Need help! Moving to HCM at the end of June!!

Hi Florian......I am Tien Tran (from Houston, Texas USA).  I travel to VN each year (around November) to visit my father who has retired and returned to VN to live.  I often stay in Hotel (Pham Ngu Lao), foreign districts.  You will find a lot of folks from Europe, US, South Americas, etc...there. I am still learning myself as I have NOT visited ALL of the beautiful cities in VN.  There are too many points of discussion in one email so if you want to know, drop me an email:  [email protected]    I also would like to meet with the EXPATS who are LIVING in VN.  Any advices are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tien Tran

Hey Flo,

We are more than happy yo help out, There are plenty of places to rent rooms or apt depends on your budget. I would stay away from Pham Ngu Lao if your not street wise.

but the top tip when you get here off the airport don't let any of the private taxis try to help you just stay with the well know ones and you'll e fine (vinasun or mai linh) It should cost you a max of $10 ($200,000 VND) but usually $7 will get you form the airport to the center of town.

if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask

PM me

Hi Jinxedta......I thought that we can not flag down taxis when we leave the airport.  I normally go to a ticket counter and buy a pass for taxi service (150,000 VND) or $7.50USD from the airport to Pham Ngu Lao.  I normally try to find a hotel in a small quiet street. It's about 250,000 VND /day.  Do you know where I find a long term hotel / rental houses in (or around) Pham Ngu Lao that I can rent for a month (or two)?

THANKS,
Tien Tran

Just 10 km from Ben Thanh to Binh Tan
You have many choices for transportation such as xe buýt (bus), taxi cabs, xe ôm(motor bike taxi),etc depends on your budget.

From what I've seen, expats tend to congregate in four main areas: An Phu and Thao Dien in D2, Phu My Hung in D7 (big Korean population, but also plenty of others), the southern side of Le Thanh Ton (mostly Korean and Japanese), and in the skyscrapers along Ham Nghi. Pham Ngu Lao is mostly just for tourists, but I know some people who stay in the hotels for months. And many people go there to drink, but there are better places for that. You can look all of these up on Google maps.

If you're working in Bình Tấn, you're a long way from any of these areas, but you can easily live anywhere and enjoy the expat life. I know someone who has a great penthouse in D5. Taxis are cheap, Xe Oms cheaper, and there are little outposts of expats all over the city. We live in Ben Nghe, and we tend to hang out in Da Kao - plenty of expats live in both.

It is easy to get around by taxi, but at first you'll need a business card for where you're going, or the address written down by Vietnamese person - don't expect to be understood if you attempt to pronounce the street names. We found the city really opened up once we got a motorbike. In any given week, we will ride to Thao Dien for lunch (Papagaya is our current favourite), PMH for dinner and a drink, and an evening at Vasco's or Pacharan on Hai Ba Trung.

Not sure why people want to move to another country, then just want to get into the expat scene. Its great to have expats as friends, but I tend to keep away from expat areas.I prefer to live in an area that is not full of expats, seems to be too much squabbling going on amongst them.

colinoscapee wrote:

Not sure why people want to move to another country, then just want to get into the expat scene.

I like both. Saigon has the advantage of being able to mix and match, within a day or even, often, within a single meal. Truly a cosmopolitan city!

So many expats want to be isolated nowadays!
Some of(very few) APN (An Phu Neighbors) members do not want to mingle with other expats who living outside APN! Why this discrimination? They have some contagious disease to be isolated?
I know well that nobody care neighbors  there. Actually they isolated by themselves.
I have so many acquaintances and some family friends there.All of them want to mingle with people. They have no problem. Some abnormal people inside APN group want to isolate from others. When they need help, they accept from outsider. Otherwise they ignore other expats and locals. I don't understand what they are thinking of themselves. If they want to be isolated just stay in their country, no need to come here. When we stay here we should be like locals and mingle with them. Why too much arrogance? Foreigner has extra horn?
I am living here since 2008. During this period I rented house in Q.1, Q.7,Q.4, Q.3 and Q.5. I try to mingle maximum with Vietnamese. They like me and want to talk with me even if they cannot communicate! May be they are illiterate or poor.Why discrimination? When did you get this money and social status and who give you that status? Okay never mind. Your arrogance come from money which you making from here! Or you encourage rich people only?
I know well here, in this forum too so many Vietnamese citizens trying to help us-expats. When you need help you smile at them, or even beg. Are you not ashamed after get help from them just ignore without saying a word? Or there is no word to 'thank' in your mother tongue? You don't need to give them money.

In this forum also so many members trying to help. Do you think they have no job? I know well so many members who are busy with their work try to find time for this blog to help others. Why don't you consider it as a kind of social service? No one get any dong from here!
I really hate these kinds of ingratitude expats!

The expat scene in Saigon is fantastically rich, and the Vietnamese are very friendly and welcoming. Vietnamese love socialising, drinking coffee, eating together, drinking beer. Altogether, it's very easy to socialise with both locals and expats.

Florian, I realise I may have meandered a little in my original response.

Although your work is a little out of the way (I've never even been that far west), it is very easy to get around by taxi. If you rent a motorbike, you won't be covered by your travel insurance, nor is it strictly legal, but the police (usually) don't bother you unless you run a red light or drive like an idiot. If you're going the cheaper options, green buses go everywhere (at high speed, generally ignoring red lights - so if you do hire a motorbike, WATCH OUT), and are very very cheap (4500 vnd = US$0.20 per ride if you buy a book of 30).

Another slightly more expensive option is Xe Om (Bike Hug), which is where you pay a dude $1.50 (probably more than that out to Binh Tan) to catch a lift on the back of his motorbike to anywhere you choose. You can bring your own helmet, or use the filthy one he uses for all his customers. Xe Om drivers are on every corner in every part of town. You'll get used to them waving at you when you try to walk somewhere.

colinoscapee wrote:

Not sure why people want to move to another country, then just want to get into the expat scene. Its great to have expats as friends, but I tend to keep away from expat areas.I prefer to live in an area that is not full of expats, seems to be too much squabbling going on amongst them.

And the rent is much much cheaper the further away from expat areas you go.

charmavietnam wrote:

I really hate these kinds of ingratitude expats!

I don't understand it either. I have passed many on the street and say hello and they just keep walking.

Many thanks for all your replies! I'm glad I will be able to ge around the city. i had heard so much about how bad the traffic is so just wanted to make sure its relatively easy to get around.
Not only looking to live in expat community but I just wanted to reassurance that I would be able to easily get from around town from where I work as it is quite out of the way!

All the best,

Florian

The traffic is bad, but if your not driving then its not a problem.

VungTauDon wrote:

charmavietnam wrote:

I really hate these kinds of ingratitude expats!

I don't understand it either. I have passed many on the street and say hello and they just keep walking.

May be they think they are B.Obama!( sorry, I heard that he is very polite with others)

The traffic is very very bad. If you drive, it's even a nightmare. Every day I swear at every taxi driver I come across that tailgates and cuts across lanes, and also at those reckless and dangerous motorcyclists - females included! Police are hardly seen. Every ride on a taxi and on a xe OM exposes you to Risk! But that's the life here.