Day Forty-Two - 1/1/26

The first day of 2026 and day 42 on the road.

After a reasonably late night, we gave ourselves permission for a small sleep-in. By around 7–7:30am everyone was up and moving. We wanted to start the year well. Not with big resolutions, just with movement and intention.

Kia and the kids got straight into some band work and bodyweight exercises in the hotel room. I laced up my shoes and headed out for a short run around the local area. I’d mapped out a little loop beforehand and honestly, running here is something special. It’s flat, quiet, and very rural. Rice fields in every direction, cows and buffalo grazing, and narrow paths running alongside creeks and rivers.

It was warm but not heavy, with a light breeze and clear skies. It was meant to be overcast, but the sun showed up and gave us a genuinely beautiful start to the year. I kept the run short, just 3km. It was more symbolic than anything. A simple way to step into 2026 on the right foot.

Back at the resort, I jumped straight into the pool to cool down, then got changed and joined the family for breakfast. Omelettes, bread rolls, fresh fruit, juices and coffee, all enjoyed poolside. The pool here is such a great space surrounded by greenery, quiet, and calm. It’s an easy place to slow down.

After breakfast, Kia came out with a coffee she’d made using the drip coffee setup I got her for Christmas. She’s been experimenting with it and this was probably the best one yet. Still not quite as good as the coffees the locals make here, but she’s learning.

By around 9am we needed to get organised. We were meeting up with friends we’d made back at the World Schooling Hub in Phu Quoc, and we also desperately needed to sort out some laundry. Clean clothes were officially running low.

We jumped on the scooters and headed out to the bamboo boat rides through the coconut forest near Cam Thanh Coconut Forest. These are the round basket boats you paddle through the waterways.

We split ourselves into boats, three people plus the driver in each. Emmett jumped in with the other family, which worked perfectly since they have three kids. Our boat driver, Thanh, was singing the entire time. He only knew about three songs, but that didn’t stop him. He just rotated through them on repeat, which was pretty funny.

I’d tweaked my neck slightly on the run earlier, so I was a bit stiff, but it didn’t take away from the experience. We paddled down the creek, out into the main river, and stopped while the boat drivers showed us how to make bracelets, rings and headbands out of bamboo leaves. Apparently it’s something many kids learn while fishing, making little trinkets to pass the time.

We crossed the river and had a go at crab fishing using tiny sticks, fishing line and meat tied on the end. I somehow caught one on my very first attempt… and then absolutely nothing after that. Kia couldn’t catch one, Maddie couldn’t either. They’re surprisingly hard to get once they duck back into their holes.

Then came the spinning.

The boat drivers started doing spins and tricks in the basket boats. The kids loved it. Kia and I… not so much. Turns out spinning is far less enjoyable the older you get. One of the drivers happily took the kids back out and spun them over and over while doing paddle tricks balanced on his hand. It looked incredible and made for some great photos, even if I was getting dizzy just watching.

Afterwards we sat around chatting for a while before deciding to find lunch near the beach. We ended up at a café called Sound of Silence. It looked great and had a good vibe. A lot of tour groups clearly stop there. They were pumping out salted coffees, egg coffees, juices and all sorts of drinks.

The menu was completely western, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches. No Vietnamese food at all. The pizzas weren’t badly priced compared to other places around, which can be very expensive, so the kids and I ordered pizzas and Kia got a burger. The drinks were excellent, but the food was pretty average. The pizza dough tasted like frozen bases with toppings thrown on. They were pretty dry and nothing special. It would have been much nicer if it was homemade and wood-fired.

It ended up being an expensive lunch for what we got, which was disappointing. We’re not on a tight budget, but we are on a budget for this 12-month trip and this was a good reminder to be more mindful about where we eat.

After lunch, we headed down to the beach. You could hire bodyboards, so we grabbed some for Maddie and Emmett. For an hour they were out there catching waves. Some of them a solid two to three feet. They were having an absolute blast. I stood in the water watching, calling out which waves to go for and just enjoying seeing them so happy.

Even after the hour was up, they stayed in for another half hour body surfing. The beach itself was really nice.

Unfortunately, Emmett’s skin flared up again. Ever since we arrived in Vietnam his skin has been really sensitive. He’s gone very brown, which seems to make it even more reactive. Every time he swims in the ocean he gets rashes under his arms, across his chest, chafing everywhere. He came out saying it was burning and really uncomfortable.

That was probably his last ocean swim for a while. We’re heading further north soon and the weather is cooling anyway. Pools don’t seem to affect him nearly as much, so we’ll stick with those while his skin settles.

We got dried off, changed, and headed back to the resort to reset before dinner. Kia spoke to one of the ladies at the resort, E, who recommended some local places to eat. We must have mixed things up slightly, because where we ended up wasn’t as cheap as we expected. Whether that’s just Hoi A prices or not, we’re not sure yet.

The place was right on the river. You write your order down on paper and hand it over, which Maddie was very keen to do. She accidentally wrote the wrong meal for Kia, which ended up seafood noodles instead of beef. But Kia still enjoyed them. I’m not a big seafood eater, so I left that alone. My pork with steamed rice was really good, and the kids’ beef fried rice was great too.

The atmosphere was excellent. Locals sitting around having beers, laughing, scooters cruising past, people waving. It felt very local, and I think we were a bit of a novelty, a foreign family sitting right in amongst it. But it was relaxed and welcoming, and a really nice way to finish the day.

Back at the resort, Emmett was quite upset about his rash. We’ve got a dermatitis cream that helps, but it burns when it goes on, so he hates it even though he knows it’s necessary. We got everyone into bed by around 9pm and called it a night.

A full, active, very real first day of 2026 with movement, laughter, lessons about budgets, and a reminder to look after little bodies as much as big adventures.