Thinking of moving to HCMC. Have a few questions.

Rainnie76 wrote:

Hello everyone,

I've recently applied for a teaching position at an international school in Ho Chi Minh City.  I have a few questions about living there, in case I get the job.

My husband will be coming along with me if I do get the job. Does anyone know if it would be fairly easy for him to get a work visa or will he have to be content to just hang around at home?

Hi. Welcome to Vietanm. Im going to move there soon to work & live soon.

Work Visa is not a problem. His company will apply for him. I don't think you want him to laze around at home right?

Rainnie76 wrote:

My daughter will be 11.  We've been living in an isolated part of northern Canada and she's had a very hard time integrating. She's been bullied by the kids here because she is white.  Is that a problem in Vietnam?

Don't worry. I think your daughter will integrate here just fine. Loads of international schools around with foreigner kids.

Rainnie76 wrote:

We're also considering bringing our cat with us. I've looked around to see how hard it is to bring a cat and it seems pretty easy to get him there but I was wondering what it's like once he's in the country.  I've read that kitty litter is not easy to find, does anyone know if this is true? What about cat food? Also, are veterinarians common? 

Thanks for any answers you might have!

-Janet

I believe your cat needs to be quarantined after reaching Vietnam, not sure. Let those experienced here tell you.

Anyway, hope you can come Vietnam to work & live...

Cheers

lostsouls wrote:

Work Visa is not a problem. His company will apply for him. I don't think you want him to laze around at home right?

Well in here lies the problem.  He does not have a company that he is working for to apply for him (unless you mean a company that wants to hire him once we are already in Vietnam). He sold his restaurant when we moved up to the arctic for me to teach and has been staying at home with our daughter.

For the cat, he must be quarantined before he reaches VN.
One of the paper the VET officer asks for the health certificate.
If you want to know what all papers look like, please mail me your mail add.I will forward some for you.

Work permit, to do the work permit in VN , the most troublesome paper is criminal record/good conduct letter. You should do it at your home country. So, I suggest you both should get it before you leave your country.
The next troublesome is the certificates,degrees...as they need to be legalized which is a bit complicated.
All legal matters in VN is not difficult, just complicated.
Your daughter, dont worry, Vnmese children is really nice. They wont bully her. She will have a good time here.
Hope my answer is sufficient for you :-)

Rainnie76 wrote:

Well in here lies the problem.  He does not have a company that he is working for to apply for him (unless you mean a company that wants to hire him once we are already in Vietnam). He sold his restaurant when we moved up to the arctic for me to teach and has been staying at home with our daughter.

Well, what qualifications does he have at the moment? Since he had a restaurant previously, I guess he can manage a company or whatnot. Try to search in job agencies like vietnamworks.com

Or he can come to Vietnam 1st then look for jobs, that's what I'm doing soon. It will be very difficult though as Vietnam's salary cannot be matched to your local salary. He can do part time for other jobs.

Thank you both for your answers! I'm happy to hear that you believe my daughter will not be bullied!  This is one of our biggest concerns!

imkim wrote:

For the cat, he must be quarantined before he reaches VN.

Everything else that I have read says that he would not have to be quarantined.  I'll have to find official information from the government or something I guess.

I shipped and did the custom clearance for 2 big dogs that go in by cargo. and 1 small dog go in by normal way.
You can call the office to ask. I got the number here.
Please let me know your email. I'll send you if you need.

Your child should be fine.  The only problem msy be people staring.  They don't mean any harm, but staring is socially acceptable here and a white child would be an oddity to most locals.

If the school is truly "international" they will assist you and your husband with the work permit and visas. To many schools the fact that they have white teachers makes them international.  Just think "used car sales" and you have an idea of what the ESL industry is like here.

I know a lawyer that can assist with both the permit and the visa, if they don't.  Feel free to send me a message if you need assistance.

i can find food in website cityzoo.vn
They can ship for you.any difficult when you live in Vn, you can contact me : [email protected]
welcome to VN

Cat litter....my advise is to just use plain dirt with a sprinkle of baking soda. I have always loved cats and discovered that dirt and baking soda works better than store bought litter and without the added chems. Haven't seen any litter here. Be vigilent about keeping your kitty cat inside, as a precaution. They don't last too long on the streets here.