Day Forty-Six - 5/1/26
Day 46 was all about Emmett, and it started in the best possible way. Everyone slept in, which felt like a small luxury in itself. Kia and I lay in bed chatting for a while before quietly getting everything ready. Instead of the usual birthday setup on the table like we’d do back home, we turned our bed into the birthday zone. When Emmett and Maddie finally wandered in, still half asleep, it was a proper surprise for him, and such a nice way to start the day.
Finding birthday wrapping in Vietnam isn’t easy. The little gift bag Kia managed to track down wasn’t very birthday-looking at all, but Emmett didn’t care. He sat on the bed and worked through his presents one by one, a few small toys and a hat we’d picked up at the markets the day before. We still need to buy him a few more clothes to keep him going for the trip because he’s growing so fast and starting to run low in a few areas, but he was stoked regardless.
After presents, we headed down for another lovely breakfast by the pool. When we mentioned to Hung, the owner of the resort, that it was Emmett’s birthday, he was genuinely surprised and wished him a happy birthday. We went back upstairs to finish getting ready, and about half an hour later there was a knock on the door. Hung had set up balloons at our breakfast table, put up a happy birthday banner, and organised a birthday cake for Emmett. It was such a generous, unexpected gesture. The cake was absolutely delicious, we all sang happy birthday, and it was one of those moments that really sticks with you. The people here are such kind, open, generous people. We’ll definitely be doing something special for them before we leave to say thank you.
After that, we jumped on the scooters and headed up the highway to VinWonders. From the outside it didn’t look as big as the one we visited on Phu Quoc, but once inside it became clear how spread out it was. There was a safari area, a traditional Vietnamese village, the theme park rides, a long strip of food stalls, an indoor games area, and a water park. Lots to do, but a lot of walking between everything.
After missing the safari at Phu Quoc, we made that our first stop so we didn’t miss out again. This one is done by boat, cruising around the animals. It wasn’t very big and the boat moved pretty quickly, but we still got to see the animals, and Emmett was happy he didn’t miss out this time.
From there we went straight to the rides. There weren’t any massive roller coasters, but plenty of low-key rides clearly designed with kids in mind. The dodgem cars were a standout. They were fast, aggressive, and borderline dangerous. They wouldn’t let Emmett drive on his own, even though he was tall enough according to the height board, so I went in with him. We ended up going a couple more times later in the day because they were just too much fun.
There was a hanging sit-in roller coaster that Maddie and I went on. We tried to convince Emmett, but he wasn’t keen at first. He said he wasn’t warmed up enough, so we gave it some time. Lunch and a session on the trampolines in the indoor games area helped and he ended up loving it. Overall though, the theme park area was pretty decent, and for what we paid, it felt fair. Emmett was happy, which is really all that mattered.
We originally thought the water park wasn’t open, so we hadn’t brought any swimmers. Once we realised it was open, the kids were desperate to go. That meant a quick stop at one of the shops to buy swimmers for them. They really wanted Kia and me to go on the slides with them, but it was actually pretty cool by that point, so we sent them off on their own. They were able to do most of the rides, although Emmett was a bit too short for a few and needed an adult, so they missed a couple. Even so, they had a great time, and because we weren’t in there with them, we managed to get some fun photos from the sidelines. Before we left, Maddie had a bit of a moment because we didn’t have towels and there was no real way for the kids to dry off properly. I ended up sacrificing my T-shirt so they could dry themselves, which didn’t completely fix the mood, but luckily I had a spare shirt in my bag for later.
By the time we finished up, it was about 5:30 and the park was closing. We’d organised dinner with a group of families from the Phu Quoc hub, so we raced back into Hoi An.
Dinner was great. There were three other families there, about fifteen people all up around the table. It was really nice catching up, hearing where everyone had been and what they’d been up to. When the restaurant staff found out it was Emmett’s birthday, they surprised him with a small dessert and a couple of plates of mango to share around, which was such a lovely touch.
We tried a traditional Hoi An dish called Cao Lầu, a mix of noodles, vegetables, pork, pork crackling, herbs, and sauce. It was absolutely delicious and surprisingly cheap for how good it was. Great food, great conversation, and a really relaxed end to the day.
The kids wanted gelato on the way home, but by the time we left dinner it was after nine and most places were closing, so we missed out. Honestly, they’d probably had more than enough sugar between the cake, dessert, and snacks throughout the day anyway.
It was our second birthday abroad, and it definitely has a different feel to celebrating back home. Different place, different people, different rhythm. But Emmett had a great day, said he really enjoyed it, and we all did too. A really special Day 46 and a birthday we won’t forget.