New house in Ben Tre

Hey all! I'm just going through the motions! I am an American who was just handed down a house in Ben Tre from my wife's parents (who are Vietnamese). My wife is Vietnamese, and this is her hometown. We both live and work in the USA.
I don't think it's "official" as far as paperwork is concerned (yet), but the house is ours to do with what we wish. My goal is to fix it up and have a second home here (I say "here" because I am typing this from Vietnam as I sit).

I look forward to reading up on some of the topics in this forum and will undoubtedly be asking some questions of my own.

Thanks in advance!
-@rmgrant52

Well hello there, rmgrant52, and welcome to expat.com.

Wonderful news about you and your wife acquiring a home! Fix'er-up'ers can be a lot of fun, and a sure fire way to get to know the local hardware/tool/handy-man shops and the shop owners.

Feel free to jump in and ask questions as the need arises, and/or start a new topic for discussion.

Again, welcome to expat.com, and happy Tet!

Hey all! I'm just going through the motions! I am an American who was just handed down a house in Ben Tre from my wife's parents (who are Vietnamese). My wife is Vietnamese, and this is her hometown. We both live and work in the USA.
I don't think it's "official" as far as paperwork is concerned (yet), but the house is ours to do with what we wish. My goal is to fix it up and have a second home here (I say "here" because I am typing this from Vietnam as I sit).

I look forward to reading up on some of the topics in this forum and will undoubtedly be asking some questions of my own.

Thanks in advance!
-@rmgrant52

Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

Maybe Rick (BudMan) will pop in here and say hello.

Cheers!

rmgrant52 might consider sending a PM to a Rahj_Devon , an American who may (or may not) be residing in Ben Tre by now.   He hasn't posted lately, but does own some land and a house that he had built in BenTre, which means he may have a lot of first hand experiences on getting settled in there.  His contact page is https://www.expat.com/forum/profile.php … n=timeline

One other thing that you might look into is, if your wife has let her Vietnamese passport lapse, having her obtain a new one even if she is a US citizen now.  I have read on this forum that ID cards are no longer available for overseas Vietnamese, but having a passport which she should be entitled to, will facilitate the legal transfer of the property from her parents to her. My wife may be in a similar situation in Ben Tre as my mother-in-law has spoken about putting the family house in her name. The very big difference is that the house is subject to government condemnation because it and all the homes in the entire Hẻm are polluting the stream that they border, so it is unlikely that we will be moving in.

Hello everyone,

Just to notify you that I have changed the title of this thread for a better fit.

All the best

Bhavna

@THIGV That is a very good point. Thank you.

Because this home and property is her Grandma's (my ba noi), and although her grandma is living with her parents now due to old age, we have to "tip toe" through this carefully and lightly.

Her parents did say the house is ours, but my wife is afraid to ask many questions yet, as normally this sort of thing happens when somebody dies.

Without proper documentation stating the home is ours, I'm very cautious to get too excited. I know family can get messy, regardless of where in the world it may lie.

The way the house sits now, it may need to be torn down and rebuilt.

I am still going to follow up and ask you all questions and try to learn as much as I can, regardless.

Thank you

Because this home and property is her Grandma's (my ba noi), and although her grandma is living with her parents now due to old age, we have to "tip toe" through this carefully and lightly.
Her parents did say the house is ours, but my wife is afraid to ask many questions yet, as normally this sort of thing happens when somebody dies.
Without proper documentation stating the home is ours, I'm very cautious to get too excited. I know family can get messy, regardless of where in the world it may lie.

The way the house sits now, it may need to be torn down and rebuilt.

I am still going to follow up and ask you all questions and try to learn as much as I can, regardless.

Thank you
-@rmgrant52

Having heard that, you might want to get a clarification:

Is the house yours to live in or is the house yours to possess?

With the grandmother still alive, I'm going to guess it's yours to live in but if you act as if you are taking possession of the house while she's still alive, that might not be wise, unless you've specifically clarified that point.

@OceanBeach92107 this is precisely the issue I'm dealing with. It was stated to my wife that it is "ours to do what we want", but I may not be back for 2 years or so once we go back home (USA).

T

My original plan was to have a place for us to stay and come during the winter, once per year, and hire a caretaker to look after the property throughout the rest of the year (basic upkeep, nothing too stringent or detailed). We are far from that point, I feel, but want to have a plan if this actually comes through.

I think, at the very least, we may have to wait until her grandmother passes (rest her soul) before I know anything concrete. And by then, who knows what family members may complicate this for us. Her family, like every family, has their disagreements from time to time.

@OceanBeach92107 this is precisely the issue I'm dealing with. It was stated to my wife that it is "ours to do what we want", but I may not be back for 2 years or so once we go back home (USA).
T
My original plan was to have a place for us to stay and come during the winter, once per year, and hire a caretaker to look after the property throughout the rest of the year (basic upkeep, nothing too stringent or detailed). We are far from that point, I feel, but want to have a plan if this actually comes through.
I think, at the very least, we may have to wait until her grandmother passes (rest her soul) before I know anything concrete. And by then, who knows what family members may complicate this for us. Her family, like every family, has their disagreements from time to time.
-@rmgrant52

I'm guessing family would be limited in their ability to complicate matters if you were actually residing in the home at the time of the eventual death of the grandmother.

I hope it all works out well for you.

I think, at the very least, we may have to wait until her grandmother passes (rest her soul) before I know anything concrete.
-@rmgrant52

From a contrary point of view, if grandmother is of sound mind and is in favor of your wife having the place, it might be best to have her sign it over to your wife while she is still alive.   If she dies without a will, and other family members seek a share, you are unlikely to come out on top in a Vietnamese court.   In addition a property fight would spoil your wife's relations with her siblings.   If grandma is on your wife's side, it may be better to bite into the lemon now and have it over while she can still speak for you.  Remember part of her motivation may be to be seeing her granddaughter living close by, even if it is only a few months a year.

@THIGV grandma is on her parent's side, whom are gifting the house to us. They have sank more than enough money into the property over the years. They are over it.

Like I said, we may be rebuilding if this all comes to fruition.

@rmgrant52  Hello, If you still need more information on building or fixing a house in Ben Tre... Let me know.  It has been a roller coaster ride for me, but some how I was able to completed it.  I will be there @ the end of December this year through Jan, 2025.