Businesses You Can Run On the Go

Battambang is on the Northern Line that operates between Poipet and Phnom Penh. Here is what to expect on the train from Battambang to Phnom Penh. Battambang – Phnom Penh train details The Northern Line is the train line from Phnom Penh to Poipet (on the Cambodia-Thailand border). There is usually one train per day in each direction between Phnom Penh and Poipet, but at the time of my visit the Battambang-Poipet section wasn’t operating. Depart Battambang: 3:00 pm Arrive Phnom Penh: 9:30 pm The official booking site is at https://royalrailway.easybook.com. I use Baolau to buy Cambodia train tickets. If you are overlanding from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, there is a train…

Chiang Mai burning season refers to the time of year when the air in Northern Thailand is filled with haze from forest fires and the burning of crop waste. Even though this is a problem across Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has become the focus of the pollution crisis. The city has made international headlines for being the most polluted city in the world. The fires are from when farmers burn the stubble in harvested rice fields. There are also fires from slash-and-burn farming, where new agricultural land is cleared from forest and bushland. Fires are also being lit in forests to clear forest litter to harvest mushrooms. The fires are in Northern Thailand, as well as La…

How Da Nang has overtaken Chiang Mai and Canggu to become the digital nomad capital of Southeast Asia. Da Nang is a city on the central coast of Vietnam. The city is between the coast and the mountains, with a river running through the middle. There is also a bay where the main port is, separated from the tourist coast by a spectacular peninsula. Its geographic variety is ridiculous. [The ridiculous geographical variety of Danang (view the map).] As a frequent visitor to Da Nang over the last decade, I have been observing the city grow in stature as an important regional hub and tourism destination. I remarked on my visit in 2017 that Da Nang was a city on the rise. …

How to get the public bus from Da Nang to Hoi An. Da Nang and Hoi An are about 27 km apart, but getting the public bus isn’t as straightforward as you would expect. There used to be a public bus between Da Nang and Hoi An (Bus 1) but that was cancelled during the pandemic. [The old Bus Number 1 (Da Nang to Hoi An).] After a few years with no service, there is now a proper direct bus service operated by FUTA . This bus is a useful way to travel between Da Nang and Hoi An without resorting to getting a Grab taxi, though the service could use some slight improvements. Bus LK-02: Da Nang to Hoi An Bus details Bus LK-02 operates from BX Trung Tam (the bus station in …

A guide for getting the ferry from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau, including how to buy tickets, port locations, and what to expect onboard. Vung Tau is the closest beach to Ho Chi Minh City, so it’s a popular city escape for Saigonese. The easiest way to get there is by the fast ferry service. The ferry from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes. This used to be the quickest way before the Long Thanh expressway opened. Now getting a minivan takes about the same time, but the ferry remains as a more relaxed way to travel. Tickets for Ho Chi Minh City-Vung Tau ferry Ferries are operated by GreenlinesDP. The tickets can be bought online or at the…

How to buy Laos-China Railway tickets, including buying tickets online, by mobile phone app, ticket offices, and travel agents. The Laos-China Railway is a modern and efficient semi-high-speed railway system, but buying tickets isn’t as smooth as the train ride. The official website at www.lcrc.ltd doesn’t sell tickets, and there are rules and time restrictions for buying tickets. Here is how to buy tickets for the Laos China Railway. Buy tickets for the Laos-China Railway Buy tickets online Mobile phone app Ticket offices in Laos Travel agents in Laos Buy tickets online The Laos-China Railway website doesn’t offer tickets online, but you can buy tickets via the o…

There is no direct train service from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, so this guide shows how to make the journey by three different trains. Getting the train from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur used to be a straightforward affair. The train would leave Tanjong Pagar railway station (near downtown Singapore), clear immigration for both countries at Woodlands, and then continue on the same train to Kuala Lumpur. I did this journey in 2009 and it was a great way to travel overland. In 2011 the service from Tanjong Pagar was discontinued and the train service then began at Woodlands, near the Singapore-Malaysia border. The railway corridor from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands has since b…

Getting the train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore involves three separate train journeys. Here are the trains to book and how to buy the tickets. There used to be a direct train service from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, but that service was discontinued in 2011. The rail corridor in Singapore has been turned into a walking path and nature reserve, so this service is not returning. It’s still possible to get the train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, but it requires booking three separate train tickets. This is because the rail line is being upgraded to a double-tracked electric service between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. Half of the project is completed, so the journey …

A guide to the Laos-China Railway from Vientiane to Boten, including tickets, train types, station guides, onboard amenities, and transport to stations. The Laos-China Railway is a semi-high-speed railway in Laos that operates from Vientiane to Boten, with main stations in Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and Muang Xai. Here everything you need to know about the Laos-China Railway. Laos-China Railway guide Laos-China Railway map About the Laos-China Railway Buying tickets Stations Station security Restaurants and shops Station toilets Express and Local Services Onboard the Laos-China Railway Seats onboard the Laos-China Railway Onboard food Onboard toilets Views …

On the railway to China, the hidden ancient citadel, and visiting the Koreatown and Chinatown in this booming manufacturing hub of Northern Vietnam. Bac Ninh is the capital city of Bac Ninh province, neighbouring Hanoi. Bac Ninh province is part of the Hanoi Metropolitan Area, and on the drive to Bac Ninh it’s hard to tell where Hanoi ends and Bac Ninh begins. At least there is still some farmland in between that stops Hanoi fully merging into Bac Ninh. Bac Ninh is an industrial powerhouse of Vietnam, so it’s not exactly high on the list of places to visit for leisure travellers. Apart from the fact that I am making my way through the list of provincial capitals in Viet…

Bandung is the capital city of West Java province in Indonesia, and about 150 km southeast of Jakarta. I was in Bandung after riding the Jakarta Bandung High-Speed Railway. The new train (known as Whoosh) is the fastest train in Southeast Asia, with a top speed of 350 km/h. I’ve been to Bandung before, but it’s good to revisit a place to see how its changed, and to see how you have changed as a traveller. These are notes from my visit in April 2024. Whoosh (the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway) [Whoosh at Padalarang (Bandung).] The train from Jakarta to Bandung takes 30 minutes, though you lose time going from Central Jakarta to the high-speed station. The good …

Bao Loc is a city in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. Bao Loc is the closest highland city to Ho Chi Minh City, and the construction of a new expressway has made it more accessible. I was reading about some recent tourism developments in Bao Loc, which are being built to cash in on weekenders from Ho Chi Minh City. There are frequent local buses from the popular tourist city of Da Lat, so I got the bus to Bao Loc to see what is happening. [Local bus from Da Lat to Bao Loc.] I thought it would be a short ride as Bao Loc is in the same province as Da Lat. It ended up taking 3 hours, not including the time it took driving around Da Lat to p…

Bengkulu is the capital of Bengkulu province on the west coast of Sumatra Island. The city was a British outpost for nearly two centuries, though the colonial remnants are not as well preserved as the famous Straits cities. I visited Bengkulu after going from Palambang to Lubuk Linggau by train. Instead of backtracking on the same line, I got a shared taxi from Lubuk Linggau over the mountains to Bengkulu. These are the main sites of Bengkulu. Fort Marlborough Fort Marlborough is the main attraction of Bengkulu. The fort is surprisingly well preserved considering how little remains from this era in the rest of the city. The fort is the second largest of the East India …

Buon Ma Thuot is the capital city of Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. While Da Lat is the best-known city in the Central Highlands, Buon Ma Thuot is the largest city and is closer to the geographical centre of the Central Highlands region. I have been to Da Lat many times, mainly because it’s more convenient to get to from Ho Chi Minh City. On my recent trip to Da Lat, I got the bus to Buon Ma Thuot, saving me a longer bus trip (or flying) from HCMC. These are my notes on Buon Ma Thuot from my visit in March 2025. Buon Ma Thuot city notes Buon Ma Thuot is also spelled as Ban Me Thuot, and Ban Me is also used as its name. BMT is also an acceptable ab…

Lubuk Linggau (or Lubuklinggau) is a city in South Sumatra, Indonesia. There is a train that goes from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau, so that was the only excuse I needed to visit. I didn’t want to backtrack to Palembang, so I decided to stay in Lubuk Linggau and then find other transport to Bengkulu on the coast. The train from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau takes 7 h 15 m to travel the 306 km. Palembang to Lubuk Linggau might seem like a random city pair to build a passenger railway, especially when there are bigger cities in Sumatra that should be connected by rail. As I discovered on my first train trip in South Sumatra, this railway was built to extract coal from the South…

Sri Racha is a city on the Bay of Bangkok in Chonburi province. The city is in between Bang Saen (the closest beach to Bangkok) and Pattaya, and it is part of the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area. Most people would be familiar with Sriracha for the sauce, though the most famous Sriracha sauce brand is made by a Vietnamese immigrant in America and not from Thailand. This name is so famous that it messes with search results when looking for anything to do with the city of Sri Racha. I was interested to visit Sri Racha as it’s known as the Little Osaka of Thailand. Sri Racha got this title as it’s an industrial hub that includes Japanese car manufacturers. Japanese work…

The Old City (Kota Lama), Surabaya Chinatown, and Jalan Tunjungan (one of the coolest streets in Indonesia). Surabaya is a port city in the northeastern corner of Java island. The city is the capital of East Java province and the second-largest city in Indonesia. I visited Surabaya in May 2024 as part of my rail trip across Java. This was my second trip to Surabaya, and I happened to be there while the city was undergoing a renovation of its old city streets. This old town renaissance might finally put Surabaya of the map of great city getaways in Southeast Asia. On this trip I visited the Old City (Kota Lama), Surabaya Chinatown, and Jalan Tunjungan (one of the coole…

A guide to the Padang Besar Railway Station border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand. Padang Besar is an international railway station in Malaysia on the Thailand border. There is also a separate Padang Besar station in Thailand in Tambon Padangbesa. If you are getting the train between Thailand and Malaysia, you will be going through Padang Besar in Malaysia. This a guide for crossing the border at Padang Besar, and what trains to get to travel between Malaysia and Thailand. Padang Besar station guide Padang Besar map Padang Besar Railway Station (Malaysia) Train travel from Malaysia to Thailand Train travel from Thailand to Malaysia Padang Besar Railway Sta…

Introducing my latest travel website, Rail Vietnam. This guide covers every train line in Vietnam, station information, and how to buy tickets. About Rail Vietnam I write about train travel in Vietnam here at Nomadic Notes, but I figured it would be better to have a dedicated site to post more detailed information. A Vietnam rail site is the ideal subject for a niche site. It’s a topic I am very familiar with, and it is a small niche that won’t require too much time once it is set up. I also found a great domain (railvietnam.com) that is easy to brand. The official website is not the most user-friendly experience, and there are many Vietnamese travel agent websites th…

April 30 is Reunification Day in Vietnam, and 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. Ho Chi Minh City held a grand military parade to mark the historic anniversary. The day is known in Vietnam as the liberation of southern Vietnam and national reunification. For overseas Vietnamese who escaped it is known as the fall of Saigon and Black April. My social media newsfeed was filled with the perspective of Vietnamese from both sides on this day. This article covers what it was like in Ho Chi Minh City in lead-up to the day and on April 30. Propaganda posters The previous big parade was for the 40th anniversary in 2015. The city was covered with propagand…

A guide to the Soekarno–Hatta Line – the Jakarta airport train. Travel information, tickets, and which stations are best for visitors. The Soekarno–Hatta Airport Commuter Line (formerly the Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link) is the airport railway connecting Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Central Jakarta. The Soekarno–Hatta Line was built with the combination of a new railway connecting to an existing track. As such the railway has to weave its way around the airport and surrounding area to get to the old track. It’s not an express train, but it’s still a better option than a taxi in peak hour traffic. Here is all the information on how to get the Jakarta ai…

A guide to train travel Southeast Asia, featuring resources for buying tickets and reviews of rail travel in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia railways index Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Southeast Asia train travel resources Southeast Asia train travel FAQs Future Southeast Asia railways Cambodia Railway Operator: Royal Railway. Buy Cambodia train tickets Baolau. Cambodia train travel articles Cambodia railways – a guide to train travel in Cambodia. The Japanese train in Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the KiHa train from Hokkaido Battambang to Phnom Penh by train Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville by tra…

A guide for the original bamboo railway in Battambang and the new bamboo tourist train in Banon. The bamboo railway in Battambang is a lightweight trolley (known as a norry) that was originally used to transport goods and passengers along the old railway. This makeshift trolley railway served a functional purpose when there was no rail service. The railway became a popular tourist attraction, and trolley rides were set up specifically for tourists. I visited the railway in 2016 after hearing that the bamboo railway would be closed down once the line was rehabilitated. I wrote a review of the bamboo railway before the line was rebuilt, which explains some of the history …

A review of the Japanese KiHa 183 series train that operates between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. In 2024 the Royal Railway of Cambodia acquired 11 KiHa 183 series train carriages from JR Hokkaido in Japan. The trains were converted from 1067mm gauge to metre gauge, and a test service began on the Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville route in November 2024. This retired train from snowy Hokkaido now has a new life in tropical Cambodia. I rode the service from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville in December 2024, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable train trips I’ve taken in Southeast Asia. Here is what to expect. Southern Line Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville Depart Phnom Pen…

The Bangkok to Ban Klong Luk Border train service goes from Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong) to the Thailand-Cambodia border in Aranyaprathet. There are two trains a day in each direction, but the early morning service (Train No. 275) is the best if you are planning onward connections in Cambodia. Train number: 275 Service: Ordinary Depart Bangkok: 5:55 am Arrive Ban Klong Luk Border: 11:17 am Total travel time: 5h 22m [Bangkok to Ban Klong Luk Border timetable.] Depart from Hua Lamphong Station (Bangkok Station) Most trains from Bangkok now depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Trains that travel to Eastern Thailand still use the old Bangkok Rai…