Living in Vung Tau, Working in HCM

Spending up to 4-hours a day commuting doesnt sound overly feasible.

Several tenants in the building I'm living had done the commute but their companies bore the expenses (rent, set utility payment, and company car with driver).  The current Japanese tenant has been doing it since he moved in here.  He leaves the house at 6AM and back at 7PM, with half day on some Saturdays.

His perks must be huge because the driver also took his pregnant wife to Saigon for doctor's appointments every month.

departed99 wrote:

What's the feasibility of living in VT but commuting to HCM for the 2-3 days?

As someone also tired of the city and desiring the beach life, I would do it! A little differently. Math time;

Monday morning, VT to Saigon via Hoa Mai = 160.000
Stay 2 nites in a 2 star for 300.000 per = 600.000 for 3 days working
Wed evening return on the limo = 160.000
Thurs morning, ahh, so nice to wake up at the beach 

1 week = 920.000 , one month about US$160.  Less for 2 day trips and holidays.

You may be able to save that much in rent in VT to break even.
Conclusion: Feasible 

Excellent idea, Gobot. 

departed99 wrote:

Hi Guys

Having lived in HCM for a number of years i'm well overdue a move to a quieter, smaller town. I work 2-3 days a week in HCM so would need to be there for a maximum of 3 days a week.

What's the feasibility of living in VT but commuting to HCM for the 2-3 days? I've used the VIP buses before and also ridden it on my bike, but with rainy season almost here i wouldn't do that for a while.

Does anyone do something similar now and commute for a few days? Is it worth moving out of HCM for VT?

Thanks.

I agree with Colinoscapee that the road time would be a killer for me (confined inside a bus/limo with strangers in unpredictable traffic).

I like Gobot's approach, and think staying over in HCMC would personally be preferable.

Some people would thrive in a bus or limo with headphones and an electronic device to do work or entertain themselves (some vehicles do have WiFi).

I prefer using the high-speed catamaran service which is now back in service with a limited schedule between HCMC & Vũng Tàu:

greenlines-dp.com/en/

Because of its limited schedule even when back in full service, you'd likely have to allow for added time on your total commute (last boat leaves HCMC at 2 PM and earliest boat leaves Vũng Tàu at 8 AM).

Some people don't like riding the ferry (Ciambella is one, I know) but for some people it's a nice option.

I like the ability to get out of my seat and stretch my legs, using one of the clean onboard toilets and going out on the rear deck to get the wind in my face.

Cold beer is also an option...

gobot wrote:

You may be able to save that much in rent in VT to break even.
Conclusion: Feasible 

I think maybe a good bit more than breaking even, or choose to break even by upgrading the digs in VT over HCMC.  I like it a lot.  My wife would never go for it. 

When we move back here in a few years we will have a house in HCMC and a house on the lake in her home town where we bought the farm.  Planning on doing a week at a time at each to get me out of this city enough to keep my sanity.  I hate it.  But she loves it.  Compromises.  It's a four hour drive.  Or you can take a bus and it drops us off right at the end of the driveway to the house.  Do-able one direction each week.

departed99 wrote:

Hi Guys

Having lived in HCM for a number of years i'm well overdue a move to a quieter, smaller town. I work 2-3 days a week in HCM so would need to be there for a maximum of 3 days a week.

What's the feasibility of living in VT but commuting to HCM for the 2-3 days? I've used the VIP buses before and also ridden it on my bike, but with rainy season almost here i wouldn't do that for a while.

Does anyone do something similar now and commute for a few days? Is it worth moving out of HCM for VT?

Thanks.

Well, it's certainly feasible. I have one friend who used to do the opposite, live in HCMC and visit Vung Tau every Saturday, arriving in the afternoon and heading back Sunday afternoon/evening.

The main problem is that the amount of traffic along that route seems to have greatly increased in recent years, especially large trucks. Then, when you get off the expressway on the way into downtown Saigon via District 2, depending on the time, you're faced with a significant bottleneck creeping toward the tunnel under the river.

Last time I made the trip back in January, a truck had broken down in the left lane, and that added at least a half an hour to the trip.

As Ocean Beach mentions, the ferry avoids the traffic but is not as frequent, reliable (sometimes not running during storms), or cheap plus you have to get to and from the ferry terminal, whereas in Vung Tau, the vans can pick you up and drop you off at your place. The Futa bus also has a van to drop you off when you return to VT.

Anyway, if you can find the best options in terms of mode(s) of transport and the times to make the trip (probably midday) it could work for you. However, I think it might get tiresome after a while.

I live on the outskirts of HCMC. It takes me maybe 30 minutes to get to D1.

Where I live it is quiet and very peaceful. It's also very cheap. I have a two story house with a nice balcony and a maid who comes every morning. It costs me 10m for the house, all the utilities and the maid.

i lack for nothing out here. It's actually been easier at times for me to find what i want. Like any suburb you have to drive to everything but I never have to drive 4 hours to get anywhere. I can cross the whole city in about 90 minutes.

I have a job out here that pays me as well as working in the core but my cost of living is seriously lower. The lifestyle is slower, my neighbours are nicer. Low stress. I love it.

VietCanada wrote:

I live on the outskirts of HCMC. It takes me maybe 30 minutes to get to D1.

Where I live it is quiet and very peaceful. It's also very cheap. I have a two story house with a nice balcony and a maid who comes every morning. It costs me 10m for the house, all the utilities and the maid.

i lack for nothing out here. It's actually been easier at times for me to find what i want. Like any suburb you have to drive to everything but I never have to drive 4 hours to get anywhere. I can cross the whole city in about 90 minutes.

I have a job out here that pays me as well as working in the core but my cost of living is seriously lower. The lifestyle is slower, my neighbours are nicer. Low stress. I love it.

I'd love it.  Wife wouldn't consider it.  I finally convinced her to buy a building lot in D9 instead of D2 since we won't need it for five years.  My plan is to actually buy two lots for the same price as one lot in D2 and when we come back in 5 years build on the one that more favors where she wants to live and sell the other one for enough profit to pay to build the house for the house on the lot we build on.

SteinNebraska wrote:

My plan is to actually buy two lots for the same price as one lot in D2 and when we come back in 5 years build on the one that more favors where she wants to live and sell the other one for enough profit to pay to build the house for the house on the lot we build on.

I read that 61 word sentence 3 times; all 3 times I ran out of breath before reaching the end.

On behalf of the Expat team and the readers of this site, I hereby honor you for creating the longest uninterrupted sentence ever.   

Ciambella wrote:

On behalf of the Expat team and the readers of this site, I hereby honor you for creating the longest uninterrupted sentence ever.   

I am very sorry but the current record is 74, [Longest] held by Fred.  For SteinNebraska:  Keep trying, you are only 14 words shy.   

Ciambella wrote:

SteinNebraska wrote:

My plan is to actually buy two lots for the same price as one lot in D2 and when we come back in 5 years build on the one that more favors where she wants to live and sell the other one for enough profit to pay to build the house for the house on the lot we build on.

I read that 61 word sentence 3 times; all 3 times I ran out of breath before reaching the end.

On behalf of the Expat team and the readers of this site, I hereby honor you for creating the longest uninterrupted sentence ever.   

And not a single mark of punctuation other than a period to terminate it.

Ciambella wrote:

On behalf of the Expat team and the readers of this site, I hereby honor you for creating the longest uninterrupted sentence ever.   

SteinNebraska wrote:

And not a single mark of punctuation other than a period to terminate it.

That's what I meant by uninterrupted sentence. 

You're still the winner, because Fred's sentence, although longer, had 3 commas to give the readers enough time to take a breath.

Breathing is overrated.

Certainly in the big cities. 

Ciambella wrote:

SteinNebraska wrote:

My plan is to actually buy two lots for the same price as one lot in D2 and when we come back in 5 years build on the one that more favors where she wants to live and sell the other one for enough profit to pay to build the house for the house on the lot we build on.

I read that 61 word sentence 3 times; all 3 times I ran out of breath before reaching the end.

On behalf of the Expat team and the readers of this site, I hereby honor you for creating the longest uninterrupted sentence ever.

Not fair. If I was the umpire, the trophy would stay with Fred.
I'm quite sure you overlooked the run-on penalty, where one continues with 'and' instead of downing a period (.) . You know, like when the player keeps running after the ref blows the whistle.

Fine, let one person get away with it. What if everyone rewrote their periods with ands?  Every book would become one sentence. Then War and Peace or the Bible or something are contenders for the longest-sentence trophy.

Well at least Stein's thought is comprehensible. Unlike this recent piece of work 
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … =4#4568120

gobot wrote:

Well at least Stein's thought is comprehensible. Unlike this recent piece of work 
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … =4#4568120

I remember that post.  I quit reading the thread because of that rambling run-on paragraph (when the counting reaches almost 100, it's no longer a sentence). 

You're right, if it doesn't make sense, it doesn't deserve the consideration.  I like Stein's run-on sentence because it carried a certain eagerness -- and positive attitude counts a lot in my book.

Long way to go before it competes with this dudes writing.

Run-on sentence

It's only for 2-3 days a week like i highlighted above. The rest of the time would be spent in VT.

Pretty much what i had in mind. The limo services are decent for sure. Could also use the travel time to do some work.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

departed99 wrote:

Hi Guys

Having lived in HCM for a number of years i'm well overdue a move to a quieter, smaller town. I work 2-3 days a week in HCM so would need to be there for a maximum of 3 days a week.

What's the feasibility of living in VT but commuting to HCM for the 2-3 days? I've used the VIP buses before and also ridden it on my bike, but with rainy season almost here i wouldn't do that for a while.

Does anyone do something similar now and commute for a few days? Is it worth moving out of HCM for VT?

Thanks.

I agree with Colinoscapee that the road time would be a killer for me (confined inside a bus/limo with strangers in unpredictable traffic).

I like Gobot's approach, and think staying over in HCMC would personally be preferable.

Some people would thrive in a bus or limo with headphones and an electronic device to do work or entertain themselves (some vehicles do have WiFi).

I prefer using the high-speed catamaran service which is now back in service with a limited schedule between HCMC & Vũng Tàu:

greenlines-dp.com/en/

Because of its limited schedule even when back in full service, you'd likely have to allow for added time on your total commute (last boat leaves HCMC at 2 PM and earliest boat leaves Vũng Tàu at 8 AM).

Some people don't like riding the ferry (Ciambella is one, I know) but for some people it's a nice option.

I like the ability to get out of my seat and stretch my legs, using one of the clean onboard toilets and going out on the rear deck to get the wind in my face.

Cold beer is also an option...

I like the boat, but with rainy season almost here and a decidedly rough crossing recently i might give it a pass for a while...

SteinNebraska wrote:

gobot wrote:

You may be able to save that much in rent in VT to break even.
Conclusion: Feasible 

I think maybe a good bit more than breaking even, or choose to break even by upgrading the digs in VT over HCMC.  I like it a lot.  My wife would never go for it. 

When we move back here in a few years we will have a house in HCMC and a house on the lake in her home town where we bought the farm.  Planning on doing a week at a time at each to get me out of this city enough to keep my sanity.  I hate it.  But she loves it.  Compromises.  It's a four hour drive.  Or you can take a bus and it drops us off right at the end of the driveway to the house.  Do-able one direction each week.

Sounds good. My situation is a little similar with my gf 'loving' hcm and myself counting down the days to my next trip to the beach or a quieter town...

Ocean Beach, that sounds like a nice day trip back and forth....I may have to give it a whirl.  Never been to VT.

def1412 wrote:

Ocean Beach, that sounds like a nice day trip back and forth....I may have to give it a whirl.  Never been to VT.

While it's certainly possible to do a day trip to Vũng Tàu, it seems like it would be worthwhile to spend at least one night there.

Just don't come on the weekend, unless you want to go to the dog races on Saturday.