Fun in the Sun (and a tad bit of rain)

To book-end ATLO’s first year in existence, we had our inaugural firm trip in Hoi An, Vietnam last week. We all know how high the stress levels can be in a law firm on a daily basis. This trip provided a chance for me, my lawyers, pupil and staff to relax, immerse ourselves in a new culture, and, quite simply, let our hair down.

Personally, I’ve always found firm trips to be an excellent opportunity to learn more about my colleagues in a more relaxed and informal setting. Consistent with my penchant for having an unconventional practice, we decided against the usual rigid team-building activities. Instead, we designed the trip to be laid-back, allowing everyone to enjoy it in their own way. Even so, we ended up spending plenty of time together and had a lot of fun throughout the trip.

It started with a lovely dinner at a popular Vietnamese restaurant, followed by a boat ride along the riverside, culminating in beverages at an Irish pub with live music.

The following day, we took a day trip to Bana Hills (kinda like Genting Highlands with an impressive French village). There we enjoyed the cooler weather and an extensive brewery which produced their own range of craft beers. We ended the night back at Danang, experiencing the night market and famous Dragon bridge which spouted both fire and water in equal measure.

After the vigours of the previous day’s excursion, most of us elected to have a late start to the day with a mixture of massages/ spa treatment and light browsing at the scenic streets of Hoi An’s old town. After refreshing ourselves with Hoi An’s famous brew (coffee this time!), we then embarked on a 5km cycling trip coupled with a 3km kayaking stretch. Whilst not quite to the Iron Man standard, this proved to be highly entertaining with much screaming, squealing and gut busting laughter.

We ended the night with dinner at a home kitchen in the heart of Hoi An old town, followed by a trip to 7 Bridges, which had the most impressive selection of craft beers on tap.

All in all, it was a fantastic end to a spectacular trip. There was certainly team bonding (although the jury is still out on how long it will last!).

Here are some pics of our trip: https://tinyurl.com/mw2xukfd

NB: Some from De Silva also joined us (although one notoriously pulled out at the last minute 👀)