Relocating to Hai Phong

huy2385 wrote:

Hi all,

i will move to Hai Phong soon (in 2 weeks). I wish I could say it's not a big deal ...but hell it is.
I am currently living in germany and will move to hai phong for a job starting jan 2019.
To those who live/lived there: Which areas, districts, streets are good to live?

And what should I bring? Right now I just consider:

clothes
dress shoes
kindle
amazon fire stick
ps4
some paper books related to my job

that's it. I am going to sell everything here in germany , my whole life will fit into one suitcase.

Some advices for me? Like "Bring some Bratwurst you will crave for Bratwurst."

Sehr erfreut!

I'm not certain, but I think there are not many active forum members in Hải Phòng.

You might want to post this in the Hà Nội section.

Even more likely to get responses would be to post this to Vietnam in general, as people from all around the country might have ideas for you, AND, you might discover some fellow Expats from Deutschland.

Internations DOT org is another site with a number of participants from Germany.

"I" still miss Marzipan, Bauernleberwurst, Spätzle and Lebkuchen.

A very light, long raincoat in your size, made from a "breathable" fabric may suit you better than the plastic ponchos used by the locals.

I use a battery operated toothbrush, and I'm having problems finding replacement brush heads.

Your favorite deodorant or antiperspirant may be hard to find here.

If you are much bigger than the average Vietnamese person, things such as underwear and socks and sandals/shower shoes may be hard to find.

Most basic clothing can be custom made fairly inexpensively.

If you have a favorite brand of tennis/athletic/walking shoes, bring an extra pair.

The Vietnamese are great at copying the upper part of a shoe, but the soles they create are not as good, in general, especially if your brand has factory molded bottoms.

I hope this helps.

I've had no real problem finding much of the stuff listed above. However, there are some big exceptions:
Large sizes, if your shoe size is greater than 43, it's very hard here.
So, shoes of all types, including house shoes, very important.

Breathable fabrics. I was surprised to find not much here. It's a market (expensive) issue.

So, light weight suits, jackets. But also keep in mind that if you are wearing a $100 wind breaker, everyone else will be wearing a $5 one.

The sooner you wean yourself off of western foods, the happier you will be.

Good luck.  You will find a lot of nice, helpful people. Language may be an issue.

Thanks to both of you for replies.
I knew it OceanBeach92107.
If you didnt mention it I would have forgotten to buy replacement brush heads.

I love outdoor activities and it makes me cry to know that I will leave my hiking/camping gear behind.
I will bring shoes due to quality reasons you mentioned and of course my windbreaker jacket. Maybe my tent....

Don't like to eat western food at all and always cook vietnamese at home. But Bratwurst is an exception. I am addicted to german sausages.

Though I am a little bit bigger than the average Vietnamese (174cm and 76 kg)  I think I will be ok over there to find fitting clothes.

Thank you! These are good tips. I will focus on quality stuff I cannot miss.

Language may be an issue

ohhh yes. My vietnamese is quite good for basic communication but I am in the north and the northern dialect is very difficult to understand.

About electric toothbrushes:

Go to Lazada.vn, change the language to English in the upper right corner and enter "Electric toothbrush" in the search field.  There are lots of electric toothbrushes and replacement brushes listed.

In HCMC I have already seen such replacement brushes in shops selling western products.

If you can't find suitable replacement brushes, you can also buy another electric toothbrush from Lazada for which there are also replacement brushes available.  Electric toothbrushes and replacement brushes are no more expensive than in other countries.

Ive also recently decided to pack up my things and work in Haiphong. Most of my family is concentrated there, otherwise I would opt for the bigger cities, Hanoi and HCMC. Just wondering why you chose Haiphong aswell

Hi, sorry didnt notice your reply. I will send you a message

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@Ansarah

Please post any accommodation offers in the housing section, top of this page.
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Hi, this message seems come to you quite late. I was a real Haiphonger and currently live in Munich . Is there anything I can help you now?