Vietnam is boring

"Of course, HCMC has a decent variety of international food, specialty stores, and even street vendors selling grass.  But all of that is closed now.  It's gonna be a LONG year..."

Anywhere COVID exist these same situations are likely to exist. Good luck.

Easy, move to Saigon after Covid is under control.

there's plenty of vinmarts and co.op marts over there in binh duong, I've never seen a vinmart that didn't carry dairy products. there's also small shops that sell yogurt as well. if you want more Western selections then you should move to d2.

but right now is when you'll find the deals 😂

Move to HCM now.. plenty of places to rent. Anam and similar stores sell many western products at a premium price

But the big question is.... Did you come here without trying the area first?

Get a local girlfriend...she will help you spend your money 

drutter wrote:

Anywhere COVID exist these same situations are likely to exist. Good luck.

It's not just covid.  The underlying culture here is homogenous and boring.  Other countries, even some Asian countries, have more variety and creative ambition.  Here people eat com tom every day and never aspire to anything different.  Same coffee, same shops, same restaurants.

dionstravels wrote:

there's plenty of vinmarts and co.op marts over there in binh duong, I've never seen a vinmart that didn't carry dairy products. there's also small shops that sell yogurt as well. if you want more Western selections then you should move to d2.

Actually, I was referring to vinmart specifically.  The selection is poor.  All boring boxed foods.  They have cheap (probably fake) yogurt, but I haven't seen greek yogurt.  I only recently discovered they have butter (albeit unsalted).  The meat in grocery stores looks like left over scraps.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

But the big question is.... Did you come here without trying the area first?

I moved to the area where my job is.  I don't mind the 20 km drive into HCMC to get a little variety in life, but it is alarming to me that just a short distance outside the city center (a city of 20 million people apparently!) the variety shrinks to nothing.

I'll give Vietnam a break because I know it's still developing.  Within 10-15 years it'll probably have as much variety as can be seen in Thailand, where 7/11 has greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, and German beer.  But for now life here is oh so boring...

Looks like someone didnt research enough before arriving.
If its not suitable it may be best to try another place. It all depends what you are looking for in life.

I found Greek yoghurt, parmesan cheese and German beer, you have to utilize Google more.

Could always  go back home

colinoscapee wrote:

I found Greek yoghurt, parmesan cheese and German beer, you have to utilize Google more.

Yes, I found it too... in HCMC...  Outside of HCMC, not so much.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Could always  go back home

Cool, thanks!

telescopicPuma wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

I found Greek yoghurt, parmesan cheese and German beer, you have to utilize Google more.

Yes, I found it too... in HCMC...  Outside of HCMC, not so much.

I found it in Vung Tau.

There are craft beer places in Binh Duong.

telescopicPuma wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Could always  go back home

Cool, thanks!

Just checked you come fro m the US, a nation which most vietnamese aspire to be like, dreaming of streets of gold.. luxury items, homes and cars.

Out of curiousity, what job do you do?

i don't know anyone who eats just com tam everyday 🤣🤣🤣

Jlgarbutt wrote:

telescopicPuma wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Could always  go back home

Cool, thanks!

Just checked you come fro m the US, a nation which most vietnamese aspire to be like, dreaming of streets of gold.. luxury items, homes and cars.

Out of curiousity, what job do you do?

Teacher.

One search with google and i found four seller sin your area selling greek yogurt... did you forget the worlds most popular search engjne?

danrodri wrote:

Get a local girlfriend...she will help you spend your money 

Haha i know a girl from hjs area, vietnamese... pretty... mid 30s and loves foreigners

Your claims about the Vietnamese are untrue in my experience.  Most of the people I've met want to go to other countries or get a job with a foreign company so that they have a chance of being transferred.  I've met many students who want to go to university in the US or Australia, and I know of several who managed it.

Maybe it's the people you hang out with.

As Boris Johnson said, “When a man is tired of Saigon, he is tired of life” - unless he can find Greek yoghurt!

Jlgarbutt wrote:

telescopicPuma wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Could always  go back home

Cool, thanks!

Just checked you come fro m the US, a nation which most vietnamese aspire to be like, dreaming of streets of gold.. luxury items, homes and cars.

Out of curiousity, what job do you do?

Haha, I am one the them. Yes, the street in US laid with gold, just have to put some work in picking it up.

Rollingbroak wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

telescopicPuma wrote:

Cool, thanks!

Just checked you come fro m the US, a nation which most vietnamese aspire to be like, dreaming of streets of gold.. luxury items, homes and cars.

Out of curiousity, what job do you do?

Haha, I am one the them. Yes, the street in US laid with gold, just have to put some work in picking it up.

And be careful not to get runover by a grab rider playing his phone rather than looking where he is going

Maxep wrote:

As Boris Johnson said, “When a man is tired of Saigon, he is tired of life” - unless he can find Greek yoghurt!

No fair.. I left to escape Bojo.. cannot bring him up in here

telescopicPuma wrote:

I've been here 3 months in Binh Duong, just 20 km outside of the HCM city center. 

There's almost no variety to life here.  Everything is the same.   Same food everywhere you go, every day.  Same boring boxed food products in every store.  There's no gourmet food.  No butter, no cheese, no greek yogurt.  Everything closes at 10pm.  In fact, the gates are already coming down in most businesses by 9PM.

I think part of the reason expats save so much money here is because there's nothing to spend your money on ;P

Obviously CV has made the situation worse, but I don't get the impression things were very lively even before that.

Of course, HCMC has a decent variety of international food, specialty stores, and even street vendors selling grass.  But all of that is closed now.  It's gonna be a LONG year...

There is a big AEON MALL at Binh Duong & Aeon here at Tan Phu they sell lots of good stuff & sell my favorite cheese Danish Blue & good price too. There is also a Big C & they have a good selection of stuff too & their pizza, doughnuts & cooked food etc etc are best I have seen here.....well at Big C Pandora anyways.
As for grass.......well even during lock down I still see some African looking geezers & Vietnamese ladies down walking street selling it quite openly!  The African looking guys also look like they are doing a good trade selling little packets of what looks like sugar to put in your coffee.

Maxep wrote:

As Boris Johnson said, “When a man is tired of Saigon, he is tired of life” - unless he can find Greek yoghurt!

Boris Johnson stole the quote from Samuel Johnson whose originally said in 1777: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

telescopicPuma wrote:

drutter wrote:

Anywhere COVID exist these same situations are likely to exist. Good luck.

It's not just covid.  The underlying culture here is homogenous and boring.  Other countries, even some Asian countries, have more variety and creative ambition.  Here people eat com tom every day and never aspire to anything different.  Same coffee, same shops, same restaurants.

dionstravels wrote:

there's plenty of vinmarts and co.op marts over there in binh duong, I've never seen a vinmart that didn't carry dairy products. there's also small shops that sell yogurt as well. if you want more Western selections then you should move to d2.

Actually, I was referring to vinmart specifically.  The selection is poor.  All boring boxed foods.  They have cheap (probably fake) yogurt, but I haven't seen greek yogurt.  I only recently discovered they have butter (albeit unsalted).  The meat in grocery stores looks like left over scraps.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

But the big question is.... Did you come here without trying the area first?

I moved to the area where my job is.  I don't mind the 20 km drive into HCMC to get a little variety in life, but it is alarming to me that just a short distance outside the city center (a city of 20 million people apparently!) the variety shrinks to nothing.

I'll give Vietnam a break because I know it's still developing.  Within 10-15 years it'll probably have as much variety as can be seen in Thailand, where 7/11 has greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, and German beer.  But for now life here is oh so boring...

When you'v done Thailand everything else pales into insignificance........the Thai's know how to party thats for sure!!   if thats what you want that is. Saying that mind you have had some wild nights in Vung Tau back in the day!!

telescopicPuma wrote:

There's no gourmet food.  No butter, no cheese, no greek yogurt.  ... in HCMC...  Outside of HCMC, not so much.

That's not true.  I live 100 miles outside of Saigon.  Here in this town I've bought Greek yoghurt, Italian cheese, Dutch cheese, French cheese, Belgian beer, German beer, Irish beer, aged single malt Scotch, special reserve port, French wine, Italian wine, Chilean wine, Australian wine. Basque Country cured ham, French foie gras, Swiss chocolate, Italian chocolate, Ghirardelli, and Scottish biscuits.

I don't use butter but I know it's sold in more shops than I care to know.

telescopicPuma wrote:

I've been here 3 months in Binh Duong, just 20 km outside of the HCM city center. 

There's almost no variety to life here.  Everything is the same.   Same food everywhere you go, every day.  Same boring boxed food products in every store.  There's no gourmet food.  No butter, no cheese, no greek yogurt.  Everything closes at 10pm.  In fact, the gates are already coming down in most businesses by 9PM.

I think part of the reason expats save so much money here is because there's nothing to spend your money on ;P

Obviously CV has made the situation worse, but I don't get the impression things were very lively even before that.

Of course, HCMC has a decent variety of international food, specialty stores, and even street vendors selling grass.  But all of that is closed now.  It's gonna be a LONG year...

Yes, you're right. Vietnam is quite boring,  and if it's your first time in-country, it can be quite shocking, especially if you've previously spent time in Thailand. I first moved to HCMC from BKK in 2004 and lasted 6 months before heading back to Thailand. 

At the same time, other posters are correct when they say the stuff you mention is generally available. Just got to look around. 

Anywayz, VN takes some time getting used to and lowering your expectations can help. Employing all the old cliches, such as Count your blessings, Look on the bright side, Think positive, Be open to the possibility of finding Greek yogurt, etc., can be somewhat effective.    Maintain your sense of humor too.    Otherwise, you're likely to end up angry,   which doesn't help the situation. 

I do understand where the OP is coming from.  It is the same old same old everywhere you go once outside of an expat area of Sai Gon.  Same noodles, same rice dishes.  I also agree with his comment about many Vietnamese getting in a rut.  When we would go out for work to see suppliers we would go to the same handful of restaurants on any certain day.  And even if you do pick a new one it's more of the same.  My wife was the same way.  Even living in An Phu where there were a lot of different restaurants and being five minutes from Thao Dien with even more variety if she decided where we wanted to go eat that night it would have been one of 5 Vietnamese places close to home.

telescopicPuma wrote:

I've been here 3 months in Binh Duong, just 20 km outside of the HCM city center.

Binh Duong is very large and can get rural. It seems you are living in Thu Dau Mot or close to it. When things open back up, check out Ong Tay and Thao’s Backyard in Chanh Nghia ward for some great western options. Ong tay has the best ribeye in town and the owner is a semi retired Texan. There’s also some great Korean BBQ nearby. If you like Japanese food, Wakaba in New City is the best. Like some have mentioned, you can find most things if you look. Send me a PM if you are looking for other recommendations. Consider yourself lucky if you recently came into Vietnam as there are many trying to get in that can’t. Good luck.

Ciambella wrote:

telescopicPuma wrote:

There's no gourmet food.  No butter, no cheese, no greek yogurt.  ... in HCMC...  Outside of HCMC, not so much.

That's not true.  I live 100 miles outside of Saigon.  Here in this town I've bought Greek yoghurt, Italian cheese, Dutch cheese, French cheese, Belgian beer, German beer, Irish beer, aged single malt Scotch, special reserve port, French wine, Italian wine, Chilean wine, Australian wine. Basque Country cured ham, French foie gras, Swiss chocolate, Italian chocolate, Ghirardelli, and Scottish biscuits.

I don't use butter but I know it's sold in more shops than I care to know.

Heck ciambella you would not need butter with all the booze and chocolate you consume! 😜 Just teasing. Had no clue there was that much booze in the world. Personally I have never had to much problem finding things. Finding quality….different story. Everything here is intended to break on the sweep hand of your watch. Bride came home with a window washing squeegee the other day. Tickled to death she was going to save us time and it only cost 150k. Two swipes later in lay broken. I told her just tell me what you need and I will order it from the real world. I do not get bored. But have had to change the things I can do….no more flying, no more snow or water skiing. But as much golf as I play everyday I do not miss it much. Getting to old to fly or ski. But it is different here. But this is my 74th and every country has offered different opportunities. If your locked into a box and can not adapt traveling is probably not the thing to do.

French  colonists left Vietnam with at least three world-class treats you can’t find in Thailand, because Bangkok managed to avoid being absorbed into European or Japanese empires:
1. universally delicious bread (including crispy baguettes and mouth-watering croissants),
2. Rượu sâm banh (if you don’t know what this key pleasure is, try saying the last two words slowly with a French accent) — and
3. a real passion for football (4-0 win in the recent World Cup qualifier). 

What more do you need?!!

Maxep wrote:

French  colonists left Vietnam with at least three world-class treats you can’t find in Thailand, because Bangkok managed to avoid being absorbed into European or Japanese empires:
1. universally delicious bread (including crispy baguettes and mouth-watering croissants),
2. Rượu sâm banh (if you don’t know what this key pleasure is, try saying the last two words slowly with a French accent) — and
3. a real passion for football (4-0 win in the recent World Cup qualifier). 

What more do you need?!!

Thai food in general exceeds Vietnamese food every day of the week.

colinoscapee wrote:

Maxep wrote:

French  colonists left Vietnam with at least three world-class treats you can’t find in Thailand, because Bangkok managed to avoid being absorbed into European or Japanese empires:
1. universally delicious bread (including crispy baguettes and mouth-watering croissants),
2. Rượu sâm banh (if you don’t know what this key pleasure is, try saying the last two words slowly with a French accent) — and
3. a real passion for football (4-0 win in the recent World Cup qualifier). 

What more do you need?!!

Thai food in general exceeds Vietnamese food every day of the week.

Amen, next to the Brits this in my opinion are the two worst cuisines I have ever had  Can not think of anything here I would crave if I ever left . some of the meals cooked at home here are okay...but still no craving has happened so far. Please do not tell the locals I said that. A secret between just us.

Diazo wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Maxep wrote:

French  colonists left Vietnam with at least three world-class treats you can’t find in Thailand, because Bangkok managed to avoid being absorbed into European or Japanese empires:
1. universally delicious bread (including crispy baguettes and mouth-watering croissants),
2. Rượu sâm banh (if you don’t know what this key pleasure is, try saying the last two words slowly with a French accent) — and
3. a real passion for football (4-0 win in the recent World Cup qualifier). 

What more do you need?!!

Thai food in general exceeds Vietnamese food every day of the week.

Amen, next to the Brits this in my opinion are the two worst cuisines I have ever had  Can not think of anything here I would crave if I ever left . some of the meals cooked at home here are okay...but still no craving has happened so far. Please do not tell the locals I said that. A secret between just us.

Next to the Brits.......................whats wrong with mince n tatties, cottage pie, fish n chips with mushy peas, sausage n mash, jock pie, roast beef n Yorkshire pud, potted heed, chicken vindaloo, sweet n sour pork etc etc.....nothing wrong with good ol British grub!!

goodolboy wrote:

Diazo wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Thai food in general exceeds Vietnamese food every day of the week.

Amen, next to the Brits this in my opinion are the two worst cuisines I have ever had  Can not think of anything here I would crave if I ever left . some of the meals cooked at home here are okay...but still no craving has happened so far. Please do not tell the locals I said that. A secret between just us.

Next to the Brits.......................whats wrong with mince n tatties, cottage pie, fish n chips with mushy peas, sausage n mash, jock pie, roast beef n Yorkshire pud, potted heed, chicken vindaloo, sweet n sour pork etc etc.....nothing wrong with good ol British grub!!

Chicken vindaloo, now youre stealing other countries food and making it your own,lol.

colinoscapee wrote:

goodolboy wrote:

Diazo wrote:

Amen, next to the Brits this in my opinion are the two worst cuisines I have ever had  Can not think of anything here I would crave if I ever left . some of the meals cooked at home here are okay...but still no craving has happened so far. Please do not tell the locals I said that. A secret between just us.

Next to the Brits.......................whats wrong with mince n tatties, cottage pie, fish n chips with mushy peas, sausage n mash, jock pie, roast beef n Yorkshire pud, potted heed, chicken vindaloo, sweet n sour pork etc etc.....nothing wrong with good ol British grub!!

Chicken vindaloo, now youre stealing other countries food and making it your own,lol.

Well I have seen where it said that the international version of Chicken Vindaloo actually comes from UK! or more accurate England, OK all be it Indian UK citizens

Maxep wrote:

French  colonists left Vietnam with at least three world-class treats you can’t find in Thailand, because Bangkok managed to avoid being absorbed into European or Japanese empires:
1. universally delicious bread (including crispy baguettes and mouth-watering croissants),

Stop right there. 
I haven't had any bread made in Vietnam that wasn't average white bread.
Vietnamese copied the style not the quality or range of tastes. I am including the Viet bakeries with French names in expat areas.
They can't touch European, American independents in big cities, even Australia has better sandwich bread.
Tops supermarket in Bangkok, they had this dark chocolate bread, I made peanut butter sandwiches, ... 

gobot wrote:

Maxep wrote:

French  colonists left Vietnam with at least three world-class treats you can’t find in Thailand, because Bangkok managed to avoid being absorbed into European or Japanese empires:
1. universally delicious bread (including crispy baguettes and mouth-watering croissants),

Stop right there. 
I haven't had any bread made in Vietnam that wasn't average white bread.
Vietnamese copied the style not the quality or range of tastes. I am including the Viet bakeries with French names in expat areas.
They can't touch European, American independents in big cities, even Australia has better sandwich bread.
Tops supermarket in Bangkok, they had this dark chocolate bread, I made peanut butter sandwiches, ... 

AEON Mall Tan Phu bakery have great sliced bread just like you buy in UK, makes great sandwich & toast & a fantastic range of other Western style products like croissants & today I had a really good Western style cinnamon roll with raisins in it today but no icing on top & they have also got great dough nuts.

Big C bakery do great thin crust pizza. 29K vnd a slice. I take it home, add some blue cheese & sliced sausage, cant beat it for me anyways.