Thinking about moving to HCMC. Share your experiences?

LastingTranslation,

Vietnam was much much more than I expected.  Living and working here, as opposed to touring, took more out of me than I imagined.  Nothing, even the slightest, can or should be taken likely.  It is pretty much like an outsider trying to operate in South Central, LA. 

Aside from getting your English teaching certificate, I highly recommend that you sharpen up on your Vietnamese.  That will make your transition a lot easier. 

I am presently back in Garden Grove.  I will be here for another 10 days.  Dtcali and I will probably get together shortly.  You are more than welcome to join us.  Just PM me your number.

Best,
Howie

Life in Saigon is very hectic, horns, traffic, roosters, yelling , fighting and so on. i lived there for nearly 5 years and to be honest, as a younger man you should enjoy it. I do find the traffic and pollution a bit overwhelming, so much so that I moved toa smaller city Vung Tau. If you are wanting to stay long term then I would advise finding a nice apartment or house to rent, dont live in a hotel long term. You should be able to get a job, but the one downfall that I can see is that you are not a round eye, and it could be a bit harder to get work, but just keep trying and you will be ok.There have been posts on other sites of native speakers but of Asian heritage finding it harder to find a job.Dont apply for work until you land here, its a waste of time unless you are aiming for the top line jobs.

Living in Saigon is good and bad, as with anywhere in the world, there are lots of places to go out and lots of good food. I do find the expat scene too clicky and keep away from it as much as possible. I tend to eat at local restaurants not western style cafes.At the end of the day it all comes down to what you like and how you like to spend your time. I would not live in D1, I would look at D3 or Binh Thanh, but then again its all about what your preferebces are. All in all, life here is ok, just have to get used to how things work and the corruption which is around every corner when it comes to doing visas,rentals,driving licenses and so on.

Hi, Im Vietnamese. I think you should move to HCM city because:you had degree and experience,its easy to find a job, especially, you live in L.A, you can teach English for Vietnamese to get more money Its about $200-300/months .( You can find job on jobstreet.com or careerlink.vn). You should live in district 2, 9, Thủ Đức because cost of living less than the other district.you can go to anywhere by bus.
Especially., cost of living in Vietnam less than your country( about $200/month).
If you need the help, you can contact me at kimthao010990@yahoo.com

Hi Thao,

I highly doubt that anyone would be thrilled to come all this way, and deal with all these chaoses, for $200-300/ month.  Many local Vietnamese wouldn't, let alone one from abroad or a westerner.

Wild_1 wrote:

Hi Thao,

I highly doubt that anyone would be thrilled to come all this was, and deal with all these chaoses, for $200-300/ month.  Many local Vietnamese wouldn't, let alone one from abroad or a westerner.

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