New members of the Vietnam forum, introduce yourselves here - 2020

Nice to meet you all!

Josh.

Hi everyone. My name is Peter. I am an experienced secondary school educator (mainly focused on sixth form college studies these days). My main subject specialisms are Business Studies and Economics. I have several years of management experience (including at senior leadership team level, up to and including Deputy Head). I am also very interested in Christian Theology, Renaissance Art and Critical Thinking.  I move to HCMC next month (from Oxford, in England). I am sure I will have a great time. Regarding international experience, I have lived and worked in China (4.5 years) and Malaysia (2.5). I hope that I will not have too much of a 'culture shock' to begin with. But I know that these things can take time.....again, I am sure that it will have a great time, especially across the long run. Cheers!!!!!!

eternal7 wrote:

Hi everyone. My name is Peter. I am an experienced secondary school educator (mainly focused on sixth form college studies these days). My main subject specialisms are Business Studies and Economics. I have several years of management experience (including at senior leadership team level, up to and including Deputy Head). I am also very interested in Christian Theology, Renaissance Art and Critical Thinking.  I move to HCMC next month (from Oxford, in England). I am sure I will have a great time. Regarding international experience, I have lived and worked in China (4.5 years) and Malaysia (2.5). I hope that I will not have too much of a 'culture shock' to begin with. But I know that these things can take time.....again, I am sure that it will have a great time, especially across the long run. Cheers!!!!!!

Hi,
I wish you well but do not be surprised if you have to delay your plans.

i was also thinking that the present lockdown hasn't been lifted for fresh foreign expats arrival

Thanks for the best wishes, Indices. COVID19 or no COVID19, in this life, you have got to go for it, unless you are especially blessed, if you are going to make it big, whatever 'big' means for you. One way or another, things will work out. Cheers, Peter

I am planning to move to Da Nang for 6 months next year, then 3 months Thailand, and 3 months Cambodia...was wondering if you could expand on the situation in Thailand that prompted your move to Da Nang?

Hi, all...my name is Mike I am Looking to leave my current life situation and want to pick up and move and start over in Da Nang. Probably a Mid Life Crisis but I have been to Da Nang and love it so much.
I currently run a manufacturing facility in New York, I am not of Retirement age. trying figure out job situations...
I just want to talk to someone who has done something similar and find out how they did it and made out.
Thanks...

BFR_1000 wrote:

I am planning to move to Da Nang for 6 months next year, then 3 months Thailand, and 3 months Cambodia...was wondering if you could expand on the situation in Thailand that prompted your move to Da Nang?

Welcome to the Vietnam forum BFR_1000.

I recommend that you learn to use the quote function by clicking on the three dots next to the "Reply" link and choosing "quote".

There's no nearby clue in the thread as to whom you are replying.

I've created a new thread regarding your question about motivations for moving from Thailand to Vietnam:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=894180#4863208

FireflyOG

Personal Details
Introduction
I am a female. I am Australian. I am 37. I am single.

From Hobart Tasmania
AUSTRALIA.
Been to VN x5 already

Looking to take a 1-2 year break...
Have lifelong friends in VN -
Nha trang locals- that can help me get set up!

Receive a DSP from government and also work part time-
'Bar wench AND home business"
Both currently shut down here still-
(may5.2020) due to pandemic.

Not looking at travelling til after covid-19 obviously...
Most likely aiming for March 2021??

Am having an absolute NIGHTMARE with negotiations re- government benefits and leaving the country.

Looking for anyone that has found some fine print or some loop holes that let me stay as long as possible while receiving dsp...

Also, what makes u eligible for business visa...
Seems the longest one running yes?

Willing to work, study, base in Saigon or other city... whatever it takes...

Also,
someone on here reminded me that this IS Viet Nam...
The RULES don't always apply ?
So maybe I don't work..
I dunno... willing to do whatever needs doing that'll tick the boxes to make this happen!

Any advice that could help me get there would be MUCHLY appreciated x

Interests
Getting to Vietnam.....

I can speak
English

FireflyOG wrote:

FireflyOG

Personal Details
Introduction
I am a female. I am Australian. I am 37. I am single.

From Hobart Tasmania
AUSTRALIA.
Been to VN x5 already

Looking to take a 1-2 year break...
Have lifelong friends in VN -
Nha trang locals- that can help me get set up!

Receive a DSP from government and also work part time-
'Bar wench AND home business"
Both currently shut down here still-
(may5.2020) due to pandemic.

Not looking at travelling til after covid-19 obviously...
Most likely aiming for March 2021??

Am having an absolute NIGHTMARE with negotiations re- government benefits and leaving the country.

Looking for anyone that has found some fine print or some loop holes that let me stay as long as possible while receiving dsp...

Also, what makes u eligible for business visa...
Seems the longest one running yes?

Willing to work, study, base in Saigon or other city... whatever it takes...

Also,
someone on here reminded me that this IS Viet Nam...
The RULES don't always apply ?
So maybe I don't work..
I dunno... willing to do whatever needs doing that'll tick the boxes to make this happen!

Any advice that could help me get there would be MUCHLY appreciated x

Interests
Getting to Vietnam.....

I can speak
English

I truly don't mean this as a personal attack.

However as it reads (as written), you are describing an accident waiting for a place to happen.

In addition you're not very internet savvy, or you are so impatient you can't take the time to learn how to post to the Forum.

Please take a little time and look at the different categories and the search option.

I've asked the moderators to close your thread but move your post into the Vietnam > New Members, which is probably where you should have posted:

https://www.expat.com/forum/219-19-new- … etnam.html

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

BFR_1000 wrote:

I am planning to move to Da Nang for 6 months next year, then 3 months Thailand, and 3 months Cambodia...was wondering if you could expand on the situation in Thailand that prompted your move to Da Nang?

Welcome to the Vietnam forum BFR_1000.

I recommend that you learn to use the quote function by clicking on the three dots next to the "Reply" link and choosing "quote".

There's no nearby clue in the thread as to whom you are replying.

I've created a new thread regarding your question about motivations for moving from Thailand to Vietnam:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=894180#4863208

Hi Ocean Beach 92107
I appreciate the honest feedback from my first attempt and clearly misplaced post earlier! Thank you.

I'm not impatient but You are right, I'm not very internet savvy!! I have never been on a forum before so I appreciate u guiding my post to the correct or appropriate area.

Also, I may have double posted it elsewhere and now can't delete it .
I truly apologise if it appears that I'm just slapping up my queries wherever I can.. i honestly am just a little lost so again.. thanks for the redirection. I appreciate it.

Can I please ask how my questions come across as an accident waiting to happen??

I never intended that and don't want any trouble for myself or anyone else...

I just wondered if someone out there anywhere had found a way to go to Vietnam peacefully and without all the hurdles I am stumbling over in my attempts from down under?

I am thankful for ur reply and assistance on the forum but cannot find my post anywhere on the new member forum and so tried to delete my account as I fear I am not on the right site and may not receive any help or advice with regards to achieving my aim of getting to VN long term.
I apologise if I've stumbled upon the wrong site but now my comments, threads and the account itself won't  delete. If you could assist me in disabling my account???
I'll find another site for some advice. Thanks again

Check out some of the posts in the forum regarding visas. You can almost stay as long as you want by having a three month tourist visa, then leave briefly and obtain another visa letter.

There are some changes coming up regarding visas soon, so best wait until after July 1st, they often announce changes and then they don't happen etc.

Working here without a permit is not legal... And if you get caught you can be heavily fined or made to leave. Again this may change come July 1st.

Saigon or HCM is a nice area, plenty of expats around and the locals all seem to be very welcoming. I have been here 4 months now, covid has caused some delays to my plans but hey it would be the same back home.

Staying here can be as cheap or expensive as you like.. getting around by grab bike is cheap and easy. Grab car is easy also.. just remember traveling time is the guide not distance.

Banking without a 6 month visa can be hard .. so best to make sure you have a debit card with low or zero fees.. not sure if they are available in Australia.

Healthcare.. depends who you listen to. None is provided free, basic stuff at hospital or clinic is cheap compared to back home.. but anything that needs serious attention would be a more expensive international hospital or worst case medivac. So best prepare with insurance to be safe.

You can get anyway with bending a lot of rules, is no bike licence.. but have an accident will cost you to pay for injuries to the other party.. and may find no licence means no health insurance cover.

If you can afford to come and stay here without needing to worry about work.. then you will find life pretty easy going..

You cannot speak English.. you're and Aussie 😜
I would start by reading the other threads here.. then review the visa law changes..

Once you are prepared.. start looking through rentals for cheap apartments.. it. Will give you an idea, but wait until you get here before committing to anything . Budget for a week in Airbnb...that will give you time to view apartments.

G'day and welcome...

Best decision I made to move here to HCM. These forum pages are very useful and you will find people here have probably had the same issues you will have at some point.

I was told my post reads as an accident waiting for a place to happen! Lol not quite sure what that means. New to forums. NOT tech savvy. Was just seeking someone who may have come across the same issues as me... thank you for being nice.
I dunno where or how I put down that I don't speak English haha ?! Just further proving my novice lol

That's all I was looking for...
Someone who may have had the same issues as me and still managed to make it happen 😊

BFR_1000 wrote:

I am planning to move to Da Nang for 6 months next year, then 3 months Thailand, and 3 months Cambodia...was wondering if you could expand on the situation in Thailand that prompted your move to Da Nang?

You'll need to go back to the post from the person you wanted to ask the question.  Once you find him, click on the Quote function underneath his post, then type your question in the space underneath that post.  That's the only way for everyone, including that poster, to know with whom you want to form a conversation.

As of right now, you may not receive a response from anyone.

FireflyOG wrote:

Can I please ask how my questions come across as an accident waiting to happen??

I never intended that and don't want any trouble for myself or anyone else...

I just wondered if someone out there anywhere had found a way to go to Vietnam peacefully and without all the hurdles I am stumbling over in my attempts from down under?

I am thankful for ur reply and assistance on the forum

I'm glad you weren't personally offended.

First, in fairness, since I'm not from Australia I don't know for sure what "DSP" means, but based on your use of the word it appears to be a government monetary payment, perhaps linked to disability(ies)?

A number of people have posted on here before about the same difficulty receiving retirement benefits while living here full time.

I recall a number of those people saying that they need to return to Australia a certain number of times a year (1 or 2?) in order to keep their benefits coming.

Hopefully one of them will reply here and give you better feedback as to the possibilities available to you.

My comment was based on you pretty much saying you'd do anything and everything in order to be here, which on the flip side means that you just don't have any plans here other than to be here.

But then you ask about a business Visa, which causes one to wonder what business you hope to operate here without any sort of plan and perhaps without the means?

Or do you hope to get a business Visa with your true intent being to retire or to live here for an extended of time as a resident tourist?

You mention having friends in Nha Trang, but maybe the friends aren't willing or able to work through any of this with you?

It's pretty clear you won't be able to get any legal employment here, as you need to be an "expert" in something other than "bar wench".

Vietnamese women have that field of employment locked up tight.

So your only other option will be illegal employment, or maybe you can figure out a way to get your government benefits here.

But you don't really have a plan.

What you have posted is all about your desires.

It's those blind desires that lead some people to relocate here without a really good plan and those people often Crash and Burn.

FireflyOG wrote:

I was told my post reads as an accident waiting for a place to happen! Lol not quite sure what that means. New to forums. NOT tech savvy. Was just seeking someone who may have come across the same issues as me... thank you for being nice.
I dunno where or how I put down that I don't speak English haha ?! Just further proving my novice lol

I don't think that any of the previous responses were intended to offend, but the bar wench bit was liable to create a negative response. With due respect your chance of competing in that field is at best optimistic.
Vietnam is no Shangrila. It can be a great place to live but can be hell too, you need to get a lot more information by doing your research as it certainly does not suit everyone as many dreamy eyed people have found out to their cost.
I have no idea what financial benefits you are talking about from your own government but I doubt any government will pay you to live well in a country other your own nor could they be expected too.
You are not the relevant tax payers responsibility and at your age I doubt you have paid enough taxes personally to expect them to do so.
In short all I can respectfully suggest is that you remove any emotion or expectations, do your research and then take a long, cold, hard and rational look at what the future may or not may not hold for you here. Visiting is one thing, living here is quite another.
Jump in with both feet and you may find the hole a lot deeper than you expected.

FireflyOG wrote:

That's all I was looking for...
Someone who may have had the same issues as me and still managed to make it happen 😊

Some days usually those with "day" in it someone will pick a hole in your first few posts.. it happens, it's part of the digital world we live in. No one is perfect, and no one gets everything right all of the time.

You will find a whole heap of posts from members that made move to VN, some earlier ones were almost like pioneers and found out the hard way... In the process gaining valuable information along the way.

The other part of life here that keeps things interesting is the frequency that visa / banking / some other policies change. Sometimes a good change and sometimes not so good. There are always solutions ... And quite often the people on here will have free sound advice.

Maybe your next visit come on a 3 month tourist visa.. meet up with friends you have here and use that time and experience to help plan further forward. You can read as many different sites and forums as you like, but until you have your feet on the ground here and try these things you will not fully understand. Some rules here amaze me at the futility and others make perfect sense.

You didn't mention what home business you run ?

Indices wrote:

In short all I can respectfully suggest is that you remove any emotion or expectations, do your research and then take a long, cold, hard and rational look at what the future may or not may not hold for you here.

Jump in with both feet and you may find the hole a lot deeper than you expected.

A great response from Indices with the best part as quoted above.

Indices wrote:

FireflyOG wrote:

I was told my post reads as an accident waiting for a place to happen! Lol not quite sure what that means. New to forums. NOT tech savvy. Was just seeking someone who may have come across the same issues as me... thank you for being nice.
I dunno where or how I put down that I don't speak English haha ?! Just further proving my novice lol

I have no idea what financial benefits you are talking about from your own government but I doubt any government will pay you to live well in a country other your own nor could they be expected too.
You are not the relevant tax payers responsibility and at your age I doubt you have paid enough taxes personally to expect them to do so.

In short all I can respectfully suggest is that you remove any emotion or expectations, do your research and then take a long, cold, hard and rational look at what the future may or not may not hold for you here. Visiting is one thing, living here is quite another.
Jump in with both feet and you may find the hole a lot deeper than you expected.

Not sure what side of bed you got out of today. But you are commenting on the Australian benefits system with ZERO knowledge. I had a quick look and depending on personal circumstances if you meet the criteria set out it is possible.

Removal of emotions?? Are we now all to be robots or cold drone like people ?

The whole point of any forum is to be supportive, not negative and jump on every person's dream. If you have good advice and knowledge be polite, friendly and helpful. If you do not then don't post simple

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Indices wrote:

FireflyOG wrote:

I was told my post reads as an accident waiting for a place to happen! Lol not quite sure what that means. New to forums. NOT tech savvy. Was just seeking someone who may have come across the same issues as me... thank you for being nice.
I dunno where or how I put down that I don't speak English haha ?! Just further proving my novice lol

I have no idea what financial benefits you are talking about from your own government but I doubt any government will pay you to live well in a country other your own nor could they be expected too.
You are not the relevant tax payers responsibility and at your age I doubt you have paid enough taxes personally to expect them to do so.

In short all I can respectfully suggest is that you remove any emotion or expectations, do your research and then take a long, cold, hard and rational look at what the future may or not may not hold for you here. Visiting is one thing, living here is quite another.
Jump in with both feet and you may find the hole a lot deeper than you expected.

Not sure what side of bed you got out of today. But you are commenting on the Australian benefits system with ZERO knowledge. I had a quick look and depending on personal circumstances if you meet the criteria set out it is possible.

Removal of emotions?? Are we now all to be robots or cold drone like people ?

The whole point of any forum is to be supportive, not negative and jump on every person's dream. If you have good advice and knowledge be polite, friendly and helpful. If you do not then don't post simple

Have not jumped on anyone or been impolite , quite the reverse. Just realistic.
The problem with dreams is they are just that and can easily become nightmares.

That's not the way it comes across..
Remove emotions and expectations? So when you come here did everything go perfectly for you ? If it didn't.. was it due to bad planning or an oversight ?

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

FireflyOG wrote:

Can I please ask how my questions come across as an accident waiting to happen??

I never intended that and don't want any trouble for myself or anyone else...

I just wondered if someone out there anywhere had found a way to go to Vietnam peacefully and without all the hurdles I am stumbling over in my attempts from down under?

I am thankful for ur reply and assistance on the forum

I'm glad you weren't personally offended.

First, in fairness, since I'm not from Australia I don't know for sure what "DSP" means, but based on your use of the word it appears to be a government monetary payment, perhaps linked to disability(ies)?

A number of people have posted on here before about the same difficulty receiving retirement benefits while living here full time.

I recall a number of those people saying that they need to return to Australia a certain number of times a year (1 or 2?) in order to keep their benefits coming.

Hopefully one of them will reply here and give you better feedback as to the possibilities available to you.

My comment was based on you pretty much saying you'd do anything and everything in order to be here, which on the flip side means that you just don't have any plans here other than to be here.

But then you ask about a business Visa, which causes one to wonder what business you hope to operate here without any sort of plan and perhaps without the means?

Or do you hope to get a business Visa with your true intent being to retire or to live here for an extended of time as a resident tourist?

You mention having friends in Nha Trang, but maybe the friends aren't willing or able to work through any of this with you?

It's pretty clear you won't be able to get any legal employment here, as you need to be an "expert" in something other than "bar wench".

Vietnamese women have that field of employment locked up tight.

So your only other option will be illegal employment, or maybe you can figure out a way to get your government benefits here.

But you don't really have a plan.

What you have posted is all about your desires.

It's those blind desires that lead some people to relocate here without a really good plan and those people often Crash and Burn.

Not offended at all. Just didn't realise how my initial post would read to others.
You seem very wise and well informed in all of this!
And to be 100% honest... you've pretty much got me figured out by my first post! Haha.

Yes the DSP is a government benefit. I require a life long medication and rely heavily on this benefit when or if my condition is ever exasperated and renders me unable to work for a time.
So yes, I would try to keep this at all costs.
However, I have many times when I am well and more than capable of working part-time!!

I feel the reason I tried to make my post sound vague or light hearted  and carefree is that I figured no one wants to really hear a sob story!
Even I don't have much of an ear for someone's sad stories.
Who wants to be the one responsible for bringing the mood of the room down?? Haha
So I guess I tried to keep it as casual and non descript as possible.

The real reason I want to come to Vietnam for 12-24 months is to get a small break from what has happened in my life recently... remove myself from triggers of trauma, allow some time to clear my head,  enjoy and indulge in the culture, regroup and give myself some time to come up with a new plan before making any big life decisions for my future when I return to Aus.

I lost my father not long ago in a car accident, then last year mother died at 56years of age from a brain tumour. I provided her palliative care at home til the end.. from the initial onset of a headache to her dying.. we had only 7months.

I inherited her house (half equity half mortgage) and my partner of 5 years took it on with me.
He was a fly in fly out miner and we were trying to start a family ourselves.

2 months ago he decided he couldn't handle my grief (sob story) and when he flew out to work called to say he's not coming back and we must sell the house.

Then the vet called 2 weeks ago to say that the dog is dying and I am to provide palliative care at home again.
During covid-19 and in self isolation
All of this is just too much.
I now have no family left and am about to lose my home..

When the house is sold at the end of the year...
i will have enough to put away for a decent deposit on another.. but i'm just not ready nor do I know where I want to buy.
And to be honest i think I've been through enough in the last couple of years to deserve a break.

I played down my Hospitality Management to the casual bar wench.. as i don't speak any Vietnamese so figured I'd be more likely to get a casual job in an Aussie bar or something before I would be considered for a job hospitality management.

Also, my 'home based business' is as a crystal healer and I am a qualified Transpersonal Therapist... something that I do not believe there is a market for in the Vietnamese culture...

However, I enquired about the business visa on the off chance that I may find some sort of holistic health and wellness centre that could allow me to utilise that qualification.

My friends in Nha Trang know nothing about my essential medications and Australian government hurdles or how long or which visa i need. I think they just assume we all come and teach English no problems!! Haha.

Their help that I was referring to was more along the lines of letting me stay with them, helping to translate and negotiate for accommodation of my own etc.

So I believe I've already done the crash and burn!! HAHA

And yes, blind desire and no plan is all I have left right now... all I'm trying to achieve is at least a year away...

Also, as mentioned in my initial post, the move wouldn't be for another 12 months from now anyway, so plenty of time to come up with a part plan at least!

That's why I'm here... to get some ideas and advice from the ones that know much more than little naive me.

Thank you for listening.
Truly appreciated 😊

Jlgarbutt wrote:

That's not the way it comes across..
Remove emotions and expectations? So when you come here did everything go perfectly for you ? If it didn't.. was it due to bad planning or an oversight ?

No move is ever perfect, there are always complications however well planned even moving within a home country.
Hearts ruling heads is often the cause.
You are saying that 'being supportive' means saying everything will be ok and all dreams come true ?
Not where I come from.
Being supportive does not mean playing to get a good response and all will be fine. Supporting a thread is much more than that even if it means stating things that the individual may not like. Would I take reality over dreams ?
Yes, every time.

There are some very good points you make, but at no time did I say everything will be ok.

Rather that criticise how about some useful information ? That's being supportive. Instead you immediately went on the attack commenting without checking facts first.

Rather than just be negative, reply and wait for more information. Don't just assume the original poster or anyone else for that matter hasn't got a brain.

This forum is all about sharing experience and knowledge.... Try it

Indices wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Indices wrote:

I have no idea what financial benefits you are talking about from your own government but I doubt any government will pay you to live well in a country other your own nor could they be expected too.
You are not the relevant tax payers responsibility and at your age I doubt you have paid enough taxes personally to expect them to do so.

In short all I can respectfully suggest is that you remove any emotion or expectations, do your research and then take a long, cold, hard and rational look at what the future may or not may not hold for you here. Visiting is one thing, living here is quite another.
Jump in with both feet and you may find the hole a lot deeper than you expected.

Not sure what side of bed you got out of today. But you are commenting on the Australian benefits system with ZERO knowledge. I had a quick look and depending on personal circumstances if you meet the criteria set out it is possible.

Removal of emotions?? Are we now all to be robots or cold drone like people ?

The whole point of any forum is to be supportive, not negative and jump on every person's dream. If you have good advice and knowledge be polite, friendly and helpful. If you do not then don't post simple

Have not jumped on anyone or been impolite , quite the reverse. Just realistic.
The problem with dreams is they are just that and can easily become nightmares.

The government benefit i receive is called a "disability support pension" I receive this as I have a life long condition requiring life long medications.

I never stated that my government should pay me to "live well" but I do rely on this to actually remain healthy and ALIVE.
"Nor should they be expected to" you say??

Um yeah they're kind of obliged to keep their citizens breathing and functioning day to day haha.

What kinda government standards does your home country have? I'd hate to think!!

I never stated I was a tax payers responsibility...
you've just made a whole bunch of assumptions here all on your own.
You have come across as judgemental and rude and far from welcoming!!

I receive that government benefit for medical purposes and to cover all necessary medicinal costs.
OH.. i also run a home based business AND work part time as well.....
I hope to encounter some much nicer people on here

Jlgarbutt wrote:

There are some very good points you make, but at no time did I say everything will be ok.

Rather that criticise how about some useful information ? That's being supportive. Instead you immediately went on the attack commenting without checking facts first.

Rather than just be negative, reply and wait for more information. Don't just assume the original poster or anyone else for that matter hasn't got a brain.

This forum is all about sharing experience and knowledge.... Try it

At no time were my posts an attack or disrespectful, perhaps before criticising you should take the time to actually read what I said.
Quite why you choose to be so aggressive I have no idea. Take a tablet Sir.

FireflyOG

I apologise if you took offence to my reply, it wasn't intended.
My point was that if your move to here or anywhere else can only be realistically successful with the aid of government benefits then you should secure another form of income before even considering the move from a place and system you know to one that is alien to you. We all have tragedy to deal with in one form or another at some time in our lives and dealing with it in familiar surroundings, however hard, is a damn sight easier than trying to do so in an unfamiliar environment with a whole new set of issues to cope with.

When I arrive with my government subsidised medication they'll be tablets a plenty...
perhaps 2 or 3 for urself sir?
A chill pill if u please.. you're very welcome 🤗😆

FireflyOG wrote:

When I arrive with my government subsidised medication they'll be tablets a plenty...
perhaps 2 or 3 for urself sir?
A chill pill if u please.. you're very welcome 🤗😆

Have my own supply thanks.

My initial post was in regard to a 12 month stay. Nothing permanent was mentioned.

Its a completely do-able scenario... i honestly believe that as long as I'm armed with the correct information, friendly advice and legitimate and warranted warnings... i think all those things will go a long way to helping me succeed.

U say didn't mean to offend...
so then I could only summise that it how u interact all of the time? Wow.
Dude... did u RE- read ur response?
U didn't ask one question that would help u give a useful answer.
Ur response was not helpful in any way shape or form... just a bunch of statements made up of your OPINIONS only.

You jumped straight to ur own conclusion that I was expecting my government to cover my extended stay so that I could "live well" (your words)

And some other ramblings about not being tax payers responsibility or the government....?!

When.. had u bothered to keep the conversation open with perhaps a question or two instead of just closed statements from what u know...
(which appears overestimated tbh)
you'd have found out that I do infact pay tax and the government is obliged to help with my mandatory medical expenses.

Anyway,  offence intended or not, I already said you seem rude, judgemental, unapologetic and I am most definitely turned off by ur initial statements.
I would kindly ask that you be a little more friendly or just let someone else help instead if they can. Cheers

perhaps u missed a dose today then... happens to the best of us. Hope ur feeling friendlier tomorrow 😊

FireflyOG wrote:

perhaps u missed a dose today then... happens to the best of us. Hope ur feeling friendlier tomorrow 😊

This could apply to any number of us 😉

FireflyOG wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

(wrote) blah, blah, blah...

Thank you for listening...

I'm glad my reply came across that way.

So let's suppose you aren't going to work here, at least not right away.

Your monthly benefit will hopefully take care of your expenses.

You might even find yourself "living well", depending on where and how you choose to live, whatever the intent of your government may be.

My government attempts to provide me with some degree of comfort and stability when living in the United States.

That same financial assistance makes me a virtual king here in beach town Vũng Tàu, not too far from Saigon/HCMC.

Hopefully you will experience improvements in your quality of life here.

Having the backup of proceeds from the sale of your home paints a better picture of you being here, should you decide you need to move on to somewhere else or return to Australia quickly.

Since you initially don't need to worry about employment, and hoping you get some clarification as to how to maintain your financial benefits stream here, you can probably skip ahead to studying visa options.

There is a lot of info about visas in this forum, some of it very correct and helpful while there are also a lot of misleading opinions and speculation and misstatements of facts.

Please take your time reading through the many threads.

Many of those threads deal primarily with USA visas, and answers may be different for Australian citizens.

For instance, the rules for the "business visa" about which you inquired are not the same.

Ideally you get your visa through the Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in your country, but a visa agent here might be helpful in guiding you through your options.

NOTE: The total fees for a visa through the Embassy/Consulate will be constant.

Visa agents, however, have no restrictions on what they charge for their services.

So again, take your time and wait to do business with someone who quotes reasonable fees and comes highly recommended by people you trust.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Removal of emotions?? Are we now all to be robots or cold drone like people ?
If you have good advice and knowledge be polite, friendly and helpful. If you do not then don't post simple

This may come as a surprise to some people: I'm writing a post to defend Indices.  At my age, however, I believe that everything is possible in life, so this is one possibility that just becomes reality.

Hi Jlgarbutt!  I don't think Indices meant what you thought he meant.  He may be annoying sometimes (to me at least) but I'm sure he's not a robot or a drone and he didn't ask Firefly to be one.  IMO, his comment to her post was very just.

To me, Firefly's post painted the image that she's a rather young person (in spite of her 37 years of age) who was bouncing on her feet eagerly to get to her newest "find"

- without caring whether it's a good thing to have ("base in Saigon or other city... whatever it takes..."),

- without any preparation ("Looking for anyone that has found some fine print or some loop holes that let me stay as long as possible while receiving dsp...,"),

- without weighing the personal risk ("Am having an absolute NIGHTMARE with negotiations re- government benefits and leaving the country")

- without caring for the legitimate of her future existence ("someone on here reminded me that this IS Viet Nam... The RULES don't always apply ? So maybe I don't work..)

- without any regards for consequence ("I dunno... willing to do whatever needs doing that'll tick the boxes to make this happen!")

In fact, not only she didn’t look at the issue at every angle, but she actually didn't care to give ANY angle a fleeting glance.

Her emotion was all over the place.  That had to be the reason Indices told her to remove it so she can at least calm down enough to realize that VN is not a livable place for someone who has no job skills and no future plan, who relies on her government for medical benefits, who's not allowed to leave the country while using her government as a lifetime medication dispenser. 

Asking her to remove her emotion, in this particular case, wasn't such a bad advice.  I wouldn't have given Indices' post a recommendation had I thought he was insensitive.

As for removing expectation, Indices was wrong because Firefly didn't mention any expectation whatsoever.  She just wants to be in Da Nang to live, that's it.

How will she live?  She doesn't care.  What kind of job will she try to find?  She also doesn't care, or rather, she's even willing not to work.  What type of visa will she be qualified for?  She doesn't know so she asked us to tell her. 

Does she sound like a 37 year old woman to you?  When my daughter was 13, she already knew the path to lead in order to achieve her life goals.  She strayed from it a couple times, but by the time she turned 24, she finally was where she wanted to be. 

OceanBeach's reply to Firefly carried more or less the same message as Indices', although his deliver was different.  They both were spot on on their comments, and they both gave good advices albeit with different delivery methods.

Good Job Ciambella!!!

FireflyOG

Maybe you should question your own attitude rather than criticise others.
You have a lot to learn.
Good luck and wish you well. No point in continuing.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

FireflyOG wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

(wrote) blah, blah, blah...

Thank you for listening...

I'm glad my reply came across that way.

So let's suppose you aren't going to work here, at least not right away.

Your monthly benefit will hopefully take care of your expenses.

You might even find yourself "living well", depending on where and how you choose to live, whatever the intent of your government may be.

My government attempts to provide me with some degree of comfort and stability when living in the United States.

That same financial assistance makes me a virtual king here in beach town Vũng Tàu, not too far from Saigon/HCMC.

Hopefully you will experience improvements in your quality of life here.

Having the backup of proceeds from the sale of your home paints a better picture of you being here, should you decide you need to move on to somewhere else or return to Australia quickly.

Since you initially don't need to worry about employment, and hoping you get some clarification as to how to maintain your financial benefits stream here, you can probably skip ahead to studying visa options.

There is a lot of info about visas in this forum, some of it very correct and helpful while there are also a lot of misleading opinions and speculation and misstatements of facts.

Please take your time reading through the many threads.

Many of those threads deal primarily with USA visas, and answers may be different for Australian citizens.

For instance, the rules for the "business visa" about which you inquired are not the same.

Ideally you get your visa through the Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in your country, but a visa agent here might be helpful in guiding you through your options.

NOTE: The total fees for a visa through the Embassy/Consulate will be constant.

Visa agents, however, have no restrictions on what they charge for their services.

So again, take your time and wait to do business with someone who quotes reasonable fees and comes highly recommended by people you trust.

Ahh. So refreshing to hear a liitle wisdom, genuine thoughtful guidance, ideas and consideration for my lack of knowledge!
Thanks Oeanbeach... i think you and I just became friends! Haha 😉👍

Ciambella wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Removal of emotions?? Are we now all to be robots or cold drone like people ?
If you have good advice and knowledge be polite, friendly and helpful. If you do not then don't post simple

This may come as a surprise to some people: I'm writing a post to defend Indices.  At my age, however, I believe that everything is possible in life, so this is one possibility that just becomes reality.

Hi Jlgarbutt!  I don't think Indices meant what you thought he meant.  He may be annoying sometimes (to me at least) but I'm sure he's not a robot or a drone and he didn't ask Firefly to be one.  IMO, his comment to her post was very just.

To me, Firefly's post painted the image that she's a rather young person (in spite of her 37 years of age) who was bouncing on her feet eagerly to get to her newest "find"

- without caring whether it's a good thing to have ("base in Saigon or other city... whatever it takes..."),

- without any preparation ("Looking for anyone that has found some fine print or some loop holes that let me stay as long as possible while receiving dsp...,"),

- without weighing the personal risk ("Am having an absolute NIGHTMARE with negotiations re- government benefits and leaving the country")

- without caring for the legitimate of her future existence ("someone on here reminded me that this IS Viet Nam... The RULES don't always apply ? So maybe I don't work..)

- without any regards for consequence ("I dunno... willing to do whatever needs doing that'll tick the boxes to make this happen!")

In fact, not only she didn’t look at the issue at every angle, but she actually didn't care to give ANY angle a fleeting glance.

Her emotion was all over the place.  That had to be the reason Indices told her to remove it so she can at least calm down enough to realize that VN is not a livable place for someone who has no job skills and no future plan, who relies on her government for medical benefits, who's not allowed to leave the country while using her government as a lifetime medication dispenser. 

Asking her to remove her emotion, in this particular case, wasn't such a bad advice.  I wouldn't have given Indices' post a recommendation had I thought he was insensitive.

As for removing expectation, Indices was wrong because Firefly didn't mention any expectation whatsoever.  She just wants to be in Da Nang to live, that's it.

How will she live?  She doesn't care.  What kind of job will she try to find?  She also doesn't care, or rather, she's even willing not to work.  What type of visa will she be qualified for?  She doesn't know so she asked us to tell her. 

Does she sound like a 37 year old woman to you?  When my daughter was 13, she already knew the path to lead in order to achieve her life goals.  She strayed from it a couple times, but by the time she turned 24, she finally was where she wanted to be. 

OceanBeach's reply to Firefly carried more or less the same message as Indices', although his deliver was different.  They both were spot on on their comments, and they both gave good advices albeit with different delivery methods.

Hi Ciambella.
Indices may very well have had some good points but his delivery by way of statement only formed of his opinion, no facts, no questions asked to help write me a more useful response...
all came across as very rude and judgemental. It was hard to take any good points from it when i was being branded a leech of tax payers money.

You seem to have picked apart my first post too!
Not being helpful at all... taking quotes from my post and judging them.

I have almost 12 months before intention to travel so my lack of "preparation" as you say is correct.
I have plenty of time and you have to start somewhere right?
Not very welcoming considering its my first post ever.
If my initial post comes across and flighty, aimless and packed full of emotion... that's because it is.

I told my full story (and why i posted in the way I did) on the same thread to OCEANBEACH. Perhaps u should have a look.

I do play down alot with trying to make something heavy or serious sound casual and carefree.
I do attempt to conceal some poor me situations with humour... so i guess that could make me come across as a bit scatty at the moment. Haha.

I'll reiterate that this was my first post...
i know nothing about how best to make the transition from Aus to VN... hence why I joined up here.

I thought I'd be met with non judgemental, friendly people who would be more than happy to share some wisdom, maybe ask a question or two and share some ideas.
I did not expect people to pounce on the newbie and pick apart not only her first post... but her PERSONALLY for her lack of knowledge or direction!!

Indices types and comes across as cold, rude... and little "high and mighty"...
But like you said... he has some good points...
can be a bit annoying... not a bad guy and has no ill intent... and that's just how he comes across in his responses.

Maybe if I wasn't so judged on my FIRST post alone...
Seems a few have already put me in a box and labelled me... maybe that's just how I come across.

Hard to gauge who someone is as a person and what they're about from reading 3 paragraghs...
I'm new here. Like 2 days new.

I didn't sign up to a debate forum...
Although a few seem to love it!
U started your post with "I'm writing to defend"...
"i think bla bla is right in this situation... Etc etc...

I came to this forum for help and advice!
Who is right or wrong and jumping in to defend people IS infact debating and makes the assumption that one must "pick a side"
Jeeezus!! What is this?? High school??
Seems to have an undertone of bullying almost...

I dont want or need judgement, labelling, debates and name calling or in your case this morning...
Me being compared to a child!

Perhaps some time, a little back story and just some basic friendliness will help us all get to know eachother a bit.
Or... if you don't have anything helpful to say then don't day anything at all perhaps?

I have tried to "make friends" with indices using a little humour but I DID  take offence initially so asked him if he couldn't be a little more friendly then please let others help me.

If i appear to have my emotions ruling me rather than being able to focus solely on reason and logic right now.. Well that would be because it's the truth!

I don't plan on travelling til March 2021....
so i have a while yet for emotions to ease and find the best end practical end goal then put a plan in place for the best logical way to proceed.

I DO have job skills and qualifications, I am just unsure whether they would be even useful in Vietnam, hence why I questioned study vs work options re- Visa..?

I do not expect my government to pay me to "live well" however, I do need to find a way to have access to my medication.
My intended stay in Vietnam has been stated at 12months. Not looking to becomes a permanent resident or anything like that.

Again, only been here for 2 days and only signed up for helpful and friendly advice...
I don't know much at all... that's why I'm here.

So if u have any helpful information or friendly advice please leave some here.
If you need to know a little more before being able to give any advice.. please just ask.

If u simply want to jump on my thread to 'defend' another's comments and tell me who's right or wrong... which would indicate picking sides... and therefore meaning there must be some sort of debate to begin with.
Also, using your post to prop up ur daughter for having it all sorted out by 24!? 😆😆👍 U must be very proud.

Anyway, if you wanna start a judgement and debate thread... you could just go nuts!!!

But if u don't have any genuine or helpful information or advice for me then I dunno why you come on to  thread. You've not been helpful or friendly either.

My God...
Haha everyone wants to pick others apart here!
Can't anyone just chat amicably?!