Phu Quoc - The reality of life with a young child?

> healthcare
> medical services
> childcare : nannies/ nursery
> socialising : nursery/ play-groups
> food (in terms of ensuring toddler nutrition)
> accommodation : areas best suitable for young children
> transport : ie; is it essential to drive everywhere?

Many thanks in advance!
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

Hi Kirsty Welcome to Expats,

With a child that young your only concern is any known health problems if not then unless there is a special have-to-have baby formula just follow the lead of the locals, you can get baby stuff in any street pharmacy and daycare/child care is done for all the locals going to work in every city in Vietnam, @ 13months your child won't be picky who you sit next to on the beach or park and will play with any kid they see.

Babies are babies the world over they will not even notice you moved, there are nursery places everywhere the staff will just do what they do every day with the rest of the kids.

Food you can buy just about every fruit and veg you have heard of just remember to wash it well.

Your child won't care where you live so anywhere close to work should work for you all.

Phu Quoc is not exactly huge so a cab won't cost a huge amount, if you'r near a park or a beach then bicycling or walking is fine.

Supermarkets and markets are easy to find & the night market is great to walk around - its definitely not what you would call a remote island existence.

Aidan is our local there and will know more about hospitals and specifics and what it is actually like living there vs just visiting.

I doubt the move to PQ would impact a 13-month old. Kids adapt way quicker than adults. Don't worry so much, you'll be fine on the island.

Hi there KirstyJ82, and welcome to expat.com!

And congratulations on your job opportunity in Phu Quoc! Phu Quoc is indeed a very beautiful island. There is a large National Park/Reserve here with areas set aside for walks/hiking. The beaches are beautiful too, with miles of sandy stretches, though some are unfortunately quite littered.

I've lived here on the island for only about 7 months now, but I've visited many times over the past 5 years since expatriating to Vietnam. I'll tell you of the island that which I know.

>healthcare-  I'm not entirely sure what you wanted to know with this question. It is a user-pay system, no gov't funded coverage for foreigners. In Duong Dong there is a general hospital which offers all of the standard tests and medical procedures + emergency services. There is also a hospital approximately 20 kilometers from there, north of Duong Dong, Vinmec Medical which is favoured/preferred by foreigners. It is considered to be on par with western centres.

>medical services- Optometrists, ophthalmologists, dentists are easily accessible and abundant.

>transport- Though not a large, bustling metropolis (far from it!), the island's capital, Duong Dong, is expansive enough that you will need some sort of transport. There is no public transportation system. There is taxi service, Grab car (like Uber), and if you are comfortable enough you can always rent a motorbike.

I'm sorry I can't help you with any of your questions regarding your child. Perhaps other members reading this can help.

Again, welcome to expat.com KirstyJ82.

Off topic- I was wondering whether you could advise us here on the forum whether your prospective employer has agreed to complete and provide you with all the necessary paperwork. I mention this as there have been recent inquiries from other members who did not receive the proper documentation and subsequently were forced to abandon plans to work in VN. It is imperative that all the "T"s be crossed, and "I"s dotted. I assume you are aware of the requirements, but if not I would suggest you familiarize yourself with the procedure of acquiring a work visa.

Well Kirsty, one thing is for sure, you are in for a right shock compared to Dubai.

My experience for what its worth......out side the main resorts Phu Quoc is a dump, plastic & trash everywhere even on the beaches out side the main resorts.

Phu Quoc.......good for a 2 day visit for a break, after that forget it!........in my opinion that is of course.

@AndyHCMC Thanks for the response Andy! It's going to be a big lifestyle change for us so any infomation is helpful, especially regarding the little man. He spends 4 days a week at nursery here which has supported his development immensely. Hopefully we can organise something similar.

@colinoscapee Thank you! Yeah, the little man has travelled enough already that we think he'll just take it all in his stride. Haven't found much information on nursery's/child-care, etc yet so hoping we still can provide all that for him.

@Aidan in HCMC Thanks Aidan!

Regarding the health care/medical care side - I had just been wanting more info on:

> the expected quality of services

> available medical services (mainly thinking about pediatric)

> available access to services; ie - if there were local clinics or we had to use the hospitals, etc.

I think you've covered most of that so thank you.  If you find out about anywhere I can reach out to about nursery/childcare just let me know.

Thanks for the advice regarding the work visa, we'll ensure we triple-check everything. The potential employer has answered all our questions on this and will be organising all the necessary documentation for the family if we go ahead.

Thanks again!

Kirsty

@goodolboy

Oh dear! Thank you for your honest opinion! All information is useful to us when making the decision to re-locate.

@Aidan in HCMC Thanks Aidan!
Regarding the health care/medical care side - I had just been wanting more info on:
> the expected quality of services
> available medical services (mainly thinking about pediatric)
> available access to services; ie - if there were local clinics or we had to use the hospitals, etc.

I think you've covered most of that so thank you. If you find out about anywhere I can reach out to about nursery/childcare just let me know.

Thanks for the advice regarding the work visa, we'll ensure we triple-check everything. The potential employer has answered all our questions on this and will be organising all the necessary documentation for the family if we go ahead.

Thanks again!
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

I'm very glad you found this helpful.

I checked with my neighbour who has an 8 month old baby. She tells me that the daycare centres here will not accept a child under 2 years of age. However, she also told me that you'll have no trouble whatsoever finding a babysitter who, if you wish, will babysit in either your home or at their home.

I suspect that after your 12 month stint your son will be bilingual

Kirsty, as things proceed, and pending your having the time, please take the time to keep us informed on the progress of your work visa.

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated and of use to current/future expats considering employment in VN.

Hello, Kristy and, again, congratulations on the job offer. I live in HCMC but having come here from Hawaii almost 7 years ago,  Phu Quoc is my favorite vacation spot here in Vietnam. I've been there several times. Although I can't advise you on daily life there, I can confirm what others have said about the beautiful beaches, shopping, restaurants and social life, It's all there. Also transportation, as stated, is not the greatest but it is there and (depending on your location) you can walk to many places. Perhaps its because I'm used to HCMC but I don't find the trash as bad as some make it sound, although I'd be a fool to deny it is there.  Although we have no young children, I have no doubt that you will have no trouble finding many willing baby sitters. Finally, I am surprised nobody mentioned the large amusement park on the island. Your child will have a blast but you may have to comfort him on the sky lift to the top of the mountain, which (as far as I know) is the only way to get to the park.

Do make sure you paperwork is in order. Although I personally have had no trouble, I understand since COVID there has been a crack down on the paperwork and, unfortunately, it's not uncommon to be told one thing by one person and something else by another. Here in Vietnam it's always a good idea to figure "coffee money" into your budget - it can solve a variety of problems here.             

@Aidan in HCMC

Thank you for the update Aidan - I'll aim to keep you informed of the visa progress and how we found it.

Thanks again!

Kirsty

Hello, Kristy and, again, congratulations on the job offer. I live in HCMC but having come here from Hawaii almost 7 years ago, Phu Quoc is my favorite vacation spot here in Vietnam. I've been there several times. Although I can't advise you on daily life there, I can confirm what others have said about the beautiful beaches, shopping, restaurants and social life, It's all there. Also transportation, as stated, is not the greatest but it is there and (depending on your location) you can walk to many places. Perhaps its because I'm used to HCMC but I don't find the trash as bad as some make it sound, although I'd be a fool to deny it is there. Although we have no young children, I have no doubt that you will have no trouble finding many willing baby sitters. Finally, I am surprised nobody mentioned the large amusement park on the island. Your child will have a blast but you may have to comfort him on the sky lift to the top of the mountain, which (as far as I know) is the only way to get to the park.
Do make sure you paperwork is in order. Although I personally have had no trouble, I understand since COVID there has been a crack down on the paperwork and, unfortunately, it's not uncommon to be told one thing by one person and something else by another. Here in Vietnam it's always a good idea to figure "coffee money" into your budget - it can solve a variety of problems here.       
-@drutter

Thank you for your in-depth response! Yes the trash is a concern, though when I read up on it there seem to be many differening views on how bad it is. We're still weighing up the pros and cons to re-locating. "Coffee money" sounds like a good idea - thank you for the heads up on that.

If you don't mind me asking - in your opinion where would you say is the most bicycle/pedestrian friendly locations? Thinking about where we may choose to live on the island and being able to get 'out and about' + having easier access (in terms of easy travel) to child-friendly places/activities with our young toddler would be a big selling point.

Thanks again!

Kirsty

I've been living in Vietnam for over 6 years and have also spent a few months at a time in Dubai. The two countries couldn't be more different in every way, and coming here from Dubai would be a huge adjustment.

Where in Dubai you tend to get the 'best' of everything (and a lot of people come to expect that) Vietnam is much rougher around the edges and you'd have to drop pretty much all expectations of things going to plan here as it's totally unorganized and things move in an entirely different way.

Obviously it would be considerably cheaper here, but Vietnam has some of the highest taxes in the region that kick in at a low income and cover world-wide income. Coming from an almost zero tax jurisdiction like Dubai to somewhere like here where you will potentially pay a lot of tax and get next to nothing back for it, can be quite a shock. Try to negotiate any job offers in nett if you can.

I've been living in Vietnam for over 6 years and have also spent a few months at a time in Dubai. The two countries couldn't be more different in every way, and coming here from Dubai would be a huge adjustment.
Where in Dubai you tend to get the 'best' of everything (and a lot of people come to expect that) Vietnam is much rougher around the edges and you'd have to drop pretty much all expectations of things going to plan here as it's totally unorganized and things move in an entirely different way.

Obviously it would be considerably cheaper here, but Vietnam has some of the highest taxes in the region that kick in at a low income and cover world-wide income. Coming from an almost zero tax jurisdiction like Dubai to somewhere like here where you will potentially pay a lot of tax and get next to nothing back for it, can be quite a shock. Try to negotiate any job offers in nett if you can.
-@departed00

Thank you for this - that's great advice about factoring in the taxes.

You're right - there is a lot to think about regarding the adjustment between the two countries. As myself and husband lived in mainland China for a year or so prior to Dubai I can only compare it in my head to what that was like - as you say amongst other things much rougher around the edges and everything moving at an unknown/less-organised speed. This would be fine for us as we'd welcome a different pace of life again, however my hesitancy and 'nervousness' is focused around our son and my expectations for his health and well-being, which to be fair are pretty high because of Dubai standards so I need to accept it will not be the same.

Definitely food for thought. Thanks again for your input!

If you don't mind me asking - in your opinion where would you say is the most bicycle/pedestrian friendly locations? Thinking about where we may choose to live on the island and being able to get 'out and about' + having easier access (in terms of easy travel) to child-friendly places/activities with our young toddler would be a big selling point.

Thanks again!
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

Kirsty, do you and your husband know where you will be working from? Which town?

If you don't mind me asking - in your opinion where would you say is the most bicycle/pedestrian friendly locations? Thinking about where we may choose to live on the island and being able to get 'out and about' + having easier access (in terms of easy travel) to child-friendly places/activities with our young toddler would be a big selling point.

Thanks again!
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82
Kirsty, do you and your husband know where you will be working from? Which town?
-@Aidan in HCMC

Hi Aidan!

Thanks for your continued support. Work will be based in the South-Western corner - An Thoi Town I believe. Though husband is not averse to commuting from further away if it isn't an ideal place for the family to be based.

Thank you

Kirsty

If you don't mind me asking - in your opinion where would you say is the most bicycle/pedestrian friendly locations? Thinking about where we may choose to live on the island and being able to get 'out and about' + having easier access (in terms of easy travel) to child-friendly places/activities with our young toddler would be a big selling point.

Thanks again!
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82
Kirsty, do you and your husband know where you will be working from? Which town?
-@Aidan in HCMC

Hi Aidan!
Thanks for your continued support. Work will be based in the South-Western corner - An Thoi Town I believe. Though husband is not averse to commuting from further away if it isn't an ideal place for the family to be based.

Thank you
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

That's the original settlement area of the island.

It's not a bad area at all, but also not really "foreigner friendly".

By that, I mean not many people speaking English and almost completely Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) signage.

Yet my Vietnamese wife and I thought it might be a good choice for us if we were ever to move there permanently.

The way it's situated at the harbor with the hills immediately behind it tends to cool it down with some nice breezes.

We stayed not too far away for the better part of a couple of months in 2020.

I've read a lot of good input from other people and I hope you're finding it useful.

I personally think your top requirement might be a nanny.

Not so much for your child but for you.

The multiple challenges of Vietnamese culture and language and signage are probably going to be your biggest problems when you arrive anywhere in Vietnam, island or mainland.

Ideally, you will be able to engage affordable domestic help that can serve as housekeeper and Nanny and advisor.

In order to do that successfully it will need to be someone who speaks English well, which will make her wages a little more expensive.

But you are really going to need someone that you can turn to at a moment's notice to help you navigate your way, at least for the first few months.

Expats are not always the best choice for that, so it's really good to have someone you can count on who's Vietnamese.

We avoid giving direct links to Facebook groups, but there are a couple of groups for foreigners on the island that were pretty active in 2020.

I'm not sure if that's still a good place to connect with people, but I got some good assistance using it.

Good luck to you and best wishes for a successful relocation!

Apologies.

The edit function is broken now.

Our experience on the island was in 2021.

@KirstyJ82 I'm happy I was able to help you out. As for you question about bike trails, my best guess would be somewhere near the parks. Probably the best advice I can give you on this subject is where not to go...and that would be in the big tourist areas. Although I'm sure there are safe areas, my wife and I have spent most of our time on the beach nearby the tourist areas so I'm not that familiar with other areas. I'm sure someone here can do a better job of answering the question about bike trails. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you and your family all the best.     

Kirsty, do you and your husband know where you will be working from? Which town?
-@Aidan in HCMC

Hi Aidan!
Thanks for your continued support. Work will be based in the South-Western corner - An Thoi Town I believe. Though husband is not averse to commuting from further away if it isn't an ideal place for the family to be based.

Thank you
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

I'm going down to An Thoi this weekend on some personal business, so I'll take a spin around, snap some pics and let you know my impressions.

I note that there has been a lot of new construction there, so I expect to see some positive changes.

Will let you know Kirsty.

I wouldn't base yourselves too, too far from your husbands place of employment. Although An Thoi is <30 kilometers from Duong Dong, the ride usually takes 45 minutes (or more).

If you don't mind me asking - in your opinion where would you say is the most bicycle/pedestrian friendly locations? Thinking about where we may choose to live on the island and being able to get 'out and about' + having easier access (in terms of easy travel) to child-friendly places/activities with our young toddler would be a big selling point.

Thanks again!
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82
Kirsty, do you and your husband know where you will be working from? Which town?
-@Aidan in HCMC

Hi Aidan!
Thanks for your continued support. Work will be based in the South-Western corner - An Thoi Town I believe. Though husband is not averse to commuting from further away if it isn't an ideal place for the family to be based.

Thank you
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

That's the original settlement area of the island.

It's not a bad area at all, but also not really "foreigner friendly".

By that, I mean not many people speaking English and almost completely Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) signage.

Yet my Vietnamese wife and I thought it might be a good choice for us if we were ever to move there permanently.

The way it's situated at the harbor with the hills immediately behind it tends to cool it down with some nice breezes.

We stayed not too far away for the better part of a couple of months in 2020.

I've read a lot of good input from other people and I hope you're finding it useful.

I personally think your top requirement might be a nanny.

Not so much for your child but for you.

The multiple challenges of Vietnamese culture and language and signage are probably going to be your biggest problems when you arrive anywhere in Vietnam, island or mainland.

Ideally, you will be able to engage affordable domestic help that can serve as housekeeper and Nanny and advisor.

In order to do that successfully it will need to be someone who speaks English well, which will make her wages a little more expensive.

But you are really going to need someone that you can turn to at a moment's notice to help you navigate your way, at least for the first few months.

Expats are not always the best choice for that, so it's really good to have someone you can count on who's Vietnamese.

We avoid giving direct links to Facebook groups, but there are a couple of groups for foreigners on the island that were pretty active in 2020.

I'm not sure if that's still a good place to connect with people, but I got some good assistance using it.

Good luck to you and best wishes for a successful relocation!
-@OceanBeach92107

Thank you for such descriptive and in-depth advice! This is amazing.

I do think a Vietnamese English-speaking nanny could be my 'saving grace' and support. When living in similar countries we had translators who we depended on a lot to help us run our lives, because we didn't speak the language - couldn't have done it without them and will be forever grateful for their help. I'm sure we will need to rely on someone in Vietnam in a similar way, but now with extra challenges as we have a baby in tow.

I'll definitely keep an eye on the Facebook groups, etc and if you happen to hear of anywhere else I could start remotely researching the nanny support options then feel free to reach out again.

Thanks again!

Kirsty

Kirsty, do you and your husband know where you will be working from? Which town?
-@Aidan in HCMC

Hi Aidan!
Thanks for your continued support. Work will be based in the South-Western corner - An Thoi Town I believe. Though husband is not averse to commuting from further away if it isn't an ideal place for the family to be based.

Thank you
Kirsty
-@KirstyJ82

I'm going down to An Thoi this weekend on some personal business, so I'll take a spin around, snap some pics and let you know my impressions.
I note that there has been a lot of new construction there, so I expect to see some positive changes.
Will let you know Kirsty.
I wouldn't base yourselves too, too far from your husbands place of employment. Although An Thoi is <30 kilometers from Duong Dong, the ride usually takes 45 minutes (or more).
-@Aidan in HCMC

Amazing - thank you so much! I'll look foward to seeing the photos.

Yes, that's fair advice about not living too far from work - and good to know that it would take that amount of time to drive that distance. In our current employment we live very close to work so a 45-60 minute commute would definitely be a shock to the senses.

Really enjoying the support I've experienced on here - it's easing the possible re-location anxiety a little!

Many Thanks

Kirsty

@drutter

Thank you for your advice and support!

@KirstyJ82 -

Google Maps is a fairly good source of photos in the area.

The main fresh/wet local market in An Thới is hard to capture in photos.

Most interesting is the built-over alley on one side of the market, giving a sense of being in a tunnel of sorts, with individual vendors lining both sides of the path (a Vietnamese casbah?) especially at breakfast time:

Chợ An Thới

Google Maps link

The marina on the eastern side of the island's southern tip is a nice place for a stroll and the right place to catch various types of touring & fishing boats:

Cảng An Thới

Google Maps link

Bãi xếp looks like a promising beach in satellite photos, but it's actually the location of the docks for the fresh fish market.

Most foreigners simply aren't comfortable doing any sort of bathing in those waters, but it's a fascinating place to visit when fresh catches are being offloaded.

Bãi xếp

Google Maps link

This is a view of that area from the world's longest aerial tramway:

The nearest high-quality beach is a short taxi/Grab car/motorbike ride away, on the southeastern shore of the island:

Bãi Khem

Google Maps link

There is one hotel I know of there where the Hanoi owner is agreeable to long-term rentals while you are finding housing back in An Thới village.

She has a couple of local staff members who might be able to help you locate the domestic help you'll need in that area.

Cheers!

O.B.

@KirstyJ82 -
Google Maps is a fairly good source of photos in the area.

The main fresh/wet local market in An Thới is hard to capture in photos.

Most interesting is the built-over alley on one side of the market, giving a sense of being in a tunnel of sorts, with individual vendors lining both sides of the path (a Vietnamese casbah?) especially at breakfast time:

Chợ An Thới
Google Maps link

The marina on the eastern side of the island's southern tip is a nice place for a stroll and the right place to catch various types of touring & fishing boats:

Cảng An Thới
Google Maps link

Bãi xếp looks like a promising beach in satellite photos, but it's actually the location of the docks for the fresh fish market.

Most foreigners simply aren't comfortable doing any sort of bathing in those waters, but it's a fascinating place to visit when fresh catches are being offloaded.

Bãi xếp
Google Maps link

This is a view of that area from the world's longest aerial tramway:



The nearest high-quality beach is a short taxi/Grab car/motorbike ride away, on the southeastern shore of the island:

Bãi Khem
Google Maps link

There is one hotel I know of there where the Hanoi owner is agreeable to long-term rentals while you are finding housing back in An Thới village.

She has a couple of local staff members who might be able to help you locate the domestic help you'll need in that area.

Cheers!

O.B.
-@OceanBeach92107

I can't thank you enough for all this help - amazing and so kind of you to go into so much detail. That photo is pretty spectacular.

Once our re-location is 100% confirmed to be happening I'll be sure to reach out to you again (if you don't mind) and ask about the long-term rentals at the hotel you mention. Recommendations go a long way and also having access to local advice about nannies, etc would be genuinely appreciated.

Cheers indeed!

Kirsty

Some pics of An Thoi from this morning.

There are two parts to An Thoi, the older traditional part, and the new modern development.

BIG changes since I was last there. Old and new pics are interspersed.

I spoke with an agent there. No problem for childcare, walks, sightseeing etc.

@Aidan

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 04#5520642

They are building a "Stargate" whats the dial address

looks heaps more modern than my last visits, nearly worth a return trip.

@KirstyJ82

There are, literally, thousands upon thousands of rental/purchase units available.

Hope this helps. If you have any further questions, all the folks here at expat.com will do our best to answer them