New members of the Vietnam forum, introduce yourselves here - 2024

@Julien

I am UK national, an Associate Professor (Social Sciences) by profession.

Moved to Vietnam 4 months ago.

Thank you.

@Dartanz

Welcome on board !

Hope you had a smooth transition.

Regards

Bhavna

@Julien

Hello all, newly signed up to be a new member of expat.com although I have looked at the Web site in the past.

About me:- my names Les and at the moment I live in Wales (gods little acre) in the UK and have worked for a large multi national steel company for over 32 years and looking to retire anytime in the near future and spend a lot more time in Asia especially Vietnam which I adore after several visits, so the idea is to pick all the knowledgeable brains on this site to make the future transition to life in Vietnam more streamlined and stress free 😀.......

Kind regards, Les......

@Lesshove

Welcome on board Les !

Hope you'll find some friendly members and useful infos on the forum.

Here is the link to our Living in Vietnam guide for expats. It might come handy while you are looking for info.

All the best

Bhavna

Hi all,

Thank you for creating this thread. This is really helpful.

I'm presently employed in the UK and have received a job offer from a university in Hanoi. I'm reaching out to see if you have any insights on the following:

- Could you share any common practices or challenges associated with academic contracts in Hanoi? I've been offered a short 2-year contract.

- I'm currently in a permanent position in the UK. Have you or anyone you know made a similar transition from a permanent role to a short-term contract in Hanoi while maintaining the same salary? What factors should I consider?

- What is the air quality like in Hanoi, and does it noticeably affect daily life? Are there specific times of the year when air quality becomes a concern?

- How is the water quality in Hanoi, and are there any recommendations for ensuring safe drinking water?

- What is the work-life balance like in academic positions in Vietnam?

- For those who have relocated from the UK to Hanoi, how seamless is the process of integrating into the local culture?

Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Kap

    Hi all,
Thank you for creating this thread. This is really helpful.

I'm presently employed in the UK and have received a job offer from a university in Hanoi. I'm reaching out to see if you have any insights on the following:

- Could you share any common practices or challenges associated with academic contracts in Hanoi? I've been offered a short 2-year contract.
- I'm currently in a permanent position in the UK. Have you or anyone you know made a similar transition from a permanent role to a short-term contract in Hanoi while maintaining the same salary? What factors should I consider?
- What is the air quality like in Hanoi, and does it noticeably affect daily life? Are there specific times of the year when air quality becomes a concern?
- How is the water quality in Hanoi, and are there any recommendations for ensuring safe drinking water?
- What is the work-life balance like in academic positions in Vietnam?
- For those who have relocated from the UK to Hanoi, how seamless is the process of integrating into the local culture?

Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Kap
   

    -@kapilsaini

Welcome to the Vietnam forum.

This thread is for basic introduction.

Hopefully you'll get the answers you need in the thread you created with a copy of your post here:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1057403

@Julien:  I’ve been living and working in Vietnam 18 years and am now approaching retirement age.    Currently exploring the possibility of living in a border town such as Lào Cai to facilitate making visa runs once work permit/trc no longer an option.

    @Julien:  I’ve been living and working in Vietnam 18 years and am now approaching retirement age.    Currently exploring the possibility of living in a border town such as Lào Cai to facilitate making visa runs once work permit/trc no longer an option.
        -@ragzthebear

Hello ragzthebear, and welcome to expat.com.

Julien is the owner of the worldwide expat.com website, and as such he may not have the opportunity to reply to you directly.

Very nice to have you with us. After 18 years here we look forward to hearing of your experiences/anecdotes on living in Vietnam.

Feel free to jump into any of our ongoing threads, found here, or to open a new topic of your own for discussion.

Once again, welcome aboard. Good to have you with us.

Hi there Guys

Iam newbie here on  this page

@Rosibal

Hi there.

Welcome aboard, and nice to have you with us.

Thanks for the warm  acknowledge  Aidan

    Thanks for the warm  acknowledge  Aidan        -@Rosibal

You're quite welcome.

Feel free to open a new topic for discussion, or jump in and contribute to any of our ongoing threads, here.

Hope to hear from you soon.

    Thanks for the warm  acknowledge  Aidan
   

    -@Rosibal

I 🔥 acknowledge 🔥 you too 🫡

Welcome to the Vietnam Forum @Rosibal

Hello, I just signed up today. I live in Las Vegas Nevada and I really like to visit for a month to three and see the country. Very interested in Da Nang being a southern California boy I love the beach so looking for info. I’m not quite ready to go, but will be going this year. Thank you! mario

    Hello, I just signed up today. I live in Las Vegas Nevada and I really like to visit for a month to three and see the country. Very interested in Da Nang being a southern California boy I love the beach so looking for info. I’m not quite ready to go, but will be going this year. Thank you! mario
   

    -@mrriokohler

Hi Mario - March thru August are your best months here in Đà Nẵng. September is good but it's also a typhoon catcher and the very front edge of rainy season, though still warm. Cheapest times to rent start in September/October, especially if you sign a 6 month lease through monsoon season.

@OceanBeach92107 thank you!

If you 'love the beach' options are Nha Trang; Phan Thiet and lately Quy Nhon....

@Julien

Hi,

I'm Vietnamese and I wanna join here first of all to meet new friends, especially from the UK and US, then if there're anything I could help I would willing to give you a hand especially for the one that first time coming to Vietnam.

Hi,

my Name is Nicolas, 41yo. Back to Vietnam/Hanoi with my vietnamese spouse (we met there 12 years ago and have been in Japan & Europe for a while. We have a 2 yo daughter and are now moving to Riverside Long Bien.

Cheers, Nicolas

    Hi,
my Name is Nicolas, 41yo. Back to Vietnam/Hanoi with my vietnamese spouse (we met there 12 years ago and have been in Japan & Europe for a while. We have a 2 yo daughter and are now moving to Riverside Long Bien.

Cheers, Nicolas
       -@ngoelen

Welcome to the forum, Nicolas.

Nice to have you with us, and welcome back to VN!

    Hi everybody!
About a week ago, I moved from Cambodia to Nha Trang. I had been living in Cambodia for about a year. I came to Vietnam to continue writing my book and, of course, to do scuba diving.

I'm originally from the happiest country in the world. -@KaiKoo

Welcome to the Vietnam forum @KaiKoo 🙏

@KaiKoo

Hello and welcome on board !

Feel free to interact with members on the Nha Trang forum ^^

All the best

Bhavna

@KaiKoo

You're from Bhutan?!

You're from Bhutan?!
        -@Lennerd

Finland does indeed rank, again, as the place with the world's happiest people. I had to search to confirm that.

And here was me, thinking it was North Sentinel Island

@Julien

Hi my name is John from Northern Ireland.

Been married to my Vietnamese wife for 18 months and due a baby in 5-6 weeks.

Planning to build a home in Vietnam and move there in maybe 5 years.

Look forward to bothering you guys with some questions

@johnmccullough

Hello John, congrats !

Feel free to open a new thread on the Vietnam forum to post your questions so that members can help.

Regards

Bhavna

Hi my name is Rosy from Japan

Been married to my Vietnamese husband  for 9 years

Planning to build a home in Vietnam and move there in maybe 3 years.

Look forward to bothering you guys with some questions

Thank you!

@linhdongoc1872015

Hello Rosy! Welcome to expat.com's Vietnam Forum.

Looking forward to hearing more from you soon, and hopefully being able to answer any questions you might have.

Hi all!

I'm Gladys. I'm applying for a teaching job in Vietnam. Hoping to know more about your people...culture, language, music etc...

Gladly waiting for an interview and soon realized my dream to teach in this beautiful country.

I am Mac and this forum has been a blessing to me.

Hello Mac,

Happy to hear that!

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

@Julien

Hi my name is Inez (26), I am a sixth year medical student from the netherlands living in vietnam for an internship in Can Tho for a couple of months. I wll be working in different hospitals and clinics.

Would love to meet up with some people from europe or people who speak english well to make me feel a bit more at home!

Kind regards

    @JulienHi my name is Inez (26), I am a sixth year medical student from the netherlands living in vietnam for an internship in Can Tho for a couple of months. I wll be working in different hospitals and clinics. Would love to meet up with some people from europe or people who speak english well to make me feel a bit more at home! Kind regards        -@InezStudent

Hello InezStudent.

Julien is the owner and CEO of the worldwide expat.com platform, and as such may not have the opportunity to welcome you personally. Allow me, on his behalf, to extend to you our welcome to the Vietnam forum.

Feel free to jump in to one of our ongoing threads, or to open a new topic of your own for discussion.

Lots of friendly folk here at expat.com ready to answer, to the best of our ability, any questions you might have.

Once again, welcome aboard and hope you get a response soon from our members in/around the Can Tho area.

Hello I am a 45 year-old stroke survivor looking for a life thats not so lonely. I love exploring especially in climates different than my own.

@acrab78

Hello acrab78, and welcome to expat.com's Vietnam forum.

Vietnam is certainly a different climate than Massachusetts.

Good to have you with us, and hope to hear more from you soon.

@Julien

Just joined as a newbie. name is Andrew, Australian running a couple of businesses here in Sydney, looking to expand and move permenantly to Vietnam. Already do business with Vietnamese markets as an exporter and importer and travelled to Vietnam for business. Love it so much I want to move there.

Hoping to open a new IT Security business in HCMC later this year and aim to move and live there later this year, including setting tup up another location on the coast near PHan Thiet. My plan is to obtain Temp Resident Visa, move onto a permenant visa then eventually citizenship.

Would love to hear from anyone who's made the move to Vietnam recently to hear their experiences as the paperwork to ship personal items for Vietnamese Customs is a little daunting and not a lot of clarifty on many websites.

Welcome connecting with anyone to share their moving stories and experiences.

thanks!

Andrew

Hello Hello,

My name is Matt. I've been perusing the expat.com Vietnam forum for a couple months now and have decided that I would join.

My life is a bit dull at the moment so I've had to think about what it is I truly want out of life. It appears that Vietnam is currently on my radar and hence I am researching as much info as I can on the beautiful country.

My number one priorities are to learn as much basic Vietnamese as I can, figure out how the visa application works, book a flight and visit the country for a month or two.

Wish me luck!

    Hello Hello,My name is Matt. I've been perusing the expat.com Vietnam forum for a couple months now and have decided that I would join.

Hello Matt, and welcome to the expat.com Vietnam forum.

My life is a bit dull at the moment so I've had to think about what it is I truly want out of life. It appears that Vietnam is currently on my radar and hence I am researching as much info as I can on the beautiful country.

If there's one emotion you'll probably not experience in Vietnam, that would be boredom.

It truly is like no other place you'll visit!

My number one priorities are to learn as much basic Vietnamese as I can, figure out how the visa application works, book a flight and visit the country for a month or two. Wish me luck!       -@Mahja

Sounds like an excellent plan of attack! Have you decided which region of Vietnam will be your first base?

Coming to visit for a couple of months is a very good strategy. Currently the Vietnam eVisa allows for stays up to 90 days, which will allow you time to get your feet wet and get a feel for whether Vietnam will be a good fit for you.

I'll certainly wish you luck, but by the sounds of it you won't need it, resolute as you are.

Feel free to open a new topic of your own for discussion, or to jump in and contribute to any of our ongoing threads, here.

Once again, welcome to the forum. Good to have you with us, and hope to hear more from you soon!

    Hello Hello,
My name is Matt. I've been perusing the expat.com Vietnam forum for a couple months now and have decided that I would join.

My life is a bit dull at the moment so I've had to think about what it is I truly want out of life. It appears that Vietnam is currently on my radar and hence I am researching as much info as I can on the beautiful country.

My number one priorities are to learn as much basic Vietnamese as I can, figure out how the visa application works, book a flight and visit the country for a month or two.

Wish me luck!
   

    -@Mahja

(from your profile)

"I'm unemployed and I live with my parents."

Having an alternate source of income would be my top priority if I were in your shoes.