Dealing with homesickness in Vietnam

Hi Priscilla,

You are very right, it's always challenging yet great to adjust in a completely different culture and atmosphere. I have been here for 5 years now, and as I am staying in Binh Duong Province, 35 KM from Downtown so things are bit different here as compared to Downtown. There has been many developments over the time and I certainly feel very happy about the hardworking people here and their nice attitude.

Most of the time, I keep myself busy in office and my major activity remains travelling from apartment to office early morning and back in the afternoon/evening. My family was here for two years and it was rather relaxing for me. However when my family went back two years ago, It was very difficult for me., and I felt lonely and homesick. Weekends were more challenging as I can never sleep on weekends.  Secondly, i don't bother my local friends here on weekends because i know everyone has got their plans with families so I have to make it workable at my own.

So I started travelling around to the areas where i could travel for over night or one day during weekend. It came out to be great experience since then.

1- Go out for a walk in evening, for 30 minutes to an hour, and you will feel fresh.

2 - I love to take pictures whenever i get time, weekends are great for this hobby. So i use google maps to find some locations for weekends and i go out to take pictures. this helps making my weekend interesting

3- Go out for movies or some entertainment stuff whichever you like

4- Join any local tours if you are interested in travelling and they have options for overnight and one day tours.

5- Start blogging if you like writing.

Well, these are some pieces from my side, which i have observed during my stay in Vietnam. Hope it will help some of my friends here.,

Have a good stay in Vietnam.

BR

Hi,

I try to jog at night afterwork or go a food adventures  when im craving. There's pleanty things to do but you need to know what do u really like doing.

Goodluck

Priscilla wrote:

Hello everyone,

Being an expat in Vietnam can turn out to be a wonderful human, social or professional adventure... with potential moments of nostalgia and homesickness along the way.

What are your personal tips to prevent homesickness?

How do you deal with such feelings?

Are there shops or stores offering products from your home country in Vietnam? Or maybe venues with music and ambiance from your homeland?

Thanks for sharing your experience,

Priscilla

Well, since I am from Brazil and I do really dislike my country, yeah I dont suffer from homesickness. Actually, even my family for me it is okay to see them only using skype, or talking to them by phone etc...there are plenty f ways for me to keep in contact with them. Actually, I think I am kind of used to this style of life, since I have been out of my home since I was 19 years old, and also out of country since I was 21 years old ( now I am 27).

I feel lucky in my move to Vietnam when I did.  Venturing to teach abroad at a later age (31) seemed reasonable at the time since I had a career in teaching and wanted to experience what the world had to offer.  I've experienced so many things in the US that I felt it was time for me to move elsewhere.  This is a main reason I didn't have much of a homesickness.

Over time I have had some pressures to go back to the States, but it's shortly lived when I look around and see what I'm a part of now.  Working at an international school has given me many opportunities and friends in Vietnam.  People I work with come from all over the world, but also are involved in activities that I once enjoyed with friends back home. 

Here are a few things I do when feeling homesick:

1. Enjoy time with friends, whether it be for a beverage, gym, or gaming

2. Cycle around and check out new scenes

3. Talk with friends back home over Facebook or other social medias.  What I've found is not much has changed back home and I'm "not missing much"

4. Start a new hobby.  For me it was photography and playing the guitar

5. Some coworkers have the NFL and NHL package, so every Tuesday or Friday we get together to watch the games from the previous weekend or night.

These are only a few and as I mentioned before, I haven't really felt homesick.  I went back to the States for a month in July and found everything to be the same with a few friends moving to the west.  I found myself wanting to return to Vietnam pretty quickly. 

My big advice is to just stay active.  There are so many things to get involved with in Saigon or Hoian or wherever you are.

Hello,
Thanks for the note.
Well IT has not be easy for me any way because, i had to encourage MY self, take, a silent moment of reason ing to check, If really i could stay away from, home. Now that am away, some times, i have to chat with MY FAMILY on Facebook,  go out, listen to vietnamese music, and also play some song from, MY country.
       AT times am broken down in silent, then i do more of TRECKING to smile UP.
Thanks.

Honest speaking, I never felt home sickness in Vietnam rather I was more happy in Vietnam because I love Vietnam and the people.

I left my home country over a decade ago and have lived in a number of countries since then. I must admit, I have never once felt homesick.
I think the key, at least for me, is to have no expectations and no preconceptions. After all, if you couldn't cope without certain TV channels, lighting fast internet, certain food products, certain moral standards or expectations of how people should behave or the law should work, you may as well stay at home.

my advice is to stop being an expat and enjoy vietnam. i try  to learn the language and spend time with ordinary vietnamese. if not, why be there? only because you can have a higher standard of living, whatever..... I am very happy there with my vietnamese friends, most of whom do not speak english. a month without baked beans is tolerable. the markets are great. easy to make friends.

frere
hills of north vietnam

Yes it hard for me because I miss my family in USA
A lot but I skype webcam with them daily do it make my homesickness less plus I use Viber,Line,Whatapps,Wechat,tango to communicates with my family, relatives and friend in USA ...

When I feel homesick, which is not often, I skype or Viber someone back home. That cures it because the limited perspective my friends and family have back home makes it so easy to appreciate the rich life I have here, although the living conditions are a lot poorer than what I used to in Australia. The people in Vietnam are so generous, so giving and loving, compared to the self centred culture of Australians

I don't have alot of homesickness , I have my Vietnamese family, my wife and her family that makes me feel at home here.I have been here for a year and a half now and we stay busy with traveling and family events. I just try to enjoy the beautiful country and the nice people.

True! If I don't enjoy it, why shall I continue?

I'm enjoying Vietnam the most! Even though I sit at home a lot, as I freelance.
But it's actually fun too, cuz I pretty much a 'sitting home' type of person (nerd) ^_^
Anyway I'm here for 6 months more, so... when I'm tired of exploring Morrowind, I'll go exploring Vietnam XD

P.S. I never thought I'd say that... but I miss snow. And Urals of course. See you next June, Russia.

A quick peek at the classified/not hiring section of my hometown's newspaper usually works wonders.

If that doesn't work, I just google "Donald Trump rally", hit play and start to wimper, because the place that I called home is gone, baby, gone...

..and (as if!) that doesn't cure you, nothing gunna...     

I think the best way is to get a few of the latest movies, or TV series on Netflix or whatever, especially if you have an APPLe TV hooked up or however you have it. Then just shut all the curtains, doors, crank up the A/C, turn off the phone, if you dare, and then just watch movies and TV endlessly until you just can't stand it anymore; hopefully the sun is shining by then and you're ready to sleep the day away an do it all over again. I do this about one or two weekends a season and it usually helps, although the downer of not being home can be strange but relieving. In my case I love to find out i am not at home anymore after 2 or 3 days of watching what American life is like. For me, having lived in Asia for so many years now, being in American culture is like being an uncle of spoiled kids; it's like so great to see them for a few hours but so glad they have to go home and in my case I am like GO Home American; you and you're stupid presidential race that isn't going to solve anything. I am so glad I don't have to worry about that mess while I am over on this side of the ocean. I probably should but I don't. SO let someone who is there take care of the politics while I just continue to better my education. Oh yeah Online school helps a lot too. It really put me back in touch to be in an M.A. online with classmates from the U.S. while forcing me to do tons of research.

Thanks for invitation.
I'm parker from china, I came to vietnam at 2015.2, now it's about one and a half year.
It's my first time to go abroad, I feel extremely excited to come here.

Several points I would say good to vietnam:
1. hot but acceptable weather, when I first came, I thought I wouldn't like the weather, but actually it's not so hot at all.
2. Delicious food. China is famous for all kinds of delicious food, however, vietnamese food has its own characteristics, it's clear, fresh, and special, without so much oil, fat and salt. I like it so much.
3. Good places to go. Vietnam has many beautiful tourist destinations. HCM, Mui Ne, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay. It's fatastic.
4. Nice people. People here are not so rich but they are really firiendly and kind. They like to help people to solve problems. BTW, there are many beautiful girls in vietnam, you understand.

with so many good points, I am not home-sick at all.

i lived 3 years in peru without a flight home and without internet. phone calls were expensive and the line bad. i learned to live there and had three of the happiest years of my life

Yogi actually doesn't have a home.   He's a global citizen now....free to roam.
Sold everything......

Feels good.

What's that song lyric....."wherever I lay my hat, that's my home."

Before I was a slave to "assets ".   House, cars, gadgets, lawns, gardens, pets, routine, obligations, expectations, keeping up with the neighbours, towing the company line, pretending to be be nice to people I didn't like etc etc....but that's home for a lot of people.

Yogi likes this gig better.   I may go back one day, but so far haven't got the urge.   

Besides, things like Skype put you in front of people you want to see in an instant anyway, and we're all on the same 🌎 planet, just a different corner of it.

Start drinking heavily!

Yogi007 wrote:

Yogi actually doesn't have a home.   He's a global citizen now....free to roam.
Sold everything......

Feels good.

What's that song lyric....."wherever I lay my hat, that's my home."

Before I was a slave to "assets ".   House, cars, gadgets, lawns, gardens, pets, routine, obligations, expectations, keeping up with the neighbours, towing the company line, pretending to be be nice to people I didn't like etc etc....but that's home for a lot of people.

Yogi likes this gig better.   I may go back one day, but so far haven't got the urge.   

Besides, things like Skype put you in front of people you want to see in an instant anyway, and we're all on the same 🌎 planet, just a different corner of it.

I'm almost there. Been a world traveller since 1973. Got rid of huge encumbrances in the UK in 2012 and came to stay in Vietnam. Different world, here.

An American bloke asked me where I come from a couple of weeks ago. My response - theres a song: I was born under a wandering star.... Its crap song but it describes  the mood.

Shelam8111 wrote:

I think the best way is to get a few of the latest movies, or TV series on Netflix or whatever, especially if you have an APPLe TV hooked up or however you have it. Then just shut all the curtains, doors, crank up the A/C, turn off the phone, if you dare, and then just watch movies and TV endlessly until you just can't stand it anymore; hopefully the sun is shining by then and you're ready to sleep the day away an do it all over again. I do this about one or two weekends a season and it usually helps, although the downer of not being home can be strange but relieving. In my case I love to find out i am not at home anymore after 2 or 3 days of watching what American life is like. For me, having lived in Asia for so many years now, being in American culture is like being an uncle of spoiled kids; it's like so great to see them for a few hours but so glad they have to go home and in my case I am like GO Home American; you and you're stupid presidential race that isn't going to solve anything. I am so glad I don't have to worry about that mess while I am over on this side of the ocean. I probably should but I don't. SO let someone who is there take care of the politics while I just continue to better my education. Oh yeah Online school helps a lot too. It really put me back in touch to be in an M.A. online with classmates from the U.S. while forcing me to do tons of research.

Interesting! My experience of Americans is that they often take their culture with them wherever they go - no criticism intended. Example: I went to meet an incoming engineer from the US, at the airport, when I was working on an oil related contract in South Vietnam. His first words: Hey buddy, where can I get  a burger.

I don't get homesick. I do get sick of some of the crap I have to deal with e.g.  Bosnia: I was assessing demining needs in post conflict urban areas for the EU. A small town mayor grabbed me by the arm: "Ve don need ur high paid expats come here to demine, just give us money ve vill do ourselves". Me: "Oh really? you haven't even put warning signs up where you laid the mines".

A year later I was investigating a 7 million Euro fraud in demining in ....... Yep, Bosnia.

Me, I just find a bar or restaurant and sit and watch the world go by for few hours. Or play AC DC very loud.

For homesickness or culture shock, it helps to take a break or a holiday to somewhere else. When living in Nha Trang I first started taking my wife and daughter to different cities in VN. Then we started short overseas trips: Zhengzhou in China, Angkor Wat, West Malaysia. I found that my daughter loves travelling, it doesn't matter where, as long as it's somewhere new.

I lived alone in Italy for 3.5 years before spouse retired and left the States to join me.

Not counting 9/11/2001 and subsequent days when I felt apart emotionally, only twice a year I felt homesick during those years: July 4th and Thanksgiving. The rest of the time, I was too busy to remember that I was alone -- it was a huge job dealing with local workmen in the renovation of the 12th century stone house I bought, coping with the most horrendous bureaucracy in the Western world (Vietnamese bureaucracy is a walk in the park comparing to Italian), learning the language in depth, finding my way around geographically and socially, adopting local traditions and daily habits, creating a new and stable life for us, etc. 

I had never felt lonely then, but every so often, I missed the familiar sound of English language (I was the only English speaker in town at the time) and I missed not having someone there to talk about the day events and to say goodnight at bedtime.

This time in Vietnam, homesickness will not be an issue because spouse has been with me from day one. I do miss daughter very much though since she and I have an incredibly close relationship, and we talked almost daily for decades. I will miss her voice and miss hearing about her professional and personal happenings. The 14-hour difference and her very busy schedule makes talking in Hangouts and on the phone more difficult than we thought.

Still, living in 3 continents and travelling throughout 60+ countries have given me an advantage: I was (still am) blessed with the ability to adapt quickly to a new culture, so culture shock and homesickness have never been a true problem for me. Missing the few people who are close to my heart, however, is a different story altogether.