Thanh Nien news reports the tropical storm 'Noul' (Red Sky) with winds of up to 102 kph is due to hit South Vietnam tommorow, landing south west of Ho Chi Minh City. The path of the storm is similar to that of the Durian storm which caused widespread damage in 2006, and this storm is like to cause damage to crops, uproot trees and damage old buildings.

Looking at the map from the article it looks like areas as far north as Nha Trang will be affected so do take care if you are visiting any coastal areas. Some flooding is also predicted south of HCMC as the Dau Tieng reservoir in Tay Ninh is expected to overflow from the extra rainfall.

With the help of some friends I've been working on another travel guide, this time to Thailand, called Thailand Holidays. I thought I'd take a different approach with this one, combining 'expert' articles with tips and advice from travellers and other bloggers to help the guide grow naturally. Anyone can contribute to the website - I'm hoping that by including a rating system for tips the best suggestions can rise to the top and less helpful ones will be hidden from view.

If it works well I may copy the format over to this site - although the first this I've noticed is that differences in writing style, travelling attitude and grammar between users can be quite big. Take a look at the website and see what you think - and if you have any tips you'd like to contribute please feel free to do so.

Been back in Saigon for two weeks now and it feels great.. funnily enough the day before we left the UK it turned artic, with snow settling across London and bitter winds before turning into a chilly but bright and sunny day as we did one last tour round London before hopping on the flight.. a perfect time to leave, we thought!

We've settled into a nice house with friends in Phu Nhuan and have been enjoying exploring the backstreets and all the good food that is on offer around here, as well as catching up with old friends and most importantly some of the students who lived at the project I used to work for - now doing extremely well with their own jobs and places to live, and looking extremely happy and confident!

I'm on the lookout for another full time job in an NGO, but in the meantime am doing some freelance web development and internet marketing projects for various people to keep the funds coming in and enjoying having some free time for once! If you are looking for help with your website then do get in touch.

Living in Saigon I always thought it really needed a music festival - what with beautiful weather, cheap beer and some great local and expat bands it seemed perfect. While I've been away someone's taken up the challenge, and LoretoFest was born at RMIT campus last year. It's set to return again on November 29th this year, and I'm really looking forwards to it!

The festival is run to raise money for the Loreto Vietnam-Australia charity, which raises money for educational projects for over 3,000 disadvantaged and disabled youth in the city and in rural areas. Tickets cost $25 and all proceeds will help support these projects.

Playing at the one day event will be many bands including Regurgitator, Mojo Webb, Ho Ngoc Ha, Pham Anh Khoam, Curtis King Band, Phuong Vy and Bad Neighbour, to name just a few. The event will run from 2pm till Midnight on 29/11/08 at the RMIt campus in District 7. Tickets are limited and will cost more on the door so its worth getting them in advance - they can be purchased from many locations listed on the Loretofest website