Retiring to Vietnam - procedures and costs to retire from Australia

This link might help: http://owee58.com/2014/08/27/retire-in-vietnam/

Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra for up-to-date information when citizens not married with Vietnamese.

http://www.vietnamembassy.org.au/Consular.htm

Thank you for the link, lots of good information here.

Ian,
You should come and visit Vietnam, if you have not already done so. This will make your transition easier and allow you to decide which place you would like to live in. Remember that the coastal cities get hot in summer, and the mountain cities and Hanoi get cold wet and miserable in winter. So nowhere is perfect all the year round.

I agree with Owee's blog above, Quy Nhon won't stay secret for long. I has begun to develop tourist infrastructure at last and will become a much more attractive option. I visit there with my family once a year from Nha Trang.  We also take breaks to Dalat in summer. 

Owee has lots of good, balanced info in his post, with nothing that I disagree with.  It seems to me that visa changes have not settled down yet and Immigration are sending some people from Nha Trang to Danang to renew some visa types. I have no idea why Immigration refused to renew the visas here. 

Property laws are set to change from 1 July, and it is said that foreigners will be able to buy houses.  Vietnam has been trumpeting this on and off for years now as it changes the laws. But to date there are still very many restrictions on buying a flat or apartment, and it is still impossible to buy a house and land.  Again, we'll just have to wait and see.  My house and land are in my Vietnamese wife's name, so we were able to do it 13 years ago.

Regarding health care, most of the people I know self insure.  Open heart surgery at the specialist heart hospital cost a friend $US16,000, which is ridiculously cheap compared to USA.  The Khanh Hoa province hospital charges $US100 flat rate per day, plus medicines.  An overnight stay in emergency also attacts a fee of $US100 for foreigners, which is overdoing it a bit.  For long term, chonic illnesses such as we get in old age, keep in mind that properly trained herbal doctors are a good alternative and at times can provide treatments and get results which are unattainable with western medicines.

Ralph,
           I am planning a 1 month holiday next year, I would arrange ot sooner but I am committed to renovating the house I am living in first so that I can collect the rental income from this property and another that I own in Shepparton. Disaster struck during reno when I found white ants in an internal wall, it will be six months before I can tear down that wall and re build it. I also committed to rebuilding a couple of B Double trailer combinations, so I am still earning a decent wage, $28/Hr. I cant see the weather as a problem as we do get extremes here in Shepparton  ( -3C to 44C) .If I get the opportunity I will take that month long holiday sooner even if I have to take in 2 x 2 week blocks. If that does happen I will get in touch and say hello when I get there.

Ian, I'd love to meet for a beer, but my family are going back to Adelaide in November for an extended stay. Good luck.

Hey Ian,

Currently, we have many expats and of course some from Australia, permanently, living in DaLat Lam Dong. The climate is very cool ( 1500 above sea). Cost of living in DaLat, depending on quality of the houses you want, you could get any place ranging between 200 USD- 600 USD (this depending on location and quality of the house). Food wise, its very cheap compared to where you are now. For example, 1 kg of tomatoes would cost you about 50 cents, fruits that are seasonal are quick cheap such as 30 cents USD a kg. You could basically live off 3-5  USD a day on food if eating at home, especially if you are an vegetarian. Hydro and Electricity, very cheap as well. I see average person spends around 20 USD for both. What would or might be expensive is your visa. The price changes all the time, it went from 45 USD for 3 months single entry and 170 USD for multiple to now 300 USD for 3 months multiple visa. Depending on your budget, but you could live comfortable here with 500 USD income a month (rent and food) if you are eating at home.

Hey Ralph,

My companion father meet with an accident not long ago, seem his head was badly struck, now he still has blood clog in his brain, which is effecting their daily life, as well he suffer memory lost. They are seeking treatment in Ho Chi Minh, do you know any good hospital that are not so costly and are known for their treatment?

I need advise from your 13 years of marriage, how does an average Vietnamese girl, she is now currently working hard here in my country, she knows a bit of English, still I feel I don't really understand what is going on in their mind.
I see that most Vietnamese girl are very filial to their elders, parent, elder sister. We are different in culture, how did you manage?

Yours truly,

Lawrence