"We invite you to meet the other expats already settled in Vietnam."

siddharta wrote:

they all seem to be in saigon or tay ho - haven't seen one here in 6 months

Hi siddharta.  Don't you live in Bắc Kạn province?  Way up north by the Chinese border?  Probably won't see many Expats; tourists, maybe but not so many Expats.  Not much for employment away from the Political and Economic hubs and Expats generally migrate towards the two cities.  . 

You see alot of poverty where you are?  NGOs and charity workers/foreign volunteers might show up in your area if it's really poor.

never used this before -- hope it gets to the right person

tx bac kan not poor - some parts of the province, yes. we went to help out at some schools near ba be - i was a bit disappointed with the [relatively wealthy] bac kan people who seemed busy getting their photos taken giving "lucky bags" to the kids but i was the only one spending time with them afterwards.

not that near the border - i am allergic to chinese; most of my vn friends likewise.

no sign of n.g.o.; tourists or dr livingstone here. i sympathise with the monkeys in the zoo - that's my role here as the only "ong tay"

going back uk soon for a rest. celebrity status does not suit me. pity i found nice lady at the market and the geriatrics' volleyball sessions after 6 months - could have done with both a while back. expect return vn when the worst of the summer heat has gone. grow some vegetables in mum's garden til then.