Day Forty-One - 31/12/25
New Year’s Eve.
We woke up at our new accommodation in Hoi An, Green Acera. Straight away it felt like a step up. The beds were much nicer and everyone slept really well, with a bit of a sleep in to start the day.
Breakfast here had to be pre ordered the night before. When we came outside in the morning, there was a table already set for us right beside the pool, cutlery laid out and everything ready to go. We sat down to omelettes, fresh bread rolls, fruit, coffee and juices for the kids. It was such a good breakfast and such a beautiful place to sit and eat. The pool here is incredible, easily the best pool we’ve had so far on the trip, and the kids absolutely love it.
After breakfast, the kids jumped straight in for a swim. Kia and I sat back for a bit before heading back to the room to sort a few things out and work out what we wanted to do for the day. Eventually we ordered scooters so we could get around. The kids are really off walking and bike riding at the moment, which is a bit of a shame because Kia and I would happily cycle everywhere, but scooters it was.
I’d looked up some cheap local places to eat using ChatGPT, but the phone holder on the scooter wasn’t great, so reading the map while riding wasn’t really an option. We ended up missing the spot completely and found another place closer to the old town instead. Lunch was great for three of us. Maddie thought she’d ordered chicken pho but ended up with chicken soup instead, which wasn’t quite what she wanted, but it was still really nice. Emmett couldn’t finish his rice, so Maddie ate some of that along with his chicken and still had some of her soup. I helped finish the rest as well because it was a huge bowl.
After lunch, we went for a bit of an adventure to see what was happening for New Year’s Eve and where everything was located. Everyone pointed us towards the lantern festival area in the old town, so we rode through, worked out how to get there from our accommodation and where to park the scooters later. On the way back, we accidentally rode through a massive market area that had actually been closed to traffic, which we didn’t realise at the time, but it was still pretty cool to see.
Back at the accommodation, we hoped the kids might rest so we could stay out a bit later that night. That didn’t really happen. They played on their tablets instead, while Kia and I managed to rest, catch up on some blogging and video posts and try to keep up with documenting the trip. It’s a constant juggle between being present and capturing everything so we can look back on it later and show the kids and others what’s possible.
Around 5.30, we headed back into the old town on the scooters. We parked and walked through the markets, soaking up the atmosphere. Kia wanted to buy some clothes as part of her Christmas present and found a tailor doing really nice custom shirts. She tried a few things on and ended up choosing a beautiful button up shirt.
The kids spotted the flying toys that shoot up into the air and desperately wanted one. We bought them one each and a few launches in, Emmett’s came crashing down and broke, which kicked off the first tantrum of the night.
We found a place to sit down for dinner that honestly looked like it could have been dropped straight out of Europe. The food was great, and it was happy hour so we got 2 for 1 drinks. After dinner, we wandered through lantern lit streets with live music playing at different venues. One guy was doing a Vietnamese version of Ed Sheeran songs and absolutely nailed it. There were crepe carts, ice cream stalls and just people everywhere, but not in an overwhelming way.
We grabbed ice creams for the kids, shared some crepes, watched fireworks and wandered through the old town. There was also a traditional performance with an older man singing to a seated crowd. It was hard to tell if it was aimed at kids or adults, but it was fascinating to watch. We spent a couple of hours just cruising around, looking at the lanterns, the boats on the river and all the activity around us.
By about 8.30 or 9, Emmett was clearly exhausted and getting upset over little things, which meant we couldn’t stay out as late as we might have liked. That’s just part of travelling with kids. We picked up some snacks from a local lady, nuts, dried banana and dried coconut, and slowly made our way back through the markets and streets.
It’s only about a three kilometre ride back to our accommodation, so we were home, showered and in bed well before 10. Before falling asleep, Kia and I sat together and talked through 2025, everything we’ve done, how much has changed and where we’re at now, as well as what we’re hoping for in 2026. There are so many unknowns ahead, but they feel exciting rather than scary.
A really special way to end 2025.