Introduction of New member to Expat Blog Vietnam

I intended to enter the room unnoticed but, in being asked to introduce myself, will be very brief. I've been living in Vietnam full-time  twelve years now and have observed both great change and no change. Big cities are almost unrecognizable to visitors  who come back from time to time, yet some small cities are undergoing rapid and superficial makeovers while culture and traditions remain the same.  Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi can offer just as much as most international cultural centers, but there are gaping holes  in some areas as you will soon discover. Having studied a little cultural anthropology, any personal  yardstick I might have used to measure growth in other parts of the world has been put away for use in another time and place....I came here as an experienced, professional educator intending NOT to teach but inevitably found myself drawn to the classroom. I have worked with language schools/centers, Vietnamese schools and both first and second-tier international schools whose programs of study are preparing young Vietnamese to study abroad and, it is hoped, to return and use their study to contribute....For those who want to teach and learn, try not to let the bureaucratic obstacles to obtaining the treasured, elusive  Work Permit/Temporary Residence |Card  stand in your way of pursuing a rich experience while living, working and traveling in Vietnam. Those detours have a purpose.... Most of all, before entering the classroom, get as much training and understanding as possible, of the processes involved in learning a second language, and learning subject content as a second language learner.