things u like abt vietnam..

I agree with the 'foodstuff' content statement, no idea how most of their produce is elaborated. However, I strongly disagree with number 4. I think the 'blacksheep' are a minority. The broad majority of Vietnamese citizens are, in my opinion, incredibly tolerant, patient, and welcoming towards foreigners, much more so that in most western countries. That said, it is the foreigner who needs to make a greater effort towards understanding their way of life, their customs, and their mentality, and move away from the 'us vs them' approach.

yyk

1. Vietnamese sweet iced coffee.
2. Everything is available nearly 24 hrs/day. Try living in a small US or European cities and you'll understand.
3. Service. No time available: no problems. There are all kinds of service to help you if you are willing to pay (still very cheap even compared to other Asian cities): maid, cleaning, food delivery, cooking, washing,... Even driving: no problem getting a cab in HCM city. Try this if you live in, say, Stockholm!! Only real billionaires there can afford to get the service a normal expat gets (or can afford to get) here.

4. Proximity to everything: over 1 hr flight then you are in BKK (thank you Air Asia), 1 hr by boat to VungTau, getting to the countryside is just a short drive away.
This proximity applies also within HCMC. I don't know a lot of major cities where you can still live affordably within a short distance from work and play (HCMC has an official population of 7 M, although the true number is probably higher). I would be glad to go to work/ eat using only 30' door-to-door in most other big cities I know by car, MRT, taxi, you name it..

5. The weather. I know it is hot, but this beats living in Canada in the middle of the winter season.

1.the problem for me comes when i go to the local market, or even to a photocopy shop. they see me and immediately the price becomes triple. as if all the foreigners have a money tree at home. thankfully, my wife is vietnamese. so, whenever we need to shop in local market, my wife goes first to bargain the prices and then i go. sometimes, i have to hide from the view of the shop owner.
2.the foods are cheap. but i cannot even imagine to buy foods from roadside stalls. they look so much polluted. people here have a fascination of eating on the roadsides. i just cannot stand it.
3.@Anatta, please dont compare ho chi minh city to any other cities of europe or USA. the rent of some apartments are even higher than in singapore. moreover, people here doesnt have common civic senses. recently i was in Hung Vuong hospital when i had a baby. i had some terrible experiences, just bcos i am a foreigner.
[Moderated]
5. the lack of public transport. no regular city buses, no MRT. only Taxi which is costly and not affordable on a day-to-day basis.
6.but the people in my neighbourhood are quite friendly and i enjoy the occasional talks with them. my colleagues are also very friendly and helpful. in my experience the educated people of the society are very open-minded.

vicci0606

I thought we are only talking about the things we like in this post, no?

Anyway, I am just trying to compare to other places so that I can appreciate what I get here that I don't get elsewhere (while having to give up a lot of other things)

Having said so, I fully symphatize with you about the rip-off. More incentive for you to learn to speak fluently Vietnamese to pass yourself as one of the locals . If there is any solace, I get also ripped off (more than you) when they realize that I am a Viet Kieu, even I speak fluently Vietnamese.

One last thing, you wrote: "the rent of some apartments are even higher than in singapore"

Please read the below links. It is, at least, consistent of what I know of the Singaporean rental market. May be, some Singaporean readers want to confirm that.

eca-international.com/news/press_releases/7309/15_per_cent_rental_increase_makes_Singapore_5th_most_expensive_location_globally_

eca-international.com/news/press_releases/7354/Singapore_overtakes_Hong_Kong_to_become_3rd__most_expensive_country_in_Asia_for_expatriates

musica wrote:

I agree with the 'foodstuff' content statement, no idea how most of their produce is elaborated. However, I strongly disagree with number 4. I think the 'blacksheep' are a minority. The broad majority of Vietnamese citizens are, in my opinion, incredibly tolerant, patient, and welcoming towards foreigners, much more so that in most western countries. That said, it is the foreigner who needs to make a greater effort towards understanding their way of life, their customs, and their mentality, and move away from the 'us vs them' approach.

I do agree with you
Nice to meet you Musica, Thanks for nice words Hope everything is going well with you always. Nice weekend.
Best Regards
Kelly

How's the music scene for foreign musicians in Vietnam?

I am beginning to dislike eating on the side of the streets no matter how much better the food is. I had a dinner with 3 other friends. We opted to eat oc (snails) and hot pot with crab. The food was great, but it was difficult to enjoy when literally we got stops from beggers, kids selling gum, lottery tickets, and everyone trying to sell us food when we already had food. It definitely kills the mood for dinner and I don't think I'll ever do it again no matter how much my friends insist on going.

Likes...likes...um...

I like driving on my motorbike now. I remember the first night I landed in HCM City and took a taxi. I was amazed by the follow of traffic and witnessing it in person. I saw youtube clips Saigon traffic before and laughed. I was not laughing anymore when I saw motorbikes everyone looking to crash into me.
After a while I finally got over my fear of it and due to boredom and wanting some excitement, I got on the motorbike and took a drive.

I have to say, food in Vietnam has less sodium (salt) compared to the US. Chips, instant ramen taste a different with less salt but it's just as good. I think salt is one of the main culprits of US being the most obese country in the world. Also portions, over-eating, etc.

dislike: limited number of parks available, green space
like: cheap service>>>> I can indulge myself e.g. mani&pedi, massage, maids you name it

vicci should get his facts right. $500 gets you a common room with no attached toilets in Singapore. For the same price you can rent a 3 bedroom 1200sq ft condo apartment here.

If u hate vn so much why are you still here. One should learn to adapt and not impose your own standards in a foreign country. You are here now with a Vietnamese wife learn to love her country like you love her. I'm sure you love India although no everybody may be able to accept the customs & lifestyle there.

Think positive my friend

@Hue1964,
i do not hate vietnam. it is just that i am not satisfied with some of the social issues. there is a huge difference.
regarding the apartments... i was asked a rental fee of 1600 USD for a 2room apartment in Saigon Pearl and other similar apartments. 1600USD equals to around 1950SGD. i stayed in a very good Condo in Kovan with a much lower rent. (not more than a year ago). in my previous post i said "the rent of some apartments are even higher than in singapore". i didnt say about all the apartments here. i just penned down my experience. please read the posts carefully before you comment.
what did you mean by "why are you still here"? do i have to like everything in vietnam in order to live here? you sound like a Chinese autocrat.
because my wife is vietnamese, i had the opportunity to see the middle class vietnamese families and their cultures very closely. some of them i like but some i dont like. people here are just satisfied with everything they have. they dont wish to thrive for more.
the characteristics of city life is same all over asia. in my everyday life i dont come across any cultural conflict. but i give you a couple of examples... when my baby was born, my wife's aunt tried to bang my baby's head in a wall. i stopped her. later she took a knife and wanted to make a small cut on my baby's forehead. it was supposed to kill the demon inside my baby. i had to stop her again. i told her to kill the demon inside her first. if you are trying to tell me that i have to adopt these nonsense cultural rituals, i am sorry.
it is not that i dont like anything here. i like the people, some of the foods, the beauty of the countryside and the festivals. i spontaneously take part in them. but that doesnt mean that i cant criticize about anything. the truth maybe bitter, but it is the truth...

Hi Vicci,

Guess maybe u been looking at the wrong places. I live in a fully furnished 3 bedroom condo in D7 for $500. Very cheap compared to Singapore standards. If you sre really interested I can reccomend my agent.

There are all sorts of weird cultures all over the world. 1st time of heard of the baby thing here. I think even most Vietnamese haven't heard of the baby thing. Your wife's aunt needs to get here head checked.

I've also heard of the blood letting rituals in India which is also participated by children. Case in point we don't have to subscribe to things that goes against common sense or supersitious beliefs but to each his own.

Vietnam's far from perfect but since we have chosen to make our life here we just need to learn to accept her imperfections. Just go with the flow man. The traffic and social issues here is something that won't change for a long time to come.

vicci
The price at Pearl you were offered is way off!! I just found several apts there (2rms, 90m2) unfurnished going for 800-900USD. Found one 100m2 fully furnished, nice view over the river for 980USD.
Remember the Pearl is one of the most expensive apts (if not the most expensive currently) in SG.

Concerning the head, never heard about it. It is really appalling. I can assure you that it is not a common practice!!!
The closest superstition I know of is the custom of calling kids with really ugly nicknames (like pig, dick,...) so the devils don't care to take the babies away because of they would pick beautiful kids. This practice is like 70-100 years old and mostly in the rural areas in the North.

vicci0606 wrote:

i was asked a rental fee of 1600 USD for a 2room apartment in Saigon Pearl and other similar apartments.

lulz... never talk to that person ever again and find a new rep. I live in SP and that price quote is more than my 3 bedroom fully furnished.

i also backed off after i heard about the price. later my company helped me find a very good apartment in An Phu area with just 450USD per month.
@Anatta, i understand that i need to learn to speak fluent vietnamese. i also started learning seriously (although my wife is my teacher:P). but i have a colleague in my office. she is japanese and she is in HCMC for the last 10 years. but still she cant speak fluent vietnamese. this disheartens me
vietnamese is really a very difficult language as compared to other european languages.

vicci0606 wrote:

i also backed off after i heard about the price. later my company helped me find a very good apartment in An Phu area with just 450USD per month.
@Anatta, i understand that i need to learn to speak fluent vietnamese. i also started learning seriously (although my wife is my teacher:P). but i have a colleague in my office. she is japanese and she is in HCMC for the last 10 years. but still she cant speak fluent vietnamese. this disheartens me
vietnamese is really a very difficult language as compared to other european languages.

I do hear that Japanese people find it difficult to learn Vietnamese for some reason. But I've seen white angelo foreigners speak Vietnamese perfectly and that embarrasses me to learn more.

Vicci
Good to hear that you are interested. A small advice: if you are serious about learning the language, don't learn it from your wife. It does not work. Trust me. Learn it in a structured, professional class/coach. Try/practice what you learn there with your 'walking dictionary', but don't use her as your main learning source.

Anatta wrote:

Vicci
Good to hear that you are interested. A small advice: if you are serious about learning the language, don't learn it from your wife. It does not work. Trust me. Learn it in a structured, professional class/coach. Try/practice what you learn there with your 'walking dictionary', but don't use her as your main learning source.

That's a great suggestion. Better than my original thought of getting a new wife. Keeding! Keeding!

@Anatta
thanks for your suggestion... i also had the same feeling. i have to find a professional course.
a very funny thing happened. after you wrote about the naming of the babies, i asked my wife about it. guess what! my father-in-law's name was "dick"...

I won't say i dislike anything, it is not for me to dislike a way of life i don't know how to appreciate or understand. I pretty much like everything about Vietnam, it's a whole lot different from Sri Lanka but that's why i came here and if it was identical we won't be leaving our countries now !

1.I like the political stability, helps me to get on with the business.

2.Like the security, except for petty crime nothing to worry about.

3.People are easy going and friendly and kinda laid back (like folks from back home).

4.Things aren't too expensive although you can blow a small fortune in no time like any other city.

5.I would like us expats to get together and help some of these kids go to school if possible. They are so talented and hard working, they just need a break.

Wheather is not too bad either unless you live in Hanoi;-)