Moving soon to Ho Chi Minh City

- The nearest beach to Saigon is Vung Tau, 60+ miles or an  hour drive once city traffic is behind you.

- Your location indicates that you're in Saratoga, so my answer is: If you like living in Tampa during spring break, you would love living closer to or in District 1, which is Saigon city center.

Thanks for the information.  It is helpful.

Retired myself and the only reason I,m in Saigon is because my stepdaughter has work here and my wife will not leave her otherwise I would be in Da Nang or Nha Trang.The pollution in Saigon in tremendous and getting about the roads is very difficult especially at rush hour not forgetting that safety while driving in the city also needs to be thought about
I see from your profile you like fishing....you cannot eat any fish you catch within the Saigon area...it's too polluted.There is nowhere to use a kayak...fall in water and you will need to find the nearest hosptital to get your stomach pumped!.I see you also like to explore,then surely a base mid mid Vietnam such as Nha Trang or Da Nang would serve you better that Saigon.
Vung Tau is the nearest beach area to Saigon,a minimum of 2 hours by car.The Saigon Vietnamese use it as weekend destination so it's gets crowded,the beach can be dirty and to my mind it's not somewhere you can travel to from Saigon just for the day
Don,t forget to check out health insurance before you arrive.Its a regular subject on the forum,it's a minefield and many,including myself have had difficulty choosing a policy for numerous reasons...look at the current posts regarding insurance.
Think carefully before choosing Saigon as your destination for retirement...there are far better places within Vietnam.Perhaps you need to visit Saigon before committing yourself.

I agree with the posts above: Danang and Nha Trang are beach cities and worth considering. I'd add Quy Nhon and Hue to your list, too. Saigon truly is terribly polluted and all pollutions idices are exceeded by several times over. Dust levels were 14 times the recommended maximum some years ago.  Good luck.

I second Gareth's response.

The title of your topic, "Moving soon to Ho Chi Minh City" baffles me. Common sense dictates that moving to another country should require a lot of research and personal visits, not just from a vague desire "to see how life moves in that country", unless you shared Christina Noble's dream.

There are many issues about living in Vietnam that you wouldn't notice after a couple of weeks travelling up and down the country as a tourist. Even those articles titled "Everything you need to know about living in Vietnam" do not tell you a fraction of what you would face as an American retiree in Vietnam. 

From your original post, I have a feeling you know very little about Vietnam (as a country in 2017, not as the place you saw on TV and newspapers during the war), so your plan just doesn't make sense to me. You should come to Vietnam a few times to see how you feel about the country and its people. Then go home and start reading about the problems expats in Vietnam are facing daily before asking yourself whether you want to spend your retirement years dealing with those issues.

Disclaimer: I've lived in Vietnam for many years, have taken a dozen trips and seen more than 75% of the country. I know the culture well, have no problem with the language, and have formed many solid connections in country. Still, the decision to live here for another 5 years or so was one that took me a couple of years to make.

This response is not an intention to discourage you from moving to Vietnam, but to encourage you to invest some serious amount of time in intensive research, as well as a couple visits at the very least, before thinking of your plan as something that would happen "soon".

Thank-you for your reply.  I am actually much more interested in Da Nang, Nha Trang, or Hue, but my research on flights makes it much easier to get to Saigon first.  I should probably catch a flight from Saigon to Da Nang and spend some time there to get a feel for that area which seems much closer to the Highlands, an area I am interested in exploring.  Vey helpful information.  Thank-you!

I don't think Saigon is so bad. The pollution everyone talks about is from vehicles. Not from coal burning or chemical plants. This is not Beijing. More like a big city anywhere with lots of cars. Where you also don't go fishing in the rivers. There are central city and suburban neighborhoods. Search this forum for lots of posts about cost of living.

Your biggest adjustment will be moving from the US to any third world country. I don't know how much foreign travel you have done. It is not as clean here, there is no consumer protection, there are poor people everywhere, food and customs and language are different. Most Americans can't do it, but some can find acceptable inexpensive places with large American retirement communities like Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica.

I think it is cool you are considering such a big physical and life style move. It is a transforming experience. Come and look around first. And visit some neighboring countries too. You can find 2 or 3 star hotels for $20-30 a night on agoda.com  Depending on your preference, some places will be fun to visit, maybe one will will be great.

Great info. Thanks.  I fully anticipate significant differences in almost every aspect of life, and I will probably opt for a more suburban or even rural setting ultimately.  But I am excited to have the experience in Saigon and/or Da Nang first.

NomadCrow wrote:

Thank-you for your reply.  I am actually much more interested in Da Nang, Nha Trang, or Hue, but my research on flights makes it much easier to get to Saigon first.  I should probably catch a flight from Saigon to Da Nang and spend some time there to get a feel for that area which seems much closer to the Highlands, an area I am interested in exploring.  Vey helpful information.  Thank-you!

Five flights a day SGN-NHA, various airlines - haven't flown to Danang.  I spend 1 or 2 months a year in Nha Trang, hoping to move there within a year, haven't made the move yet as I am still working 6 months a year and don't fancy my house/apartment being taken up by squatters, happened to an Aussie I know.  You will find many teaching jobs in Vietnam if you wish to supplement your income, ensure you apply for the correct visa.  I just received my one year, multiple entry tourist visa, will apply for a Business Visa next time.   Large Russian tourist/expat community in Nha Trang, I know a couple English teachers that are making very good money teaching  conversational english to the Russians.   Prices are going up all over the tourist areas in Vietnam, but there's still deals to be found, take your time and go look fr yourself.

HCMC is way too crowded. I would live in Da Nang or some place north if you don't care much for the party scene and the polluted city like HCMC.