Best cities to live in Vietnam

Ben Het, best place in VN, nightly fire works cheap beer an loads of after hours adult entertainment. That was a few years ago so things might have changed.
Rick

Hi Julien,
I would like to say , if you want the most city which offer a lot of job opportunities, so i propose try with HCMC. but on other-side if you like calm life, fresh air, less pollution, less traffics, then you can try with the central of Vietnam , Nha Trang , Mui Ne , OR Danang .

Wish you good luck

As a recent arrival in HCMC myself, I do believe HCMC is a good place to start simply because of the number of available jobs here. However, the traffic is crazy, and the air/noise pollution are something to be considered. Honestly, in my opinion, the pollution is not as bad as I thought it might be. After some time, I may consider moving to the central areas where the traffic is less congested. But, in my situation, I also have to consider my fiancee's family - most of who are located here in HCMC.

Hi Julien:
You are asking too much. Having low living cost means far away from cities but no job there for foreigners, even Vietnamese. A good quality of life is entirely up to your criteria, but you cannot have all of your wishes in Vietnam. My thoughts....

Hi
I was leaving in HCMC, district 2 for over one year. The location was nice and not too busy like in the center of the town. But nevertheless I was moving to Vung Tau City, about 120km from HCMC, easy to reach either by expressboat, expressbus or VIP Limousineservice with Hoa Mai.
My impression about Vung Tau: It's a nice town on the sea with nice beaches, good restaurants, many expats and less traffic. I am feeling good here in Vung Tau and could recommend it. But of course HCMC has much more jobs, more entertainment possibilities. Vung Tau is more private, more quiet, with less pollution and good air, sometimes with a fresh wind from the sea. Try it and visit it one time.

Saigon ...any day anytime

Nha Trang - good beaches, good restaurants, cheap bia hoi, no pollution, several hot springs around town and outside town, mountain streams in the foothills, excellent English language reference collection in the province library in town (books may be borrowed), pleasant climate, short wet season, friendly locals, easy to find cheap accommodation.
Downside: not much work available for expats, what is available pays poorly.

Saigon is one of the worst places to live in Vietnam - very dirty environment, very dangerous at times, too busy, too noisy, too many people, many insincere, lazy, dirty, stupid people - ah but Ben Tre and Dalat and Danang - wonderful places to live with lovely people, very nice communities and equally nice environments.

Hcmc us horific. Traffic is madness. Very high crime rate and no police. Nha trang dangerous with constant nuisances on.motorcycles offering drugs and hookers and people being robbed outside the sailing club is a nightly occurrence.
Da nang wins hands down. Clean, safe and very attractive sea front not littered with cheap and nasty tourism..Nearby Hoi An is lovely too.

I will premise this by already admitting to being a little prejudiced. I have lived in Saigon for 21 years and visited the north (Hanoi) twice, Not impressed  with the north as it is a capital city - like Ottawa versus Toronto, New York City versus Albany. Weather there is awful, either everything is wet and damp all the time or you are dying of the heat! People are definitely not as easy going and vibrant as the Saigonese and there are lots more opportunities here.
Both cities offer a plethora of adventures at your doorstep - there are wonderful things to explore all over Vietnam, but Saigon is closer to 4 capital cities (Hanoi being the 5th furthest away) and has become more of a hub than Hanoi.

Seen a few places, especially along the coast, heading north from HCMC.
Looked into settling at some of these places, over the past 5years.
But as I am retired now, and still very healthy, though I do worry about the health system on most of these places, even HCMC  re doctors & hospitals.
My friends who have lived here for years tell me it's not so good in these areas.
What d'ya think folks.

I am not "prejudiced" at all as I have no reason to PRE.JUDGE anything. Fact that the traffic chaos and outrageous petty crime im.HCMC are unfortunately out of.control. Pity as its a beautiful city architecturally.
Vietnam is.my.52nd.country and the traffic situation and countless motorbikes using pavement(sidewalks) as race tracks in.HCMC are shocking and every local I spoke to agrees with this.
Sounds like.you have adapted after so.many years here.
I didn't know NYC was a capital.city. Love that city.

I previously lived and worked in HCMC and am now in Hue which I love. Most daily trips are no more than 10 minutes with no stops. 30 minutes, and I'm at the beach or in the mountains. The cost of living is also much cheaper in Hue. Besides, it's a more traditional Vietnamese environment than the two big cities. Less scams, very safe and quite a beautiful city. So it's Hue for me.

I agree with your opinion

They're all shit, not much to choose between any of them

In my opinion, Hanoi is the best city in Việt Nam

Thank you all for the opinions.  It would be nice if you can also share reasons why?

I have lived and travelled all over Vietnam for eight years and lets face it, there are no paradises here, but one of the nicest beach's [and I love living by a beach] is Nha Trang, and Da Nang is a close second, I do not work so I am looking purely at life style. But the traffic is insane and just crossing the road is a nightmare, Lets face it pollution of land, waterways and noise pollution is every where in Vietnam, such a pity for a beautiful country, sadly the people here are very poorly educated in all these areas. I think the public address systems in the streets should be talking about these problems ,not the boring propaganda that comes out of  their speakers.

Vung Tau why , clean air, nice people No traffic problems 5 days a week too HCM City comes too the beach for the weekend , Plenty of work great food , better weather than any where else . Good prices from rent too a beer.  And 90 minutes from HCM by road and water . After TET come and have a look it will take 3 days too sell you . Changed my mind , don't come I like it just the way it is. Dj at WTF Vung Tau

Hoi An. It is so quiet and not expensive. We rent a beautiful house  with a bedroom, an office, living room, kitchen, garage, an attic we use for chiling and a terrace that faces the river, so we get fresh fish from the fishermen passing by. We don't pay too much for a rent ($400 with utilities included). If you need to work, Danang is just near by. Actually, my boyfriend commutes to Danang to give English lessons. Besides, since Hoi An is in the center, traveling north or south is not that far and flights are cheap from Danang airport.
Hue is another very good option.

Hi...to me.. HoiAn is good city to live in and enjoy nature it self..

I stayed in Tam Ky, just south of Da Nang for a month last year. It was a pleasant place to be with good access to beaches.

Mike and Van wrote:

Vung Tau why , clean air, nice people No traffic problems 5 days a week too HCM City comes too the beach for the weekend , Plenty of work great food , better weather than any where else . Good prices from rent too a beer.  And 90 minutes from HCM by road and water . After TET come and have a look it will take 3 days too sell you . Changed my mind , don't come I like it just the way it is. Dj at WTF Vung Tau

Vung Tau is a great place and not far away you have Long Hai and some great beaches.

I first went to VT just after the country opened up in 1999. In those days it used to take 5 hours to do the trip from VT to HCMC by road. And getting money from the bank meant spending a whole morning in the bank with your credit card and passport filling in forms.

How things have changed since then.

I wonder if the lovely Lanh is still plying her trade at the Rex hotel.

Speaking of the Rex hotel, the barman there at the time was called Hung (I think he is still there). One evening in the bar he arrived wearing his customary black waiters jacket and bow tie and stood menacingly  in the entrance, with his right hand inside his jackets left lapel in a James Bond stance. After casting a steely eye over the assembled customers he announced: "The name's Hung. Well Hung".

Cue much laughter.

I am a returnee, after many years living in Canada, for me i think Can Tho is good, cool climate, lot of rivers, clean air, road is wide, suitable for someone love nature and calm life. It has everythings as any other big city have.
Good luck, let's enjoy life.

" It has everythings as any other big city have."

  Unfortunately, some of us still have to work for a living, does it have plenty of jobs?

Hoi An and some of the others are not really cities..The nicest city is Hanoi, but to visit not live because of pollution and traffic, but visit..wonderful. Hue is lovely if you are mature and don't need night life.It and its people are a delight and it is changing positively. Dalat and Danang are different but as others have said they are both good, Danang having the 'town 'of Hoi An as a break. Hue is only expensive to get to and from but otherwise..a sweet spot in Central Vietnam

Individual choice, Saigon

What is the best city to live in in Vietnam? This is like the question, "Who is right in the Palestinian/Israeli situation?" The answer is they are both right. Vietnam has a certain sameness to it regardless of where you go, so the criteria will depend on where you are in life and your likes. Most people will need a city big enough to meet their needs and once you have developed a network of friends that's likely where you will stay. I have lived in a few places in Vietnam and always am drawn back to HCMC for its variety and energy.

All a personal choice. What suits you may well not suit someone else.

Tapcom,
I agree with you on Hanoi - a charming city to visit.

I once visited for two weeks and have visited on other occassions for a week at a time.  I had to go the first three times, because when twice I went to visit Ho Chi Minh's house, it was closed for lunch !  There are good restaurants these days, unlike back in 1993 when the food was either bare survival Vietnamese or extortionate French. The whole city has been cleaned, tidied and renovated, and the xyclo drivers no longer shit on the footpath near the railway station.

As a retiree, I chose to live in Dalat because of the scenic beauty of the area, cool climate and clean air, and I  never tire of seeing the beautiful lake in the centre of the city. It,s a quiet place and not for the younger generation who are looking for a night life with variety, but for a place to retire I wouldn,t live anywhere else. Living is cheaper too.

I agree Da Lat is the best place weather wise, I have lived in Saigon for about a year now and have been to Da Lat 3 times and love the area

So you think beer and prostitutes make it the best place to live. A few years ago.. The post asks about now, not a few years ago.

Different strokes for different folks.   Contrast is necessary for appreciation, so just as some prefer to hurtle down the path of hedonism, others prefer to chill out, to meditate - or stay in the (rat) race.   Good, bad & ugly is your choice, so yes, ALL posts have value for us.

(If) we denigrate others, we paint an accurate picture - of our Self.   Others appreciate.

HCMC - has work, if you're into that, entertainment, pollution, limited areas for recreation that are free for use.  It is centrally located to the north of Vung Tau, east of the Mekong and west of the eastern beaches of Mui Ne etc....Has complete infrastructure and importantly foreigners have access to government agencies that they don't have in the other Provinces.

I prefer the Mekong where I have my long boat tied at the back fence in the canal, located 15min from Vinh Long City and 35min from Can Tho City. Has most infrastructure, but must go to HCMC to get vehicle licences.  Hospital services are good (the People's) Army Hospital even did some minor work on my damaged fingers (stitches) - know the hospitals that are listed to deal with foreigners before you really need them.  Traditional Medicine works along side with Modern Medicine.
It is cheaper than HCMC with more land for children to play. I grow some of my own food and medicinal needs.

Herbj, the Mekong is what you say it is - and more. If more westerners travelled there more often than they do, they, too, could realize the value of your comments and, also, how plentiful, comfortable and accessible the area could be to live in. Yes, the jobs are, certainly, in Saigon but for most foreigners, especially, those who seek teaching income, there are adequate opportunities within the Mekong, as well.

We are also retired. Our home is in Liên Hương, Binh Thuan, Viet Nam on the coast from Da Lat and we love it. Unfortunately, due to my wife's grave health issues we have had to rent a house in TP HCM near the City International Hospital. For Sai Gon, Binh Tan is quite livable.

As others have commented, the best hospitals are in Ha Noi, Sai Gon and Da Nang.

Retirement n Vietnam is attractive, but there are some pitfalls. So far there are no retirement visas, which is a shame.