Anyone had any experiences building a home swimming pool in vietnam

Richie:
Frogs, frog eggs, mosquito's, green water, plugged filters, pumps, Do you really want to do it. Way more simple to buy ticket for swimming pool at hotel. House next to me has a pool. Above ground I must say and  a 2 car park below, but it has been empty for the last 8 years. expensive to maintain and many larvea's from mosquito's. Your call.
Regards.

Hi, before I post a big spew of info, I want to say I don't have any specifics on cost of pools in VN. On the other hand I have a ton useful things to know about which pool type of construction and why.  The cost are substantially different based upon which construction and also monthly maintenance cost. 

I had pools while living in FLorida, USA and have since done a lot of research on options because I want a pool in my next house myself.

If you want me to post publicly here I will but if you want the info PM that is cool also.  I don't want to get your thread off topic unless you feel it's helpful. 

Please let me know or ignore if you not interested.  All good here.

Hi Vungtau and Jerico
Thanks for the warnings, Vungtau. We've already considered a lot of this and think the benefits outweigh the headaches. Our situation is that we don't live near any hotels or swimming pools. We live in a small village in Tay Ninh province, it's hot, it's sweaty and unless you go for a swim in the local river there's nowhere to go. Well...there is one place but very small and very busy and still a few kilometres away, not very practical for several dips a day when getting hot. Tay Ninh Province is superb for cycling, being very flat, and this I enjoy tremendously but it is a very, very hot part of Vietnam. The temperature - in direct sunlight I have to add - on my bicycle thermometer read 46 degrees the other day. A jump in the pool upon return has to be worth the maintenance and costs and headaches that may come - I hope!
And Jerico, yes please, do feel free to respond with any information at all. It'll all be greatly appreciated, thank you.
8-)
Richie

HI Richie,

I've had pools in three homes back in Australia.  In warm climates that cool dip your thinking of will be in tepid water. 
I swim everyday and the ocean temp here is 29.4 today.   That's getting warm.
I had a membership at a resort here and I hardly used the pool because it was warm, about 32+ . I walked across the beach because the ocean at 29/30 felt cooler.     

I cycle a lot as well and get back from a ride really hot.    I've found the best way to cool down is put a wall mounted fan in the bathroom , turn it on full blast and stand under a cool shower.  It works really well , the wind chill factor on wet skin does the job.

Getting quality workmanship here will be a headache if you haven't had experience with concete and Rebar .  I've owner built 2 pools and the concrete mix is crucial.  The locals will go cheap at every turn. If you start getting cracks , it's game over.    Maybe a fibre glass shell is the safest way to go.

But just remember, that water temp won't be as cool as you expect.  There's a hotel pool here that's like a bath. Not very enticing at all.     The pool chemicals required for warm water are a lot higher than cool water . When your hot  and skin pours open those chemicals really soak in and you,can smell them on you for ages. It's not healthy.

But here's the kicker...... I'm betting you'll be the only person in that area with a pool., and the locals will know the new boy in town built one. 
And guess what...the minute you turn your back they'll be over the fence and into it, clothes and all.😁

Could be a decision you'll regret.    Just put the money into Air Con and set up a shower room with a fan and chill.   It works....you'll be shivering.

Good luck with it .

Please forgive all typos or mistakes, I am not a journalist and this is not a professional effort.  I wrote it fast as the info flowed out of my memory.

I have research pools for a house in quite a bit of detail if I might add and I hope that I can offer some useful information because there are really four options [for permanent in-ground pools] and I admit before doing the research I did not know the difference and they are substantial. Secondly there is two types of prevention of algae growith. I will hit the high points and leave it at that.  Sorry if this is to much but I'm sitting on a warm afternoon in Colombia with nothing to do so HEY, maybe this helps.

CHLORINATION

Types of chlorination:
1) manual addition of chlorine/chemicals as needed to prevent algae growth. 
2) manual addition of sodium chloride, aka salt, and the use of an in-line salt water chlorinator that using small amounts of electricy converts the salt suspended in the water into chlorine gas suspended in the water as the water cirulated through the pump and piping.  It not complicated and existing pools can be converted DIY.  Disclaimer: if I got anything wrong I apologize, I am not a pool salesman or expert.

I had the first on a gunite/concrete pool in St Aug Florida and it was ok but it needed someone to scrub the sides and check the chemicals like clockwork once a week, ended up paying a pool service which added to the cost.  If the sides weren't scrubbed algae grew a little and on a white pool looked unsightly.

I had another gunite/concrete pool in Orlando Florida that was converted to using salt.  We bought salt [same salt used in water softners in Florida] in 25 lbs bags at the big box store on the cheap and just dumped the salt into the pool and walked away.  The converter converted the salt to chlorine and I loved it.  It was like swimming in a clean ocean very more comfortable on skin, nasal and especially eyes [others might disagree].
I admit there were times when algae grew and we had to shock the water and make sure the salt was adequte. One thing is certain to me bulk salt should be cheaper then pool chemicals but some might not want to use.

In summary I mention this because Florida is similar in temperature, etc. to Nha Trang or costal areas.  Algae growth in the warm season cannot be prevented, it's just going to happen so cleaning concrete is the challenge.  Not huge problem just has to be handled before you got a big green lab experiment going. But please understand, it can be managed, just have to be willing to scrub the pools walls when they need it and of course maintian chlorination and the occassional BOMB to kill everything.  In Florida summer we bombed the pool about twice a month during August, September the most challenging months for heat.

IMHO I would never have a pool without using salt for chlorination.  To me it's supieror and absolutely no different in cost of construction or monthly, maybe  less if bulk sea salt is local ...which it is in VN i believe.

CONSTRUCTION

1) Traditional, in ground gunite [concrete blown and hand formed against the walls of a dug hole. We all have used these most. 

Pros: you can make the to look like any design you want and you can always find a installer, very standard equipment and many options for accessories, etc.  Who doesn't love them?
Cons: hardest to maintain: water leaks, repainting every 10-12 years perhaps, concrete allows the easiest growth of algae and can be a deal breaker to maintain if not designed, installed, maintained.  Has the highest maintenance cost according to my research.

2) Concrete Form Wall Construction, Ceramic Tile finish.  This contruction is very very popular in parts of the Caribbean, Central America and S. America.  I rarely saw them in the USA and I have no experience in other regions of the world.  THis type of construction involves digging a hole, erecting concrete forms for walls with plumbing and waterways included and then pouing concrete to form a square box or other straight line forms....usually.  After the concrete walls and floor are complete then ceramic tile is laid on same and creates the pool.  Latinos really love ceramic tile so you see these a lot in the Americas outside the N. America region. In addition based upon my recent talk with the Cololmbian pool cleaner, ceramic needs fewer chemicals as the algae has harder time growing on the ceramic and the ceramic tile surface is easier to clean than concrete.

Pros: A pool man in Colombia who was cleaning a pool of this type we were renting for a weekend retreat. According to him the ceramic pools are much supieror in preventing and maintaining algae growth, otherwise they are identical to other pools.  I must say after playing in the pool about 8 hours that weekend I really liked the ceramic vs. gunite.

Cons: Ceramic Tiles are not cheap to buy or install but never need to be repainted and it is possible a tile comes undone and the pool to be drained and the tile re-installed but not the end of the world because usually water is really cheap these countries.  Other con is if the concrete box is not hot poured or installed properly then water leakage is more likely but IF the concrete is done right then no problem.  This method is really good in areas which don't have stable soil because the box of concrete is reinforced and actually uses less concrete that gunite since gunite has less reinforcment in the wals thus the concrete has to be thicker. I may point out that it a lot harder to make rounded anything using ceramic tiles, corners tend to be right angles on the pools bottom.  I don't see anyting wrong with it but each should make their own desire realized and if you got a thing for those traditional round corners in a pool then ceramic tile won't do.

3) Premanufactured, whole fiberglass pools.  Now this might sound like your plastic kiddy pools but if you google it you will be amazed what's available in fiberglass pools these days.  The cost is less than you migh expect but the issues regarding shipment and installation since a cherrypicker crane or a large bobtail truck with has a crane on it is required for removing from the truck bed into the hole is unique to this method and might be problematic in remote locations.

Pros:  Cost expected to be little less than concrete/gunite. Absolutely the most watertight, longest lasting with the least maintenance of all the types.  Probably the BEST at preventing algae growth and ease of cleaning and maintenance.  Most durable and considered the most easy on the feet for those in the pool. Fast installation and options for DIY contracting your own install. Extremely durable.

Cons:  Limited availability worldwide, not every market / region has a manufacturer.  Need the services of a crane or sufficient strong bobtail type truck/crane combo to remove from trailer and install in the pool.  Other con, limited to designs that factories have forms for as bulding the form for a custom design is prohibitive in the price time area.


4) Plastic Liner, Modular walls.  This type of technology has come along in a huge way in recents years.  Higher quality materials and manufacturing of the pool liners combined with less expense in construction and versatility...explained below. In this type of construction you buy a pool kit from a manufacturer, in the USA they will ship a pool kit anywhere in the world.  The kit contains everything you need to build a pool once the hole is dug.  SO you order a standard or a custom design and by can get almost anything you want.  The factory makes the liner of your design in it's factory with all fittings etc. engineered into it.  In addition to the liner a modular wall system is included, they have several options and lastly there are all the parts for the pool below desk level.  The desk you choose to install around the pools is very interesting subject in itself and is a significant part of the cost.
In a nutshell you dig a hole, that hole migh have contours of your choosing as long as you have stayed within parameters, you can have squarish or round bottoms for instance. Plumbing is intall now also for return drains. You then in stall the modular walling system to create the rigid walls of the pool and then you install the plastic liner on the enclosure you have created, connect hardware, secure the liner to the wall system and of course you have connected the plumbing and pump etc. Your pool is now ready for water.  You can install the deck choice over the wall edges. 

Pros: Expected to substantially cheaper than the other methods.  The liner can be replaced without destroying the pool and starting over. all the liners have warranties and they are available in two thicknesses, more thick more years expected.  Algae growth is substantially and I mean substantially less from what I have read vs. concrete as algae does not like to attach to the plastic liner. In additional though it might sound extreme benefit is that the entire pool can be removed in a couple days of work and sold or moved to a new location or simply ..don't want a pool anymore.  Filling the hole would be the biggest part of the operation.  In the same vein, if you wanted to increase or change the shape of the pool additional modular components could be bought, installed and a new liner to the new shape installed.  This might not sound attractive but there are people thatinstall their own pool in about a week.  I may be speaking incorrectly but a pool is a big investment and it may not be easy to recoup any of that costs when you sell your house.  With this type of construction the costs is less and the pool can be removed if the new owner says they want the house but not a pool....interested ps.

Cons: Pool liner is just plastic and dog paws and someone throwing pool furniture into the pool are two of the most common accidents that damage the liners.  On that note though, you can drain the pool and patch the hole and refill and life goes on. The kits come with patch kits and additional patch kits are always available on-line.  The liners are much improved since this method starting taking hold 15 years ago.  One con is the limitation in steps.  Google it and you will find many fotos and examples.


Listen I hope this helps and of course I probably did not list every issue but this I thinks i a great jump starter of considering options.

Now I'm not trying to sway anyone but if I were to install a pool today AND my option was available I would go with a fiberglass pool in a heartbeat.  But that's just me and it may not be avaible in VN. If an install is to be near the coast like Nha Trang  installs should be doable because I suspect the pool can be delivered on an ocean freighter from another part of VN or CH and then installed locally.  Moving a big fiberglass pool on the internal inland roads of VN?  Get real! LOL as I don't even this it would be possible.

Second choice, I would do the plastic liner just because of the cost saving and I would do the bulk of the install myself as a DIY project not excluding the need to hire some parts like excavation.  It's obvious that is not the desire of many ..DIY.


Regards
Pal

Richie:
  Tay Ninh. North west HCM.
I had a 17 meter fishing boat and installed 3 Fiberglass tanks in them for diesel storage. 1 tank cost me 4.3 million and could hold 550/600 ltr. They were pretty big i must say. The tanks were made in the harbor here and installed alongside the inner 8 cm wooden hull. The tanks were not standard already made, but made according existing space available in the motor compartment, and connected with valves and plastic lines.So, I do not know what size you want to make the pool, but it give you an impression about costs with fiber. The finishing product was pretty rough though but never leaked. Ron.

Festeem wrote:

Richie:
  Tay Ninh. North west HCM.
I had a 17 meter fishing boat and installed 3 Fiberglass tanks in them for diesel storage. 1 tank cost me 4.3 million and could hold 550/600 ltr. They were pretty big i must say. The tanks were made in the harbor here and installed alongside the inner 8 cm wooden hull. The tanks were not standard already made, but made according existing space available in the motor compartment, and connected with valves and plastic lines.So, I do not know what size you want to make the pool, but it give you an impression about costs with fiber. The finishing product was pretty rough though but never leaked. Ron.

Really interesting. Thanks a lot.  I am sincerely interested in this info for my own project in VN.  If you have any additional specifics about this manufacturer like a company name, contact, email or even a close pin location on google maps could you post here or PM me. I say thanks up front.  Until your post I did not consider the fact that fiberglass manufacturing is probably really cheap in VN vs. the USA for instance.   A rough vs. a finer finish is just a case of more labor to produce the form to create a smoother gelcoat surface in theory you could negotiate with the manufacturer to make your design and give it some additional work to make a more finished surface..at least your idea would work for smaller pools which definitely what we are talkig about.

Experience tells me that there's a very high likelihood that you're going to end up with a half-filled, less-than-half complete malaria factory that came with a price tag that was 3 times the highest estimate.

Hi Pal
That's a wealth of information, very appreciated you took your time to write that, thank you very much. Some very good insight in there that will without a doubt come in extremely handy when decision time comes. It has already |
I think pushed me in the salt water direction. Construction of course will depend on local cost and what's available and with your guidelines at least I'll be able to make some well-informed decisions which I hope will prevent me from pulling too much of my own hair out in frustration as many people on here suggest will be happening - and of course they could be right too but at least I should lose less hair with your info  lol
I do have the benefit of having some top class builders in the family, very high grade work in house construction and very much in demand locally but of course no experience of swimming pool construction which is why I need to gather as much info as possible. At least workmanship would be of a high standard and concrete mix etc, if that option is chosen, would be as it should be which is another area of course I'll have to investigate. A great post, thank you for replying
Richie

Pal444.
It's a 2 or 3 mans old looking shop next to the water. 40 mtr square max. Might be family run. Just basic, nothing big. Couple of polls and a roof next to the water. He does not speak English. I will ask my wife to go there and ask for business card if he has one???. ''''''If you have any additional specifics about this manufacturer like a company name, contact, email or even a close pin location on google maps could you post here'''''''.
Pal444: I am almost sure there is no website and he might have e-mail. All I know, we parked our boat next to the location and he measured and installed the lot. 
I can ask him: Costs for 1 mtr square and 3 mm thick, 4 mm thick, 5 mm thick. What you have in mind.
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I am pleased I have help in some small way.  One important, potentially very important issue about construction that none of us have shared and it occurred to me after the fact.  Ground water level.

You absolutely need to find out what the highest ground water level is for your installation location.  Why?, well, something that on a rare occassion can cause a financial catastrophe.  Mind you a couple of things have be in alignment for this issue to occur but it does happen to folks ..so in the spirit of sharing...

If your pool has been drained or is only partially full at the same time the water table underneath it rises above your current water level then your pool can change from been a big receptacle that holds water to now becoming a boat and boats by design want to float on the top of the water.

There have been instances where empty pools popped out of the ground floated out of their seating by torrential rains that raised the water table so quickly and high enough that this happened.  On a gunite pool this is catastrophic as the forces will invariable crack the pool.  The fiberglass should become a boat and have to be reseated one the water declines.  The plastic liner would give easily but might get ripped by the forces.  The concrete box might do both..who knows?

I recall somewhere in my experience back many years ago seeing a gunite pool with stagnant water in it, mabye like two feet high in the deep end of the pool...this was an old pool back when people still installed diving boards.  it was obvious the pool was not being used.  I asked the owner how so much water from rain could accumulate there recently as there weren't any rains recently [in rural Texas the weather must be mentioned or enter the conversation or it's not normal] and he explained that he had drained the pool after his kids grew up and moved away and the bottom of the pool when constructed has a weep hole with a plug.  He had checked before draining it and was advised to drain the pool and remove the plug on the weep whole in the bottom of the pool because his location had very shallow ground water table levels.  The stagnant water I was seeing in the pool wasn't rain water, it was ground water allowed to enter the pool throught the unplugged weep hole so that the ground water did not lift the entire pool out of its hole like a boat.  He added that when the ground water level subsides the stagnant water drains back into the ground through the weep hole and leaves a muddy stain which did not bother him.

BTW: if anyone thinks that a concrete pool won't float and this is some old yarn, you are dead wrong.  I had a neighbor back in the seventies, i was teenager, that made a 25ft boat out of concrete in his back yard and launched it into a nearby lake.  Floated like any other boat.... was very heavy though and thus did not steer easily but it floated nonetheless.   As for water tables it's really just whatever it is.  I lived on a small rural homestead growing up and when we moved on the land which had a shallow well [a bore some of your might call it]  already drilled.  The location of the well which was actually a good 40 ft in elevation higher than a nearby creek about 600 yards away has a standing water level at about 25-30 feet deep and it virtually never ever ran dry in 20 years of use.  So amazingly the water table in that part of the farm was 10ft  or so higher than the water level of the natural drainage just a short distance away.   I'm sure a hydrology engineer could instantly explain how that happens and is not even that rare so take your own tact.


No mind you.  I don't think I ever saw this done anywhere else, but I never looked for it and I don't build pools for a living... but you get the point and I thought i might be I would pass along.

I pretty sure everyone understands that a pool full of water won't ever be floated out it's hole but I go ahead and include that here so as not to ignore the normal state.

Thanks for offering, I'm nowhere near needing to know and asking now would be wasting your time.

Because you asked this is definitely something I will put in my file of resources.

I have two levels of interest.  One, might sound a bit off but that's me; I like the possibility to have a liner manafactured for a small pool on a lot where I would be building a house in the future.  Something like a huge whirlpool with simple, molded-in seats to let friends come on over, eat some BBQ and soak while sipping suds.  Not a traditional pool since I don't have any more children living with me and I don't swim laps.  I love a pool for stress relief and rest.  Resale value? don't care.

The other, because you asked.

I have a 'potential' project in VN whereby I might be creating a series of small and I mean small ponds on a property to use as tanks for cycling water through a system.  Since VN is so humid an open pond is better than the cost to buy mass produced fiberglass tanks and bury them.  And yes, I do realize that I would be creating giant mosquito factories.  I have a mitigation plan for that as each 'pond' would have an build in aeration system and the fact that the water will be moving constantly, mosquito eggs require static water and I have part of my mitigation plan the use of mosquito larvae eating fish in the tanks.  I hate mosquito because they love me, I promise you, I won't be breeding mosquitos...I'll do testing before I commit to that route. Another mitigation feature is simple to drape a suspended made to order mosquito netting over the top of each pond/tank. No access not mosquitos.

The ability to drain, pick and drag to a new location is also an attractive reason I am interested.

Hi there,
To help solve the problem with a pool "popping up " or floating as mentioned in an above post..you can install a Hydrostatic valve at the deepest part of the pool.   It's got to be installed correctly to work properly ,ie plenty of gravel, blue metal in the "pit" around and under it. Otherwise it can silt up and be useless.

Hi Pal,
Yogi forgot to mention one very important point.     You mentioned you would like something like a hot tub so you can have BBQ and friends come around for a soak and some suds...

These Vietnamese guys "skull" their beer and have weak bladders.  That's why  you see them peeing in the streets everywhere.     
So.....if you sitting in that tub drinking with these guys , make sure your not the only one getting out to relieve yourself. 😀

Haha ... Yoda finds it's amusing that the trouble one has and wants to go through in order to satisfy one's needs to build a swimming pool.  With due respect OP there are many ways to satisfy your desire to cool off after a long ride, but having a pool built is not one of them.  The old saying ... Pools are money pits (for a reason).  Cost too much to maintain one for short satisfaction, and hard to get rid of it.  Hmm, somehow it does sound familiar to another topic.  Yack!

Anyhow, Yoda strongly advises building one.  Yoda had one many years back and couldn't wait to get rid of it when kids were grown up but the pool still needed constant maintenance.  And when the property was listed for sale it was considered as a liability to the buyers.  So listen to your fellow bloggers, have a COLD beer and do us a favor; change your mind.  Not worth it.

Yoda0807 wrote:

Haha ... Yoda finds it's amusing that the trouble one has and wants to go through in order to satisfy one's needs to build a swimming pool.  With due respect OP there are many ways to satisfy your desire to cool off after a long ride, but having a pool built is not one of them.  The old saying ... Pools are money pits (for a reason).  Cost too much to maintain one for short satisfaction, and hard to get rid of it.  Hmm, somehow it does sound familiar to another topic.  Yack!

Anyhow, Yoda strongly advises building one.  Yoda had one many years back and couldn't wait to get rid of it when kids were grown up but the pool still needed constant maintenance.  And when the property was listed for sale it was considered as a liability to the buyers.  So listen to your fellow bloggers, have a COLD beer and do us a favor; change your mind.  Not worth it.

Well I sure would not contradict your judgement for a majority of pool owners.  But for those few of us that find so much enjoyment and relieving of stress by simply sitting in a clean, refreshing tub of water on a hot day cooling of the jewels...well you can spend your money on the pool or buy and choke down some expensive antidepressants like most of my familar are swallowing back in the USA.  For me it's a sweet deal as I will use it almost daily. 

As for the Bear's comments about sitting in a pool swilling beer with a bunch of VN guys....not once and I mean once did that idea every enter my mind.  Hahahah

Yogi thinks hot tub in your backyard will be like a honey pot to a bear.😀

You'll be sleeping one night , and be awoken by the chant "Mot, Hai ,Ba Yooo".  These ingenious little chaps will be over the fence and kicking back.   

Probably a good idea to plug in a bar fridge next to it.    That way they won't have to break into your kitchen and help themselves to your beer.     

Socialism buddy......share the good life. 😜

Yoda0807 wrote:

Anyhow, Yoda strongly advises building one.  .

This is what happens when Yoda has only 3 fingers in each hand.  Yoda meant "strongly advises against building one."

I thought we, expats, wanted to move to VN for the local experiences.  Well, do what the locals do.  Suck it up, take off your shirt, roll up your pants, and find a local owner pool and chant "Mot, Hai, Ba" and jump in.  But have some class BYO please.

"Clean and refreshing tub of water ..."  Pal, it sounds so romantic but it only exists in 5-star hotels.  And don't forget critters, drown animals, and frogs will be joining the party.  Don't mean to be too negative here OP.  Better discourage you now but if you still go ahead with it then you must really want to have one.  In that case don't forget to invite us to your pool party.

Go. To monolithicdomes.com look there for ideas I know only bt disaster proof homes....

Ritchie, did you ever build the pool, or still actively conidering it? Thad in Tay Ninh

@RICHIE2013

I am considering moving to Vietnam from the Philippines. I've been in the swimming pool profession over 50 Years. I am from South Florida and moved to the Philippines 16 years ago

Roger Owen

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