Anyone in Vung Tau?

rentonglenn wrote:

Anyone in Vung Tau?

I currently live in Washington State US

When Visa's start been issued I plan to go there.

A lot of people had to leave during the pandemic, and I left there a few months before I ultimately needed to leave Vietnam.

When you get there, search Google Maps for
"Belly's Watering Hole":

53D Phan Chu Trinh
Phường 2
Vũng Tầu
Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu

Lots of English speaking folks there, and you'll find it easy to join in for coffee in the morning or beer anytime.

I might be back there sometime after June 1st.

Maybe tell us a bit more about yourself before people commit to meeting up with you?

Welcome to the Vietnam forum.

Howdy -

I'm still in Vung Tau.

Why Vung Tau?  To visit?  Live?  Retire?  Girlfriend?  Family?
It's a nice little city. Underrated I think.
Easy access to Saigon and has lots that Saigon doesn't: sea air, beaches, hills and hiking, slower pace, less traffic (more on weekends), less poverty (judging by the new motorbikes), less trash, walkable, foreign food options.

With the Covid concerns and Visa's questionable I'm thinking early May is the target date. I have an acquaintance there but living arrangement's are still unknown.

I'm recently retired  in the Seattle area and planning to live there with a Girlfriend she works for a platform supply co. and lives by the Lapen center.

rentonglenn wrote:

I'm recently retired  in the Seattle area and planning to live there with a Girlfriend she works for a platform supply co. and lives by the Lapen center.

The Lapen Center Mall is in district 11.

But you aren't certain if you will live with her there or elsewhere?

Have you met her in person, or only through the internet?

What's important to you when choosing where to live?

If you prefer to live near expat-frequented areas or near the sea, district 11 is not near Front Beach or Back Beach, but you can get there fairly quickly via motorbike or Grab taxi (Grab is a rideshare outfit, similar to Uber--they actually bought out Uber in Southeast Asia--but they were only allowing taxi rides as of this time last year).

If the beaches and fellow expats are not that important to you, we have at least one long-term forum member who has found nearby Bà Rịa to be a good place to live.

rentonglenn wrote:

With the Covid concerns and Visa's questionable I'm thinking early May is the target date. I have an acquaintance there but living arrangement's are still unknown.

In my opinion, that's probably good thinking.

I'm personally not going to attempt to get back any earlier than July 1st, hoping that by then most or all Covid restrictions might be lifted (my guess only).

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

rentonglenn wrote:

I'm recently retired  in the Seattle area and planning to live there with a Girlfriend she works for a platform supply co. and lives by the Lapen center.

The Lapen Center Mall is in district 11.

But you aren't certain if you will live with her there or elsewhere?

Have you met her in person, or only through the internet?

What's important to you when choosing where to live?

If you prefer to live near expat-frequented areas or near the sea, district 11 is not near Front Beach or Back Beach, but you can get there fairly quickly via motorbike or Grab taxi (Grab is a rideshare outfit, similar to Uber--they actually bought out Uber in Southeast Asia--but they were only allowing taxi rides as of this time last year).

If the beaches and fellow expats are not that important to you, we have at least one long-term forum member who has found nearby Bà Rịa to be a good place to live.

Actually,Lapen Center is in ward 9 and not ward 11. Ward 11 is much further out about another  6 klms. In Vung Tau they dont call it district, either phuong or ward.

colinoscapee wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

rentonglenn wrote:

I'm recently retired  in the Seattle area and planning to live there with a Girlfriend she works for a platform supply co. and lives by the Lapen center.

The Lapen Center Mall is in district 11.

But you aren't certain if you will live with her there or elsewhere?

Have you met her in person, or only through the internet?

What's important to you when choosing where to live?

If you prefer to live near expat-frequented areas or near the sea, district 11 is not near Front Beach or Back Beach, but you can get there fairly quickly via motorbike or Grab taxi (Grab is a rideshare outfit, similar to Uber--they actually bought out Uber in Southeast Asia--but they were only allowing taxi rides as of this time last year).

If the beaches and fellow expats are not that important to you, we have at least one long-term forum member who has found nearby Bà Rịa to be a good place to live.

Actually,Lapen Center is in ward 9 and not ward 11. Ward 11 is much further out about another  6 klms. In Vung Tau they dont call it district, either phuong or ward.

Thanks.

I was taught by ignorant foreigners who said "district".

I sent a correction to Google Maps.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

The Lapen Center Mall is in district 11.

But you aren't certain if you will live with her there or elsewhere?

Have you met her in person, or only through the internet?

What's important to you when choosing where to live?

If you prefer to live near expat-frequented areas or near the sea, district 11 is not near Front Beach or Back Beach, but you can get there fairly quickly via motorbike or Grab taxi (Grab is a rideshare outfit, similar to Uber--they actually bought out Uber in Southeast Asia--but they were only allowing taxi rides as of this time last year).

If the beaches and fellow expats are not that important to you, we have at least one long-term forum member who has found nearby Bà Rịa to be a good place to live.

Actually,Lapen Center is in ward 9 and not ward 11. Ward 11 is much further out about another  6 klms. In Vung Tau they dont call it district, either phuong or ward.

Thanks.

I was taught by ignorant foreigners who said "district".

I sent a correction to Google Maps.

District is used in Saigon, not VT.

colinoscapee wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Actually,Lapen Center is in ward 9 and not ward 11. Ward 11 is much further out about another  6 klms. In Vung Tau they dont call it district, either phuong or ward.

Thanks.

I was taught by ignorant foreigners who said "district".

I sent a correction to Google Maps.

District is used in Saigon, not VT.

Also used by some drunks in VT

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Thanks.

I was taught by ignorant foreigners who said "district".

I sent a correction to Google Maps.

District is used in Saigon, not VT.

Also used by some drunks in VT

Most of the Phan Chu Trinh crowd are lucky to know their own names.

Can someone please confirm that the 9-seater minibusses are still running from across the road from the HCMC International airport to Vung Tau, or what is the best way to travel from the airport to VT?

I'll be coming back after 2.5 years stuck in Australia.

- @Safepeter

Can someone please confirm that the 9-seater minibusses are still running from across the road from the HCMC International airport to Vung Tau, or what is the best way to travel from the airport to VT?

I'll be coming back after 2.5 years stuck in Australia.

- @Safepeter

@Andybris2020 Thanks mate. I'm finally getting back on the 26th of May and looking forward to great food and cold tiger or bia hoi.

@Andybris2020 Thanks mate. I'm finally getting back on the 26th of May and looking forward to great food and cold tiger or bia hoi.

- @Safepeter

@Andybris2020 Purrfect

@OceanBeach92107  so bellys has survived lock down arriving in august , how is the vung tau ,shops open , sasavuta hotel  seems closed

@OceanBeach92107  so bellys has survived lock down arriving in august , how is the vung tau ,shops open , sasavuta hotel  seems closed

- @seventh7th

@OceanBeach92107  so bellys has survived lock down arriving in august , how is the vung tau ,shops open , sasavuta hotel  seems closed

- @seventh7th

@OceanBeach92107

OB I did go in 23 for 1 Month and will be back Mid January 2026    is Belly's still the same I'm 67 but felt a little too young😀

Sasavuta is no longer a hotel, Lucy's is a restaurant only (Japanese I believe), Ganh Hao 1 & 2 still going strong. Matilda's Bar in now The T Restaurant & bar 6 Nguyen Du (Western/Vietnamese) great chef.

A new popular bar is Boosters Sport Bar & Grill, B18 Thai Van Long St., Ned Kelly 1 Nguyen Trai, going strong. A few more opening on Front Beach.

As OB says, there are still plenty of bars up and down Geezer Lane (Phan Chu Trinh) although openings, closings and name changes go on all the time as before.

@OceanBeach92107
OB I did go in 23 for 1 Month and will be back Mid January 2026  is Belly's still the same I'm 67 but felt a little too young😀 - @rentonglenn

I haven't lived there since 2022.

@OceanBeach92107

Probably not a lot has changed, except more high rise apartment blocks up to 50 floors on back beach. A few more starting on front beach, and the new bars (same place revamped and renames;) )

I did go in '23 for 1 month and will be back mid January 2026. Is Belly's still the same? I'm 67 but felt a little too young😀 - @rentonglenn

I was back in Vũng Tàu from May until about a week ago. The main change with Belly's is that apparently Belly is no longer involved with the business operations of the bar/restaurant. I was told that he gave away his shares in the place to the VN co-owners, as well as those related to Q-Mart and two other bars. He's still around though.

As mentioned, the most significant changes are at Back Beach/Thuy Van Street where there has been an attempt to make it more photogenic. The restaurants on that side of the street have been removed and pedestrian underpasses are being built. Also, near Front Beach, the Hilton DoubleTree and some type of aquarium are being constructed.

In other news, the owner of David Pizza passed away. His wife and eldest daughter have kept it open. Some other places that are still around are Bistro 9, Luca Italian, Don Quixote, Emily's Kitchen, Taj Grill, the Red Parrot, and Good Morning Vietnam. However, upon returning from Kampot, Cambodia, I was somewhat overall disappointed with the Western and Indian food available in Vũng Tàu, and found it better to eat Japanese and Vietnamese. One exception, was the new Offshore Restaurant, which doesn't seem to be in any way related to the old Offshore Hotel and Bar. I regularly had their Sunday Roast.

Another change is getting to HCMC from VT. There are a lot of roadworks and the level of traffic in Phu My has increased so it takes a bit more more time. However, Vũng Tàu is now part of HCMC, so technically the travel time is zero minutes.

Anyone wanting to know what life in Vũng Tàu was like about a decade ago, check out the YouTube channel of a guy known as "Vung Tau Rider" (link)

He fell off the radar after COVID.

A good guy, he took the time to meet me for coffee when I first visited there in 2019.

He's also a long inactive member of this forum.

https://www.expat.com/en/profile/1904469-calbear-activity.html

@OceanBeach92107

Thanks Guys see ya next year

Is Grab best option in VT?

Is Grab best option in VT? - @rentonglenn

Things may have changed, but when I was there in 2022, using grab would almost always offer only grab taxis. There were no private car Grab drivers.

The difference is that, private car drivers must accept the set price.

Grab taxi drivers have a price range quoted, but if you read the Grab rules very closely, they are not firmly held to that number. Instead you end up paying the meter rate. If it varies greatly from the price range you are quoted, the only remedy is to report the situation to grab. They will investigate to see if there's a problem with the meter or if the person took you on a roundabout way. But frankly I never had any problem with grab taxis

@OceanBeach92107

Thanks I'll try thy them next month and already have the App. My US phone # will be offline. Question is simm, esimm, Google voice, keep my number

@OceanBeach92107 Thanks I'll try thy them next month and already have the App. My US phone # will be offline. Question is simm, esimm, Google voice, keep my number - @rentonglenn

You are going to be much better off in Vietnam if you get yourself a major carrier (Viettel, Vinaphone or Mobiphone) sim at the official store of the mobile carrier shortly after arrival. Just don't buy it at the airport.

About now someone is going to tell you that the best option is an E-sim, but there have been a lot of problems reported about those lately so unless that's a preferred method for you, I recommend avoiding it.

Go straight to your hotel or other lodging and get officially registered there and get some type of receipt from them that you are living there.

Now take your proof of temporary residence and your passport to the major mobile phone service store and get your official SIM registered with them.

Otherwise your sim will be turned off In 7 days for failure to be legally registered (which is why you don't buy it at the airport).

If you don't need a lot of data, then you probably don't need a package deal. You can deposit between 200,000 and 400,000 on your account and that's going to cover probably months of calls and texts here. Later on if you decide you need a data package you can always purchase that and add it on.

(Also, you can purchase a sim with data only, but it will always be linked to a telephone number. When you are ready to add telephone and texting services, you either upgrade a package or you add money to your account to use it ad lib.)

Google voice does have its uses, IF you have a mobile phone number in the United States that has already been confirmed by your banks and credit card companies and government agencies.

You can't get a Google voice VOIP phone number directly registered with any of those, but once you make sure that every one of those companies and agencies has confirmed your mobile number in the USA, then you can port your number over to Google voice, for about $20 one time fee.

But you can't use that number within Vietnam, except to call back to the States when you are connected through a VPN.

So I recommend porting your USA number over to Google voice and then when you get here I recommend a Viettel number to use with Grab and any other purposes limited within Vietnam.

I always enjoy your posts. When I was working in the outlying areas. I found that the only sim w acceptable performance was viettel. My understanding is that it is a subsidiary of the VN army and all the other providers are essentially purchasing access from them. I looked at eSIM and even the best deals are vastly more expensive per Gb than Viettel. I think ST30K gives you a gig per day for 7 days and costs vnd30k($1.14). They have a 5Gb/dy plan but they cut you off at 2 or 3 Gb so you can’t use the mythical 5Gb. Little off topic but some of my tech friends recommend using VNPT for isp . Mostly they say that they offer access designed for internet websites (as opposed to intranet within VN). I find the pings remarkably high and performance laggy.

..Little off topic but some of my tech friends recommend using VNPT for isp . Mostly they say that they offer access designed for internet websites (as opposed to intranet within VN). I find the pings remarkably high and performance laggy. - @mitsmaak

So you're saying you don't agree with them about Vinaphone? I assume you're still talking about mobile access only?

I suppose this is going a bit off topic but then again anyone looking into living in Vũng Tàu is going to be asking about internet access eventually.

I think Vinaphone and Mobiphone both have home internet service, although the two major companies I see advertised are Viettel and FPT.

I would recommend that anybody in need of regular internet service, either on their mobile phone or in their home first make sure that your telephone is 5G capable and subscribe on a 5G plan with one of the mobile providers.

(Backtrack: I agree that you can get a signal from Viettel In rural areas when the other providers can't be reached; We were able to test that because we had a phone with Viettel and another with Vinaphone When traveling in the countryside by car and by train. The Vinaphone signal would often drop out while we were still able to use the internet on the Viettel sim phone.)

Anyway, my point being that we all know Wi-Fi is somewhat ubiquitous here, but I've had no problem operating my HP laptop when using a Viettel 5G sim phone as a hotspot.

It also works very well on my Android TV when I stream services from the USA through the NordVPN app installed in the Android package.

So get the best phone possible and the best data plan possible and test that on your TV and laptop or tablet and see if that isn't enough for you.

Then you don't need to pay the added expense for a home internet line.