Day Forty-Seven - 6/1/26
Day 47 was our last day at Green Areca Villas with Hung, and it felt surprisingly emotional saying goodbye. We’d only been there a few days, but it had quickly started to feel like home. The morning was a little drizzly again, which suited the mood. We knew we had a big day ahead with packing, and the kids had well and truly spread themselves out with their own room.
We’d been trying to reorganise our bags so things made more sense for the next leg of the trip. One bag is now meant to be a full winter bag that we don’t touch again, the kids are sharing a bag, and Kia and I each have our own. In theory, it sounds good. In reality, we seem to be accumulating more stuff than we started with, even though we didn’t have much space to begin with. So there was a fair bit of sorting, reshuffling, and questioning how on earth this is all going to keep working.
Once we’d made a decent dent in the packing, we headed down for our final breakfast. Same order again. Omelettes and bread rolls for Kia and me, noodles for Maddie, and this time Emmett went for an omelette as well. They also brought out a banana pancake for the table, which we hadn’t ordered but happily shared. The kids had their usual juices, and we had one last slow coffee.
Before breakfast, Emmett wanted to call one of his friends from the hub, so we did that and gave them a good fifteen minutes to chat and catch up. His friend wanted to wish him a happy birthday, which was really sweet. Then, just before breakfast arrived, I called Dad so he could say happy birthday to Emmett as well, even though it was the day after. It was a nice little window of connection before the day properly kicked off.
After breakfast, it was back to the room for more packing and sorting. Around ten, the kids and I headed out to find an ATM to get cash out for a few payments. We’ve been using VP Bank because it seems to have the best rates with our Wise card, but when we got there, the ATM was out of order and not being fixed until later that night. Plan B was TP Bank, which worked, but you can only withdraw five million dong at a time. We needed a fair bit more than that, so it meant multiple withdrawals and multiple fees. Not ideal, but sometimes you just have to roll with it.
On the way back, we stopped to grab some snacks for our next destination and also picked up a small gift for Hung and E. They’d been such incredible hosts and had gone out of their way to make Emmett’s birthday special, so we really wanted to say thank you. The kids were excited to be part of that and had also made a little card to go with the chocolates.
Because the kids had missed out on gelato the night before when the place was closed, I decided to swing past the gelato shop on the way home. I’m really glad we did. It was such a cool café, with a real beachy, seaside vibe, beautiful paintings, and a relaxed feel. Inside was a happy birthday neon sign, and even though it wasn’t lit up, I got Emmett to stand next to it for a photo.
The kids were less impressed with the gelato at first because the scoops were small, and they complained loudly while eating them on the spot. I grabbed coffees to go for Kia and me, and while I was waiting, the staff realised it had been Emmett’s birthday the day before. That was all it took. They went straight into birthday mode, gave Emmett a little bag of lollies from the gelato toppings, then came back with another free scoop of gelato for both Emmett and Maddie.
It’s moments like that that make Vietnam so special. People here are genuinely kind, generous, and happy to celebrate small things with you. The kids were absolutely stoked. The ride back to the villa was a bit chaotic, with gelato in one hand, coffees in the other, and everyone trying not to spill anything while riding along for a few minutes down the road. Messy, fun, and very on brand for us.
Back at the villa, we dropped the scooters back at reception to be picked up. We snuck Hung’s present up to the room with the card. It wasn’t anything big, but it felt important to acknowledge how much care they’d shown us.
Once everything was packed and all of our many bags were hauled down to reception, Hung was kind enough to let us take the bikes out for one last ride. We did a final lap around the area, waving to people we’d seen every day. We thought about stopping at the restaurant around the corner for lunch, but with the late breakfast and everything else going on, we decided to keep moving.
The kids said their goodbyes as well. Emmett had made a friend who gave him a book and a toy gun as a little farewell gift, which was really lovely. Earlier in the week, the kids had given him an Australian animal toy from their shop, so it felt like a proper exchange and goodbye.
Eventually, we called a Grab. It pulled up just around the corner, and we somehow managed to fit all our bags in. There were hugs, handshakes, and lots of waving as we said goodbye to Green Areca Villas and drove off.
Our next stop was a volunteer farmstay about thirty minutes outside Hoi An. The drive was really nice, although the kids were a bit hyped up from gelato and sugar and got fairly noisy in the back. I’m not sure the driver loved that part, but we made it without incident.
When we arrived, the gate was locked, and just as we were trying to work out what to do, it started raining. Kia called the number we had, and someone came out to let us in. We sheltered our bags under cover and were shown to the accommodation we’d booked. It was a tiny hut, more like a little teepee, and it became immediately obvious that it wasn’t going to fit four people and all our bags.
To her credit, she quickly showed us an alternative inside a larger building. There were two bunk beds and a separate space to stash our bags. It’s very tight and packed with stuff, but it works. The kids claimed the top bunks straight away and were very happy with that.
Because we’d missed the lunch that had been made for the day, Kia headed into town with Tofu to grab some noodles for us. When she got back, we ate together in the food area. I’d been dealing with a bit of a sensitive stomach, and the noodles actually did a great job of settling it, which was a relief.
After lunch, we decided to go for a bit of a walk to check out the surrounding area. It’s quite rural out here, so we were curious to see what town was like. A lot of the other guests were heading into town later to watch a movie, but we decided to give that a miss since we’d already spent plenty of time in Hoi An. A French women staying here also opted out of the movie and came for a walk with us instead.
Unfortunately, this is where my navigation skills let us down. My phone internet was glitching, and I sent us in completely the wrong direction. Instead of town, we ended up walking along a long country road for a good ten minutes before realising the mistake. So we didn’t actually see town at all and will have to try again tomorrow. A definite whoopsie on my part.
By the time we got back to the farm, dinner had already been made early, so we walked straight into it. It was around 5:30, and we all sat together in the food area, Kia, the kids, myself, the French lady, and Tofu, who works here. It was simple but nice, and it felt very communal.
Because it’s a volunteer place, everyone pitches in. After dinner, Kia did the washing up, while the French lady and I packed away the lunch dishes and tidied up a bit. Then it was time to think about showers, which turned out to be an experience in itself.
There are only two toilets and showers for the entire place. At the moment, there are about ten people here, and with most of them out at the movies, it wasn’t too bad. But apparently tomorrow there will be twenty-plus people, which could make mornings and evenings interesting. There’s also no hot water. To have a warm wash, you boil the jug in the food area, walk about fifty metres carrying it, pour it into a big dish, top it up with cold water until it’s warm enough, then scoop it over yourself, soap up, and rinse. Otherwise, it’s a cold shower.
Maddie had a cold shower, but Emmett wanted warm water, so I boiled the jug and helped him. I opted for warm water as well, and Kia did the same. Definitely one of the more interesting shower setups we’ve had so far.
At this stage, we’re not entirely sure how this stay is going to pan out. Another family is arriving tomorrow, and with the facilities, the cost, and how packed in we are, it’s a bit of a see how it goes situation. Green Areca Villas wasn’t much more expensive and came with breakfast, a pool, and great facilities. Tomorrow we’re on animal duty in the morning, and then we’ll see how the afternoon goes and make a call from there.
For now, that’s the end of Day 47. We’re all heading off to bed, and I’m finally up to date with the blog, which feels good. The website is current again, even if it’s still just one photo per post for now. When we get some time and decent Wi-Fi, I’d love to add more images. But that’s a job for another day.