The Story of Hub Hoi An [1]

Part 1 of the Story of Hub Hoi An.

It was a sunny and warm day when I arrived at Da Nang Airport in summer 2016. I was traveling as a digital nomad, which is the modern term used for remote working travelers. With my laptop and light luggage, I spent one year vagabonding from Asia to South America, Canada or New Zealand trying to meet my client’s deadlines as a business plan writer.

My own little rule – besides all the freedom I enjoyed – was to choose the cheapest flight to a next country. From Myanmar, I was looking to go to Taiwan – but my own set up rule led me from Yangon to Saigon instead.

All right here I am. Again. It was my 5th or 6th time in Vietnam and I haven’t planned to come here at all. I was looking for new adventures.

The Universe was listening; I just didn’t know it on that day. Not yet.

Welcome back, Hoi An!

After spending 2 weeks in Saigon, it was time for me to see the beach. What natural paradise did I know so far? I was short with my Vietnam budget, so I checked the flights and the cheapest beach destination seemed to be Da Nang. Okay, I was not in the mood for another big city, so I checked accommodations in Hoi An and there I was. Hoi An, I am coming.

This sunny and warm day was the beginning of intense friendships and an endless love with the beauty of Hoi An. I have spent hours working at Dingo Deli and the An Bang Beach Village Restaurant. Still 2 of my favorite places in town. The only thing I really missed was a community. I just visited Thailand, spent working hours at Koh Hub in Koh Lanta and Punspace in Chiang Mai. I really missed hanging out with like-minded people, who are more than happy to talk about WordPress plugins, social media algorithms and pricing models for freelancers. Yes! I was working and nobody at the restaurants or at the beach was happy to talk about their jobs. Of course, others are here for holidays.

How cool would it be to have a place in Hoi An, where people meet, network and come together, creating business models, partnerships and projects, I thought. This little town has everything a digital nomad needs to get work done. Check out our Guide for Digital Nomads to Move to Hoi An.

After an extended stay in Hoi An and an intense afternoon of brainstorming with a friend about the coworking idea, it was time for me to leave. Bali was calling and I was really missing a coworking community. Hubud in Ubud should be my next destination.

As longer I have traveled, as farer I went as more did I miss this little Vietnamese town with its small shadowed alleys, cute yellow houses and the smiling Hoi An ois [oi = people]. I made a draft for a business plan named Coworking in Hoi An. It was an idea. I have many ideas. Every day. And then they disappear in one of my desktop folders named ideas.

A Dream becomes Reality

I was in New Caledonia, when I researched data for the market analysis. In Chile I wrote a rough financial plan while waiting on my plane to Peru. During a trek in Macchu Picchu, I was thinking about a name for the space and I got lost in the streets of Havana while thinking of furniture. In Canada, I found myself pinning ideas on my pinterest profile about interior and the States were a good base to tell my family finally about my plans.

It was already November and I felt restless while traveling – a weird feeling. Spontanous how I can be, I booked a flight from Seattle to Frankfurt, spent one week in Germany to say good bye to friends and family and packed 46kg of my private belongings in paper cartons for my Aeroflot flight to Da Nang. [Little side note: With Aeroflot, you can carry 2x23kg luggage – for free!]

This time, it was a cold and rainy day, when I arrived in Da Nang. Rain was pouring down and the wind blew a strong, cold breeze from the sea upcountry. November was maybe not the right traveller’s season, but the perfect timing to settle here and start my business. I had plans, a concept and I felt crazy enough to dare a new adventure.

The Universe was listening when I asked for new adventures, and here I am. Ready to open my coworking space in Hoi An. […]

Do you want to know what happened next? Read here The Story of Hub Hoi An Part [2].

Let me know what you think, I am happy to receive your feedback in the comments below.

If you have any questions about Hoi An or our Coworking Space, please don’t hesitate to ask here or drop us an E-Mail at hello@hubhoian.com.  You will find some information in our FAQ and it is worth to visit us on Facebook or join our Community..

Hẹn gặp lại bạn ở Hội An [See you in Hoi An]