all over Vietnam…

Ode to the Ocean, A personal meditation on the sea

Ode to the Ocean

Throughout human history, the sea has been both dangerous and generous: a cause of destruction and death, but also a source of food, fun, wealth and beauty…

Bell tower at the General Võ Nguyên Giáp's tomb

The General’s Tomb | A Memory

Sometimes referred to simply as ‘The General’, Võ Nguyên Giáp is a giant of Vietnamese history. Following his death, in 2013, millions have made the pilgrimage to his tomb in Central Vietnam, myself included…

'Fourth Wave': The Covid-19 Pandemic in Vietnam

‘Fourth Wave’ | The Pandemic in Vietnam

A long-form personal narrative & travelogue describing my experiences during the ‘fourth wave’, Vietnam’s worst outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic…

First Rains: An Ode to the Monsoon in Vietnam

First Rains: An Ode to the Monsoon

Monsoon downpours & tropical storms are the quintessential expression of the tropics, representing the exotic & the mysterious. For me, the monsoon embodies the excitement & romance of living far from home….

Anthony Bourdain in Vietnam: All 8 Episodes Reviewed

Anthony Bourdain in Vietnam: Retrospective & Review

Anthony Bourdain felt a special attachment to Vietnam. Over the course of his TV career, he filmed multiple episodes in the country. I’ve pulled together & reviewed all 8 of his Vietnam shows…

The Pandemic Sessions: Interviews from Vietnam

The Pandemic Sessions | Interviews from Vietnam

A series of long-form interviews with people in Vietnam focusing on their experiences & opinions of the pandemic, and how their lives have changed as a result of Covid-19

Pandemic Season in Vietnam, Covid-19

Pandemic Season in Vietnam: Pre-Covid, Lock-Down, Post-Virus

Part travelogue, part personal narrative, part analysis of Vietnam’s containment of Covid-19, this is a long-form account of the pandemic….

An Interview with Vietnam Coracle

An Interview with Vietnam Coracle

A written interview featuring long-form, detailed answers to questions ranging from the evolution of Vietnam Coracle to its purpose and function, and the nature of travel writing in the Internet age…

Vietnam Reading List & Book Reviews

Vietnam Reading List & Book Reviews

A categorized reading list including personal reviews of over 50 books about Vietnam, ranging from Vietnamese authors in translation to travel writing, journalism, history, poetry, politics & more…

Quarantine in Vietnam during COVID-19 virus

The Quarantine of Taz in Vietnam

My friend, Taz, was quarantined for 17 days in Vietnam as part of the government’s strategy to contain COVID-19. After her release, I interviewed Taz about her experiences at the quarantine facility, just outside Ho Chi Minh City….

Sketches of Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Sketches of Saigon: 5 Scenes

Over the course of a week, I sat & wrote for half an hour on five separate occasions at five random locations in Saigon, and described the scenes as they appeared to me, in the hope of capturing something of the spirit of the city….

Phuong Boi hill & forest, the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh's retreat, Vietnam

Phương Bối Hill: The Buddhist Monk Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Retreat

In the misty forests on the slopes of the B’lao mountains, the young Buddhist monk, Thích Nhất Hạnh, came to build a retreat in the late 1950s. Now a world-famous spiritual leader, Thich Nhat Hanh was forced to abandon the retreat in the 1960s, but the site still exists….

Trash in Vietnam's beauty spots

Trash Talk: Litter in Vietnam’s Beauty Spots

Vietnam is an extraordinarily beautiful country, but thousands of scenic areas across the nation are increasingly ruined by trash. A major catalyst for litter in beauty spots are picnickers, who neglect to clean up after themselves….

Don't Miss the Dawn in Vietnam

Don’t Miss the Dawn

Dawn is the best time of day in Vietnam. Yet most travellers and expats never experience it. Wake up before sunrise and you’ll witness exquisite skies and the ‘roots’ of Vietnamese daily life. Rising early should be on everyone’s list of things to do in Vietnam….

Destinations Map

This is a map of all my Travel, Destination & Information Guides. Zoom in, click a marker, then click the link in the description to go directly to the guide.