Scouting Vietnam?

Greetings all!
I hope to be arriving in Thailand (beach areas south of Bangkok) in a couple of months (had to postpone departure two times already) looking for my retirement home.

While in Asia I want to also investigate Vietnam. While I don't like the bustle and noise of big cities, I do like to have someplace with a mass to have some culture, good medical services, a range of markets and businesses for any need that may come up. I'd also, at least to start, like to find a high floor apartment with balcony, beach front.

Where would be my best bet be to find that combination? I've seen Danang pop up, but suspect there are "suburbs" North or South that are within a reasonable distance, but calmer. Have heard of other places, but having trouble tracking back to find them.

Suggestions greatly appreciated! - @Intl guy jim

Hi there, and welcome to the Vietnam forum.

Just a couple of questions, if I may, to help other members in their recommendations/suggestions to you.

I see you've posted in the Da Nang sub-forum. If you're not absolutely set on Da Nang, it might be advantageous to move this post to the Vietnam forum's main page, here. If you'd like, I can ask admin to move it there for you.

Will Thailand be your retirement base? If so, I assume it will be short-term, furnished accommodations you'll be looking for in Vietnam.

If instead you're considering Vietnam as your retirement base, have you researched which visa you might be eligible for? Entering on a tourist eVisa and staying long term is doable, and in fact many retirees in Vietnam have been doing so for years, but currently it will require your exiting Vietnam every 90 days. Exiting/returning every 90 days from/to Da Nang I understand to be quite a bit of a slog.

Thanks, Aidan,

I actually am scouting for my retirement home worldwide.  Spent a couple of months each in two countries in LatAm (advantage I've been fluent in Spanish almost all of my life, and both lived and did substantial business around the entire region),

Now I'm checking out Asia.  Thailand got priority because I've been there a few times on business, and a couple on vacation.  I want to briefly scout Vietnam while in Thailand, with an idea to come back to live for a few months later.  I have a third country in Asia I've been to once for business (tacked a couple of free days onto trip), which I may or may not visit.

If none of them feel right, then it's on to Europe, which I do know very well (major economies of West at least).

To your last point, if my first scouting trip arouses strong interest, I would probably do a 90 day visit, and, if it's still working, start to work on extending the visa.

I'm not sure about Danang, so if anyone else has recommendations of beach areas, quiet side but mix of good expat community, receptive Vietnamese (good all immersion language schools if I decide to extend), businesses, good medical, etc.  I saw an interesting way to categorize cities for expat age group on another site:

I'm blues/jazz/rock/classical,

NOT rap, acid, etc,

Not into bars, but will sit and listen to good music while nursing a drink and/or having dinner.

Again, thanks for any guidance!

Aidan, thanks for your offer.  Yes, please ask them to shift/copy me to general forum.

@Intl guy jim

Your thread has now been moved (thanks, Bhavna).

Jim, have you taken a look at Vung Tau? Might be a place which ticks all the boxes.

Greetings all!
I hope to be arriving in Thailand (beach areas south of Bangkok) in a couple of months (had to postpone departure two times already) looking for my retirement home.

While in Asia I want to also investigate Vietnam. While I don't like the bustle and noise of big cities, I do like to have someplace with a mass to have some culture, good medical services, a range of markets and businesses for any need that may come up. I'd also, at least to start, like to find a high floor apartment with balcony, beach front.

Where would be my best bet be to find that combination? I've seen Danang pop up, but suspect there are "suburbs" North or South that are within a reasonable distance, but calmer. Have heard of other places, but having trouble tracking back to find them.

Suggestions greatly appreciated! - @Intl guy jim

There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of “hidden gems” in Vietnam with regard to places to live at the beach. The usual suspects are repeatedly mentioned: Phu Quoc Island, Vung Tau, Mui Ne, Nha Trang and Da Nang, not much of a choice really.

Vietnam is in the limelight these days, mostly because it’s sort of more progressive than Thailand and many of the other ASEAN neighbors due to being more politically stable and economically dynamic with a low cost of living. However, other than that, I’d say Thailand still dominates in terms of food, relaxation and fun, excitement, variety, ease of learning the language, retirement visa, etc.

Of course, checking out VN is still advised. Thailand has changed a lot for the worse since I lived there. Obviously, I myself have chosen VN over Thailand even though the first time I came to Bangkok, I stayed nearly a dozen years compared to my first time living in HCMC, which lasted all of 6 months.

Thanks, Aidan and Bhavna!

Checked out Vung Tau and it looks like a winner!  One confusion though:

The page on Vung Tau starts out saying that it is 125 miles from Ho Chi Mihn, but on Google.maps it appears to be only 20-30 miles, even taking into account the need to curve over to the start of the peninsula.  Am I looking at the wrong place?

@jayrozzetti23

   Thanks, Jay.  Appreciate your sharing your experience!  You may have actually helped with recovering a recommendation that someone made a year or so ago, which I didn't record:  Phu Quoc Island.  Will check out to see if there is a page on the site dedicated to it.

Would you mind sharing what leads you to say Thailand has changed much for the worse?  I've been told there is a way to DM if that would be better.

Again, thanks,

Jim

Thanks, Aidan and Bhavna!
Checked out Vung Tau and it looks like a winner! One confusion though:

The page on Vung Tau starts out saying that it is 125 miles from Ho Chi Mihn, but on Google.maps it appears to be only 20-30 miles, even taking into account the need to curve over to the start of the peninsula. Am I looking at the wrong place? - @Intl guy jim

You're quite welcome, of course.

Can you post a link to the page where it says "125 miles"? The 20-30 miles you say is showing on Google maps sounds correct. It's nowhere near 125 miles from Saigon.

Please see first line of the article.  Mistake, says 125 km, so 75-80Miles? (top of head) from HCMC.

https://www.expat.com/en/guide/asia/vietnam/vung-tau/

Checked out Vung Tau and it looks like a winner! One confusion though:

The page on Vung Tau starts out saying that it is 125 miles from Ho Chi Mihn, but on Google.maps it appears to be only 20-30 miles, even taking into account the need to curve over to the start of the peninsula. Am I looking at the wrong place? - @Intl guy jim

The approx. 125 miles is basically correct. With googly maps, you need to enter a specific place like the name of a hotel. Anyway, distance doesn't matter; travel time by road is at least 2.5 hours, may be closer to 4 or more hours, depending on your departure time. There is also a ferry, but its runs are limited to a few each day.

Also, technically VT is now under the administration of HCMC following the merger of a number of provinces throughout the country.

Not sure if I would call VT a "winner" but it is certainly worth checking out. Like most places, it is getting way overbuilt. Traffic is increasing, weekends are especially swamped by locals. And, because you're on a limited peninsula, you often feel like you're going in circles during yet another groundhog day. Also, there are a bunch of old  guys living there, not exactly what you'd call "eye candy". 😁

Please see first line of the article. Mistake, says 125 km, so 75-80Miles? (top of head) from HCMC.
https://www.expat.com/en/guide/asia/vietnam/vung-tau/ - @Intl guy jim

Kilometres is correct.

Shows 88kms, here. 88kms = ~55 miles

The approx. 125 miles is basically correct. With googly maps, you need to enter a specific place like the name of a hotel... - @jayrozzetti23

No need to enter specific names/addresses. Point and click Google Maps page, here.

Probably the most pertinent distance measurement: from the far end of the Vũng Tàu peninsula/island where many foreigners live (using my previous address there) to SGN AIRPORT: 103 km / 2 hrs 39 minutes in average traffic.

Most other HCMC destinations will be closer than that (District 1, District 2, etc)

That and the directions to the nearest border crossing at Mộc Bài where you will probably do your visa runs to get a NEW 90 day VISA (no "extensions" allowed) unless you fly out of the country for your visa run:

167 km / 4 hrs 23 mins average

NOTE: I preferred to schedule a night or two in HCMC to break up the trip and to take advantage of the big city bennies there before returning to the much more laid back vibes in Vũng Tàu.

ALSO (as a longtime member here) may I kindly suggest avoiding taking a conversation into the private message system unless absolutely necessary, as everyone benefits from public exchanges.

I realize you were attempting to keep this thread on topic to avoid going down a "Thailand rabbit hole" 🇹🇭 🕳️🐇 but the forum can tolerate a certain amount of comparison shopping before anyone will ask you and JR to take it to the Thailand forum.

Based on everything you've mentioned, my best recommendation is also Vũng Tàu. Winters just get too miserable up here in Đà Nẵng.

Aidan mentioned the high-speed water taxis from the riverfront in HCMC to the wharf in Vũng Tàu. I've personally used that about a dozen times and as long as it fits your schedule, it's an excellent way to avoid the long drive and the somewhat frequent traffic jams that can turn a trip to the big city into 4 hours or more.

I'll let someone else tell you how the new airport being completed may give you better options when wanting to fly domestically or internationally from Vũng Tàu without needing to drive or boat to Sài Gòn.

Good luck with your plans 🙏

O.B.

@jayrozzetti23

Would you mind sharing what leads you to say Thailand has changed much for the worse?
Jim - @Intl guy jim

When I arrived in Bangkok in early 1993, Thailand was in a position similar to where VN is now. It was referred to as a NIC (Newly Industrialized Country) and was receiving tons of Foreign Direct Investment in spite of the Black May event (a series of mass protests and subsequent crackdowns by the Thai military and royal police in Bangkok in May 1992, in which an estimated 52 to 100 protesters were killed, 696 were injured, and 175 "disappeared) occurring less than a year earlier. The good times lasted about 3 years, followed by (AI Overview):

"1997: Asian Financial Crisis: The Thai Baht collapsed, causing widespread economic collapse and the intervention of the IMF.

"2001: Rise of Thaksin Shinawatra: Thaksin Shinawatra’s populist Thai Rak Thai Party won a landslide victory, shifting Thai politics toward rural populist policies.

"2004: Indian Ocean Tsunami: A massive tsunami killed roughly 8,000 people along the Andaman Coast.

"2006: Military Coup: Following "Yellow Shirt" protests, the military ousted Prime Minister Thaksin while he was abroad.

"2008: Airport Closures: Anti-Thaksin "Yellow Shirt" protesters occupied Bangkok's airports, resulting in the dissolution of the pro-Thaksin ruling party.

"2010: Red Shirt Protests and Crackdown: Pro-Thaksin "Red Shirt" protests occupied central Bangkok, resulting in a violent military crackdown that killed at least 90 people.

"2014: Military Coup: Amid renewed political instability, army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha took power, suspending the constitution.

"2016: Royal Succession: King Bhumibol Adulyadej died after a 70-year reign and was succeeded by his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

"2020: Student-Led Protests: Youth-led protests emerged calling for democratic reforms, a new constitution, and reform of the monarchy.

"2023-2024: Political Realignment: Following 2023 elections where opposition parties won popular support, 2024 saw the dissolution of the reformist Move Forward Party and the appointment of Paetongtarn Shinawatra (Thaksin’s daughter) as Prime Minister, signaling continued elite-versus-reformist struggles."

As I mentioned, Vietnam is politically stable and economically dynamic with a low cost of living, whereas Thailand has never been politically stable and has slipped behind the Philippines and Vietnam in terms of economic growth.

I left after the military coup d'etat in 2006, and have just been back a couple times in 2016 and 2022, so I'm not really up-to-date on the latest situation except for what I hear from a few friends who are still there and on discussion forums, neither of which sound so cheery.

@jayrozzetti23

Thanks for your detailed answer!!  I had distantly followed some of that over the years, but a MUCH stronger impression laid out completely!  I lived in countries with danger of coup d'etat as a kid, and have friends & family who lived through the real thing.  Not eager to experience....

Had a very good impression of Thailand during 1st business trip with a few extra days in '91, vacation in '99, but subsequent business trips were basically one-nighters, with the bulk of the two week trips in ANZ.  Latter were strictly BKK.

Got lucky, any trip to Vietnam would have been a free ticket from Uncle, rifle in hand.

@OceanBeach92107

  Thanks!  Are the "water taxis" to which you refer hydrofoils?  Sadly I am vulnerable to motion sickness, so need to plane above waves to feel confident of not getting ill....  I would imagine the airport is some years from reality?