In retrospect, would you move again to Vietnam?

I lived in Germany from August 1968 - 73 and again from June 1980 until sometime 1984 My last visit was about 5 years ago. During my first sojourn in the Fatherland I got my German driving licence and during the second tour, I got my jagdscheine. Neither were easy.

Things may have changed in Germany since the wall came down, but there is nowhere near the same amount of sheer bullsh*t in Germany as there is in the UK.

Vietnam is a very nice place to live and developing very rapidly in all sphere in South East Asia. I will love to be there forever.

Like Matt, there seems to be a lot of bull every where, it endemic to the species but in Vietnam it's made up for by something different, family connectedness is the most obvious. So YES is my answer.

I did 2 x 3 month stints in Vietnam last year and am going back again this year for up to 12 months. I love the place and the people although it is a lot dirtier and less organised than where I live in Brisbane. It is challenging but Brisbane is so nanny state, boring and conservative

Quiettall wrote:

I did 2 x 3 month stints in Vietnam last year and am going back again this year for up to 12 months. I love the place and the people although it is a lot dirtier and less organised than where I live in Brisbane. It is challenging but Brisbane is so nanny state, boring and conservative

Agreed.  Yet after only 2 years, I find Vietnam so much better I'll be here
'till the cows come home.   Brisbane?  Like many other places, 'usedtobe'
       ..but I won't bother returning...     Sad to see, but change is inevitable...     

I'm pretty comfortable almost anywhere. But I prefer to be around either English, Vietnamese or Spanish speaking people. 72 is too old to struggle with another language.

Note, I make no claim to be fluent in any language.

May as well live on the moon.

I simply love the country and its people. nice place to work and live

Actualy now that I have been here full time since 2012 and on and off before that since 2000, I'm thinking of moving on.

Hi Guys, particularly eodmatt, if you decided to move on, what country or countries would you seriously consider and why.
We've been around the world and would consider Greece, a vast difference to Vn but a country that has a lot of potential, except for their economy...

michaellieptourists wrote:

Hi Guys, particularly eodmatt, if you decided to move on, what country or countries would you seriously consider and why.
We've been around the world and would consider Greece, a vast difference to Vn but a country that has a lot of potential, except for their economy...

I quite like Fiji, or the Solomon islands

Wow, talk about contrast, know Fiji not Soloman Islands, nothing to do, nowhere to go...
Where do you live in Vn?

michaellieptourists wrote:

Wow, talk about contrast, know Fiji not Soloman Islands, nothing to do, nowhere to go...
Where do you live in Vn?

HCMC.

I have lived in the Solomon Islands and visited Fiji a couple of times. Both places are peaceful and un polluted.

I've lived in remote a area of Laos too and that was nice. I've lived in Somalia, twice was enough.

To be frank, Viet Nam is still a developing country with many issues in social aspects. However, if you like to live a simple but pleasant life, this country is a good destination 

singuyen tranpham wrote:

To be frank, Viet Nam is still a developing country with many issues in social aspects. However, if you like to live a simple but pleasant life, this country is a good destination 

I know and I have been living in Vietnam for 5 years now. Time for a changeI think.

Personal opinion.
Take it slow before you divorce.
Spend A LENGTHY AMOUNT OF TIME WITH YOUR NEW G/F ... before u let yr cock lead u down a path u could regret after your bank account or your visa-value is over. If tales & blogs are to be believed, its happened to MANY expats in Thailand & Vietnam (1 guy found out He was one of many "Bf's" she was juggling. Not an uncommon situation I understand.  Not because they're evil: Emotional pretense & manipulation gets them to a better life in the West...from which they can help their family. OTOH, there are many expats who wouldn't get a 2nd look in their own countries. So, perhaps both get what they want in the end.

Be careful. Read the other posts.

Haha. I actually was beginning to wonder if this might be a fake posting: Someone teasing us WITH a "beach" story that would go on with various "episodes" over several postings.  In any case, its one of the oldest tales in the world: Older man with money ... issued by a younger woman with hardly any.
   Must work or it wouldn't still be going on all these 100s (or 1,000s) of years or so.

Where else would u want to live?

Hi Christine,

I think that life in Vietnam is wonderful.

Pains me to say it, but i miss china.

can't stand the small-town nosiness and incessant gossiping, in-bred dumfkery of the locals and this is like the 5th biggest city in VN.

China is the same but the populations is just so large, u will never meet the same 'tard twice. Plus salary is 4 times higher....

Vn is so like going back to China 20 years ago.

In retrospect? Yes.

In terms of work life, I am a happy camper. Not only is the international experience very valuable, but the work-life balance, company culture, and management approach in the Vietnam branch mirror those of our American offices.

Now would I sign on for an additional two years? No.

I will love to settle here.

I'm a newbe to the forum, planning on retiring this year, looking for a place elsewhere from Australia.
If you don't mind my asking, on what basis are business visas issued. I am a teacher - would I qualify. Beats border jumping ad infinitum.
Thanks in advance.

Nun,  just write "Import/Export" in the Reason for Visa section.

You get much better value for buck in VN.  Avoid expensive, polluted Saigon, and relax and enjoy life.

I lived in VN for 13 years and plan to spend six months a year there in the future. Winters in South Australia are too cold, wet and miserable. I'll go for the Endless Summer option.

I would still do it. I would wish though that someone had told me about the traffic and the noise.

Coming here after spending the previous seven years on the Big Island of Hawaii, I has to admit the noise, traffic, and pollution in HCMC all contributed to the 'shock' factor but after living here for over three years now I've adjusted.
I guess if money and 'red tape' were not issues me might move to some remote area of the world but I'm lazy and hate jumping through all the hoops.
I am happily married to a lovely Vietnamese lady and certainly wouldn't go anywhere without her so it would of to be a mutual decision.
Anyhow, in spite of the noise, traffic, and pollution the people of Vietnam are awesome so I guess I won't be going anywhere anytime soon...Yes, I would do it again!

Christine wrote:

Hi all,

If you had to look back on your expat experience in Vietnam, would you heartily say "lets do it again"?

From the preparation stage to your actual everyday life in your new country, what did you enjoy the most?

Would you do certain things differently? Could you tell us why?

How would you describe the benefits of your expatriation in Vietnam so far?

Thank you in advance for sharing your experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Christine

A1: Yes, I would.

A2: Opportunities I hadn't realized existed. From delicatessen delivered to dry cleaning collected and returned by motorcycle. Mineral hot springs.

A3: Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Hell yeah, I would do everything differently!!! Why? Because of countless disappointments and bad results.

Benefits, as compared to Thailand (as a reference):

The weather, more gyms, cost of small motorcycles, cost of dry-cleaning, availability of healthy food as opposed to delicious food.

Drawbacks: General dishonesty, aggressive driving and an incredible level of stubbornness & ignorance:

* people peeing on bathroom floors, not only in kindergartens.
* Not knowing how to clean floors.
* freezing tomatoes / ignoring the sound of tortured engines and hungry pigs / crazy risk taking in traffic:

i. saving the lights at night
ii. making others brake hard to avoid collisions
iii. Driving like an autistic teen for whom all other vehicles are invisible.
iv. No attempt to understand gear-boxes or learning how to use the rev counter if they cannot sense what their engine  wants.
v. Terrible education system, terrible parents throwing money at a problem they have created by overloading kids. YMMV, but more homework, more extra classes and less rest is NOT the answer!

Hi KruChris,
Could you explain your comment regarding ‘driving like an Autistic teen for whom all other vehicles are invisible’.
Have you experienced the challenges of an Autistic child?
We have a 9 year old Autistic son.
We would like to hope that he might be employed and be able to ride a scooter at some point in the future.
Mike

and I notice that you are a teacher...

I love Vietnam and why again and again will love to settle there

Maybe I’m the outlier but the novelty has worn off and i am tired of noise, pollution, traffic and just the general feeling of being surrounded by the uneducated and unwashed making the most mundane of tasks difficult.  Looking forward to the move back to the US.

This has been a discussion recently with my wife.

Im tired of the noise, traffic and ignorance. I know it's not every VN, but they sure do make life difficult at times. Most of my friends who lived here long term, 8-12 years, have all said they would never reside in VN again.

I think short stays will suit us better in the future.

Hi,

only hours ago, I read an article in the Guardian in which the author argued against using the label "autistic".

As a teacher, I have had some children. One would dance to his own drummer and then get abused by class mates. But years latter, he has changed for the better. So medical help seems to work wonders, now and then? (His parents are millionaires).
---

My apologies, I didn't want to put blame on autistic people.

But I have witnessed a total disregard for the rights and needs of others in traffic. People risking life and limb to gain a few seconds. Hell no to [i]waiting.[i]

People overtake me, then brake and turn right, cutting me off. People ignore my indicators and overtaking inside while I'm turning, as the blinking indicates I would do.
---

With so many reckless and aggressive drivers, your son should fit in even if he will face challenges.

So he used a matter of expression . . . that you found offensive. U expressed yr opinion. We got it. Chill.

colinoscapee wrote:

I think short stays will suit us better in the future.

We plan to move to the US for four years while her daughter finishes high school in the US.  After that we plan on 6 months in the us and 6 months in VN.  Since I will be retired I won’t have to live in Saigon which will alleviate many of my issues with VN.  I am pushing for Da Lat.

SteinNebraska wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

I think short stays will suit us better in the future.

We plan to move to the US for four years while her daughter finishes high school in the US.  After that we plan on 6 months in the us and 6 months in VN.  Since I will be retired I won’t have to live in Saigon which will alleviate many of my issues with VN.  I am pushing for Da Lat.

I too will do the 6-6 routine, Canada is great in the summer. Danang really ticked the boxes for me, it's also a central location with international airport to travel Asia. I can jump on a plane anytime and see something different, that's what's so nice about Asia.
And to the 2 week romance poster, same thing happens to me every trip. Tread lightly. You have a lot to lose.

Im here for a year with my husband. I’m my own personal opinion. Hell No! It’s a developing country. Not for me, give me a beautiful European or Australian country any day. First of all I have to say the Vietnamese people over all are real nice.  Where I I’m there’s not much to do at all and it’s too hot and humid to be out and about after 10am.   Power cuts are often, people constantly peeing, spitting clearing their throat and nose in the street 🤮it is disgusting . The flavors of the food are very nice but you won’t see  a nice bit of breast chicken here unless you go to a western place to eat or a high end restaurant, I couldnt tell you what part of a chicken the meat comes, but if you don’t mind the bones and picking through to find meat it is very tasty.    I laugh to myself when I hear the sentence the food is very fresh, the meat and fish lays in the heat for hours outside on the street markets and it worries me what kind of out of date chemicals are being used by these poor farmers to successfully produce their products, meat, fish and vegetables.  The people are always trying to keep their  area well swept and tidy but there’s  not many bins about so rubbish laying about can be bad. I live near the beach and it is very sad to see more  rubbish left behind from holiday makers from the country or the big cities also  the plastic that floats about in the sea. The weather  is bloody hot and humid, not for me. Where I am there a lots of old western and Australian men, some working, but mainly retired and as you would be hard pushed to run into to any young fit man here men over the age of 50 are in luck as there are plenty of young Vietnamese women who will put up with as much as a 50 year age gap 🤯!!!  She will look lovingly into his eyes like he is 20, despite his thin / balding hair his big belly, sagging skin, socks and sandals!    It blows my mind and I think theses women would clean up at the Oscars. Ive visited Ho Chi Minh many times, it is so crowded but great to have to choice of shops and restaurants. I’ve  been to Hanoi, that was a dump and waste of money. I’ve taken a sail in Ha Long Bay, it was lovely despite the plastic floating about,  a day trip was enough.

Annetteadam wrote:

Im here for a year with my husband. I’m my own personal opinion. Hell No! It’s a developing country. Not for me, give me a beautiful European or Australian country any day. First of all I have to say the Vietnamese people over all are real nice.  Where I I’m there’s not much to do at all and it’s too hot and humid to be out and about after 10am.   Power cuts are often, people constantly peeing, spitting clearing their throat and nose in the street 🤮it is disgusting . The flavors of the food are very nice but you won’t see  a nice bit of breast chicken here unless you go to a western place to eat or a high end restaurant, I couldnt tell you what part of a chicken the meat comes, but if you don’t mind the bones and picking through to find meat it is very tasty.    I laugh to myself when I hear the sentence the food is very fresh, the meat and fish lays in the heat for hours outside on the street markets and it worries me what kind of out of date chemicals are being used by these poor farmers to successfully produce their products, meat, fish and vegetables.  The people are always trying to keep their  area well swept and tidy but there’s  not many bins about so rubbish laying about can be bad. I live near the beach and it is very sad to see more  rubbish left behind from holiday makers from the country or the big cities also  the plastic that floats about in the sea. The weather  is bloody hot and humid, not for me. Where I am there a lots of old western and Australian men, some working, but mainly retired and as you would be hard pushed to run into to any young fit man here men over the age of 50 are in luck as there are plenty of young Vietnamese women who will put up with as much as a 50 year age gap 🤯!!!  She will look lovingly into his eyes like he is 20, despite his thin / balding hair his big belly, sagging skin, socks and sandals!    It blows my mind and I think theses women would clean up at the Oscars. Ive visited Ho Chi Minh many times, it is so crowded but great to have to choice of shops and restaurants. I’ve  been to Hanoi, that was a dump and waste of money. I’ve taken a sail in Ha Long Bay, it was lovely despite the plastic floating about,  a day trip was enough.

Its obvious you live in an area that is full of expats, and my guess is you frequent expat restaurants. Get away from the expat area, its very different. I live on the edge of town and hardly see any of those balding, big bellied, saggy skin men that seem to be upsetting you.