Why expats love Vietnam?

Hi there,
I discovered the joy of Vietnam quite by accident. I was visiting a friend in Cambodia a few years ago and while travelling around, I met an English man who lives and works in Vietnam. He spoke so highly of his life there, I decided to give it a try and I must say I am hooked.
The people are lovely, gentle, respectful and welcoming. The countryside is beautiful once you get out of the major cities and the cost of living is low. I am recently retired so this latter point is very important.
I spent a couple of months there last winter and this year I have a one way ticket booked, so who knows?
I wouldn't live there full time as I have a home in Ireland, which is lovely in the summer, but if things work out I can imagine spending my winters in Vietnam for the rest of my life.
Malcolm

Yes, the country is quite great.

People are friendly and polite.
No terrorism and relatively low crime rate.
Affordable
Relaxed vibe
Country has a lot of character and charm
Good food which extends itself well to international selections
Good enough choice of medical if you are retired
Flexible visa scheme

However, looking for a decent partner here is challenging and imo the tradeoff for all the positive things about Vietnam. The women here are visibly less easygoing than women in neighboring countries to the point where I have to ask myself what is the appeal compared to places like Thailand, PI, Malaysia, etc.

I have seen few westerners make it work here which is why I suppose it's not a popular retirement choice compared to PI / Thailand and why expats choose to hole themselves in a slum on Luzon / Visayas.

Come here to read the comments about the homeland, left 40 years ago, came back once for 6 days stayed at home in early 90's since things changed rapidly.
I am in serious consideration to come back to visit to setup an anchor to travel in Asia.

Vietnamese women are hard to get, they are in for long term commitment, marriage. Most marriage is for life, and relationship starts with instroduction from friends, relatives who knows one's background. The women are loyal, resourceful, caring, hard working. I witnesses these characters tested during and after the war.

If you plan for a long term, go for it, it is worthy. Short term, there is service for it, pay as you go, no hard feeling, no one get hurt.

Still the funniest thing I’ve read on here.

“Cheap beer and even cheaper tail”

Brutal and honest

I like this plan

Peeweeaz1 wrote:

I like this plan

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Nielsen Flute wrote:

Yes, the country is quite great.

People are friendly and polite.
No terrorism and relatively low crime rate.
Affordable
Relaxed vibe
Country has a lot of character and charm
Good food which extends itself well to international selections
Good enough choice of medical if you are retired
Flexible visa scheme

However, looking for a decent partner here is challenging and imo the tradeoff for all the positive things about Vietnam. The women here are visibly less easygoing than women in neighboring countries to the point where I have to ask myself what is the appeal compared to places like Thailand, PI, Malaysia, etc.

I have seen few westerners make it work here which is why I suppose it's not a popular retirement choice compared to PI / Thailand and why expats choose to hole themselves in a slum on Luzon / Visayas.

I pretty much agree with this assessment, except the part about the food, which is a disappointment about 75% of the time, both local and international.

Anyway, on the one hand, living in Vietnam is quite pleasant and easy but on the other hand, it's also incredibly boring. Unfortunately, other countries in the region aren't progressing as well as Vietnam and so, don't really provide very good long-term options.

Of course, if you choose to stay  in VN, it's vital to stay positive and make the best of it. Regular trips to other countries in the region are also helpful.

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johnross23 wrote:

Nielsen Flute wrote:

Yes, the country is quite great.

People are friendly and polite.
No terrorism and relatively low crime rate.
Affordable
Relaxed vibe
Country has a lot of character and charm
Good food which extends itself well to international selections
Good enough choice of medical if you are retired
Flexible visa scheme

However, looking for a decent partner here is challenging and imo the tradeoff for all the positive things about Vietnam. The women here are visibly less easygoing than women in neighboring countries to the point where I have to ask myself what is the appeal compared to places like Thailand, PI, Malaysia, etc.

I have seen few westerners make it work here which is why I suppose it's not a popular retirement choice compared to PI / Thailand and why expats choose to hole themselves in a slum on Luzon / Visayas.

I pretty much agree with this assessment, except the part about the food, which is a disappointment about 75% of the time, both local and international.

Anyway, on the one hand, living in Vietnam is quite pleasant and easy but on the other hand, it's also incredibly boring. Unfortunately, other countries in the region aren't progressing as well as Vietnam and so, don't really provide very good long-term options.

Of course, if you choose to stay  in VN, it's vital to stay positive and make the best of it. Regular trips to other countries in the region are also helpful.

Dissapointed by the food 75% of the time? By day 30 in Vietnam, a year ago,  I had a roster of restaurants both intl and local, and and food stalls that do not, I assure you, dissapoint. I would suggest befriending some locals to find good Vietnamese foods. If you are too introverted ( hey, I can be very guilty of this myself, I travel alone, live alone, work alone) look for super busy restaurants , or stalls with police eating at them. I will agree I got some bunk meals my first two weeks, haha. A suggestion? Use a Vietnamese name on your grabfood acct. The portions will be larger and the food comes faster. I received pho from one of my favorites 20 mins away, and it was still so hot it burned a hole on my foot when I spilled some. Buy a rice cooker, get the best rice, start it when ordering grabfood. It pays for itself shortly and will make the meals more enjoyable.

Why expats love Vietnam?

Some people are friendly and sometimes polite.
But often exceedingly rude and just plain ignorant.
The crime rate is very high, hence bars on the windows.
Affordable
The weather is great in Saigon.
Good food mixed with inedible fodder.
Medical is not bad except for the lack of English.
Some Doctors have purchased their diploma.
Police are definitely not your friends.
Inflexible visa system.
Definitely no country for old men.
Very boring scenery in the south.
Beautiful scenery in the north.
Why do I stay? Masochistic.

I stay away from Saigon and Hanoi, rat race. The smaller places are great.
People friendly, great food, reasonable cost of living.
Woman are gorgeous, but are not like woman in thailand(trashy) looking to hook a falang with sex.
If you put your time in, you can find a wonderful woman.
No it's not Thailand or the PI.
Vietnamese woman still have morals and values.
Never had an issue with crime, don't u derstand a previous post.
Beautiful in the north, weather is fabulous.
International airports.
Relaxed life.

Canman63 wrote:

I stay away from Saigon and Hanoi, rat race. The smaller places are great.
People friendly, great food, reasonable cost of living.
Woman are gorgeous, but are not like woman in thailand(trashy) looking to hook a falang with sex.
If you put your time in, you can find a wonderful woman.
No it's not Thailand or the PI.
Vietnamese woman still have morals and values.
Never had an issue with crime, don't u derstand a previous post.
Beautiful in the north, weather is fabulous.
International airports.
Relaxed life.

Yogis worried about you Canman.😳

Yogi would like to suggest some counselling......

What’s wrong with “trashy” women. ??     You know what your gunna get.....and there’s not a chance in hell  you’ll be seen buying them a house, motorbike or bank rolling the families debts.

Aim low canman.

Yep, I'd get a trashy woman over a gold digger any time of the day! 

I gold digger usually plays the long game by pretending to being made of "long term" material, while a trashy girl doesn't have this level of sophistication and jumps into short term "techniques", which usually involves a quick trip to the hotel without needing a couple of expensive dates first. Of course, YMMV.

Nothing is wrong with trashy woman, but after several hundred  of them, the novelty wears off and I am getting old. Perhaps it's time to find something of the keeper sort. What about that yogi?
Even a bear needs something to hibernate with long term. To keep me warm in the den in the winter months, not leaving me in the den and trying the next boar.

Canman63 wrote:

Nothing is wrong with trashy woman, but after several hundred  of them, the novelty wears off and I am getting old. Perhaps it's time to find something of the keeper sort. What about that yogi?
Even a bear needs something to hibernate with long term. To keep me warm in the den in the winter months, not leaving me in the den and trying the next boar.

WHAT.......”several hundred of them”,,,,,took a while for the novelty to wear off😆😆😆

Aah...so your looking for a “keeper”.    Sounds like she better be in good shape.

As for Yogi.....I move around a lot within the region,but have a good long term friendship with a lady here.

Yogis figured out how to stay warm without getting too close to the fire.🤓

Yogi, you could be far away from the fire but still burn when you pee... be careful my hairy friend.

Yogi007 wrote:

Canman63 wrote:

Nothing is wrong with trashy woman, but after several hundred  of them, the novelty wears off and I am getting old. Perhaps it's time to find something of the keeper sort. What about that yogi?
Even a bear needs something to hibernate with long term. To keep me warm in the den in the winter months, not leaving me in the den and trying the next boar.

WHAT.......”several hundred of them”,,,,,took a while for the novelty to wear off😆😆😆

Aah...so your looking for a “keeper”.    Sounds like she better be in good shape.

As for Yogi.....I move around a lot within the region,but have a good long term friendship with a lady here.

Yogis figured out how to stay warm without getting too close to the fire.🤓

Yes Mr Bear, there are actually some very wonderful woman in Vietnam. Even you make sink your claws one day!

I get your drift Canman.

But Yogi has found a better way of staying warm in the den apart from committing financial suicide .

Buy a blanket. 😆

Yogi has tried the co habitation option on a few occasions.   Didn’t work out.    Communication issues, Compatibility & Relationship Expectations were the main obstacles.   

However.....the  “kicker” was witnessing a grown woman sitting around all day playing “ hello kitty” on a phone.     Plus....they’d only spring to life at meal times. 😆

There’s advantages to having your own space.

Yogi007 wrote:

However.....the  “kicker” was witnessing a grown woman sitting around all day playing “ hello kitty” on a phone.

Mine was "Angry Bird" but same idea

I am curious, is this talk about cohabitation etc. on or off topic about why Expats love VN? 

Yes I u derstand you fully yogi! I'm also in no hurry to commit financial bedlam. My Thai gals loved candy crush on their phones.
But there are decent professionals to be had. My last was a lawyer.
Perhaps look in different places.

Ha,ha ,ha,ha,...😆😆😆😆

You blokes have made Yogi’s day.....

So far we’ve  got   Hello Kitty,  Angry Bird & now Candy Crush.😆😆😆
Says it all doesn’t it.

That’s what Yogi loves about this place.....

They’re so easily pleased.🐾🐾🐾

Canman63 wrote:

Perhaps look in different places.

Perhaps, if I might make a wild suggestion, stop looking.

On the hunt for casual sex works and you tend to get a sex (assuming your personality doesn't make girls vomit), but going on the hunt for a wife tends to get you well and truly sexed, mostly financially, but also in terms of stress levels.
On the other hand, not looking for a wife tends to mean you eventually meet a nice lady, probably not in a bar, more likely at some social gathering, or at a bus stop, outside a McD in Kuala Lumpur, or whereever.
My use of an indefinite article works if you consider synonyms.

Actually I’ve never had to look......

If you keep your nose clean, don’t sh#t in your own nest & stay away from the disheveled Expat drunks.....it’s easy.

My lady friend ( I’ve known for ages) actually said to keep away from the drunken , broke assed losers around here. 😆😆😆

Her family doesn’t want the shame of their daughter hanging out with the Expat bogan Swill. 😆

There’s another thing yogi likes about this place.......it’s getting classy.

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   Please?   Cease with the humility; recognition is wordless

   Wool & Fur were always a class act   (Naturally)     

   Synthetic stuff speaks for itself...       (Virtually)       
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vndreamer wrote:

I am curious, is this talk about cohabitation etc. on or off topic about why Expats love VN? 

In fact it may not only be on topic, but the central element. 

Fred wrote:

... or at a bus stop, outside a McD in Kuala Lumpur,...

This seems like an odd suggestion, Fred.  Is this how you met your other half?   

Yogi007 wrote:

Actually I’ve never had to look......

If you keep your nose clean, don’t sh#t in your own nest & stay away from the disheveled Expat drunks.....it’s easy.

My lady friend ( I’ve known for ages) actually said to keep away from the drunken , broke assed losers around here. 😆😆😆

Her family doesn’t want the shame of their daughter hanging out with the Expat bogan Swill. 😆

There’s another thing yogi likes about this place.......it’s getting classy.

never had to look myself grizz man, when a ruggedly handsome Canadian gentleman makes his entrance in a place, the aura that surrounds him makes it almost possible for the viet ladies to control themselves. Coupled with a fabulous personality, wonderful smile, it's no wonder Canadians are loved throughout the globe!
I'd offer you advice Grizzly Adams, but you seem to have it figured out as well.
PS, if you see a crowd of ladies surrounding a man in Danang, it's not brad Pitt, it's can man, come over, I'll share, u can buy us all dinner.oh, and a few Saigon beers!
And yes , it's so much different here in Vietnam, classy ladies, in Thailand the gals swarm the broke ass expat bogan swill.thats why they are all there!

THIGV wrote:

Fred wrote:

... or at a bus stop, outside a McD in Kuala Lumpur,...

This seems like an odd suggestion, Fred.  Is this how you met your other half?   

Aah ....gotcha Fred.

If that’s the Maccas in KL near the Bukit Bintang monorail...........guess what’s virtually next door.

Canman63 wrote:

Yogi007 wrote:

Actually I’ve never had to look......

If you keep your nose clean, don’t sh#t in your own nest & stay away from the disheveled Expat drunks.....it’s easy.

My lady friend ( I’ve known for ages) actually said to keep away from the drunken , broke assed losers around here. 😆😆😆

Her family doesn’t want the shame of their daughter hanging out with the Expat bogan Swill. 😆

There’s another thing yogi likes about this place.......it’s getting classy.

never had to look myself grizz man, when a ruggedly handsome Canadian gentleman makes his entrance in a place, the aura that surrounds him makes it almost possible for the viet ladies to control themselves. Coupled with a fabulous personality, wonderful smile, it's no wonder Canadians are loved throughout the globe!
I'd offer you advice Grizzly Adams, but you seem to have it figured out as well.
PS, if you see a crowd of ladies surrounding a man in Danang, it's not brad Pitt, it's can man, come over, I'll share, u can buy us all dinner.oh, and a few Saigon beers!
And yes , it's so much different here in Vietnam, classy ladies, in Thailand the gals swarm the broke ass expat bogan swill.thats why they are all there!

Mmmm,,,,you have the same issue,,.the ladies can’t control themselves ......yes , Yogi understands this phenomenon.   

I’ve found the easiest way to disperse the crowd is to Pay the bill.    They’ll soon get out of your way.

I hope your not hanging by the balls waiting for Yogi to shout that pack of moochers a free feed .😆

I’m generous but not stupid.

The gals I hang with INSIST on paying half. My my yogi, u must up your game, these gals are trading stocks on their phones, not playing candy crush!
Perhaps I can take you under my wing someday, seems like your den is not in a good part of the forest.

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       I must demur       

   Yogi has (many) dens, but is not dense.  Also a 'can-man' who...

   ..can both see the wood in the trees; and the way outa the forest     

   A master of mystery?  (my story...)   His real name is Bond...

   J'aime's Bond...   (pardon my French...)  Whisky will do...       

  To sum up; a man of man(l)y means...   ..and our local hero...     

    * Am I biased..?    Nah, just jealous...       

     Let's face the facts; who always gets the girl..?     
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Top of the mornin to ya Bazz...

Our Canuck friend wants to take Yogi under his wing...😳😳
But Yogi likes his neck of the woods........I’m worried now,,Yogi could end up in a  Zoo at the ass end of the Yukon.

There are a few ways of living:

Stress, cash, investing, property, and only interested in rich girlfriends  (not really for me)

Go with the tide and never really get anywhere in any way (bit rubbish 9 to 5 stuff)

Sod the lot and do what you want, and who you want, never with serious commitment. (Not good when you get old)

All have something to be said for them, but none are really for me. so I did it my way.

Minimal stress because I work in a niche market with hardly any competition. A wife with minimal interest in much unless it's for the kids (Save the odd shopping for dresses stuff from time to time), and a stress free life 'cos I have a pile of cash in bonds I can draw on at any time and an income far more than I need, but bugger all financial commitments I need to think about. My total commitments come to about 1/12 of my salary and that's it, or was until I enrolled my youngest in school so education expenses have about doubled.

Investing in real estate projects anywhere in Asia at the moment is no something I would even consider unless I bought land and built myself or, in the case of buying a flat in Vietnam, only if I was insane.

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   I agree with the insanity part, O Wooly One...     

  For if you are living in Viet Nam + suffering stress, you are obviously
  a willing victim of the Western ideal of competition.  Viets co-operate

  Also agree; investing (anywhere?) in anything someone else has their
  finger in the pie as well as the easiest way to lose (much more than)
  your interest...   ..prolly yer life savings as well..?

  But to beg the quality of the question..?   Expats (the wise ones) Love
  living where the quality (of the free stuff) abounds all around

   Let's list them.  Social strife?  Nil, unless Karaoke + barking dogs can
  upset yer sensitive soles...   Namaste works here 'cos EVERYONE knows
  they are in the same boat together.   No my story mystery here...
  Colour?  Caste?  Creed?   other Cultures?   No (real) probs unless YOU
  have one yer trying to sell...   ..and you do, don't you..?

   ..and where else on this 'pale blue dot' can you go both with the tide
  yet feel free to swim somewhere else..?     Yairs.  You'll figure it out...

   Commitment???   Forget it.   I fly solo, and I'm not old enough to need
  someone else wipe my bum.   And I severely doubt if I'm unique in that!

   Sure, I'm preaching to the choir.   The silent majority know full well what
  paradise is & don't want (or need) to advertise the obvious...

   ..and the vocal minority..?    I'll keep teaching + preaching...

     Who else has the guts to face the trolls..?       
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Gees Bazz,,

You make a lot of sense for a Queenslander. 😆😆😆

Even one of your biggest “fans” ....Andy is “maybe” quietly agreeing with your every word.

Who knows....he may even come back one day & help you wipe your bottom😆😆😆😆

Canman63 wrote:

The gals I hang with INSIST on paying half.

Well, I've been eating pop corns all evening reading this interesting thread, being swayed away by stories of zillionaires spending only 5% of their monthly money to live da life in Asia, to stories of out of control Vietnamese ladies desperately wanting a piece of some foreigner's meat, but the story of a Vietnamese woman insisting on paying half just can't be computed by my brain. It's a concept beyond my comprehension and if I keep on trying to make sense of it it might leave a permanent left hemisphere scar.

That being said, I agree that Canadian men are irresistible and no other man from any other country can compete with our cutiness. Australians certainly don't stand a chance because they've got that weird accent, Americans voted for Trump and English men drink tea with milk.

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   True.   Canadians couple both Mountin' Men & humility,  but...

  The 'long game'?   An alien concept: a con beyond the ken of far too many

   ..applying to all hemispheres, cultures, even gender benders...

    Sorry guys: the 'gold' girls hold all the cards here...       
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