I will be in Vietnam for the next 6 months.

G’day Ryan, and welcome to the forum.

Any particular reason for  Vietnam as your choice.  It’s a long way from the US.?

At 29,   do you have the financial resources to support a reasonable lifestyle here.  In the ballpark of around $1000 a month would be OK,  some guys do it for less depending on where & how they live.

I know guys here that live on $600 a month, but they have zero cash for any kind of emergency that may pop up.

The type & class of accommodation will be the biggest factor in your living costs. The foods cheap and healthy though.

If your relying on employment income here to support that budget you’ll be struggling given you state you have no specific job skills.   Teaching English is a popular source of income, BUT you’ll need qualification of some approved course BEFORE most schools will accept an application.......and , it also depends on how many work shifts you get.   A lot of teachers are always looking for more work.

If your thinking about doing the hard yards washing dishes & wiping tables,....that pays about 45 cents an hour.😆

I don’t want to sound like it’s all about money here .....but it is.   Just about every Expat I’ve met here that had troubles , it was usually finance based.   Some brought a lot with them & soon gave it away to skirt wearing opportunists, and some simply were underfunded from the outset.

Probably a good idea to bring that prescription for meds.   I’d be googling & contacting a hospital or medical centre here to asses the availability of what you need.    Vietnam isn’t that “up to speed” on mental health issues either.

You’ll probably find most work opportunities are in either Saigon or Hanoi.  There are expats that like places along the coast , like Nha Trang , Danang and Voung Tau.    You’ve got 3000 kilometres of coastline to choose from.

Personally I prefer Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province.  , the climate is rated as arguably the best in SE Asia.   The bigger cities , Saigon & Hanoi have pollution issues that some people can’t handle.   Actually , the airs been rated as barely fit to breath, so that’s not good.   Depends on what your prepared to accept in quality of life.

Hope it goes well for you,,,but again, make sure you have the financials covered to enable you to enjoy a reasonable standard of living.    If you read through a lot of threads here , you’ll see that the common denominator is the financial factor  , which will apply anywhere you decide to go in this world.

Good luck.

Anyone with or without the necessary credentials should not be considering working as a English teacher for a period of what would be net five months.  I have seen center classes that needed to change teachers in midstream.  The students deserve better. What you can do and what you should do may be different things.

If you only plan to stay in Vietnam for 6 months, bring $6000 as Yogi007 suggests and your return ticket home.  That way you will be free to travel and see the countryside.

Unless you're independently wealthy or have an growing trust fund, how do you expect to live overseas without a skill to earn a living and a language to help you communicate if you happen to find a job? 

In CA, you could flip hamburger for around $10/hr (In-N-Out pays quite a bit more, but employees must show a zest for life, always energetic and happy while on the job, with a strong belief that every customer is *the* reason for their employment.)  In Vietnam, the equivalent job would earn you 3M or $130 base pay monthly.  Tips can help pushing the wage up, but then again, you have to be very personable and know at least one more language -- Vietnamese.  BTW, only foreigners and very rich Vietnamese tip; the regular folks at best round up the bill. 

Another thing to remember, everyone works 6 days a week.  At the phone store by me, the entire staff works 7 days/week, alternating between two shifts of 7 hours/day.  They earn between 6M and 8M/month ($265 - $350).  The ones who earn 8M are the skilled technicians.

Listen to Yogi and THIGV.

Re: which expat community we live.  Not all of us live by or hang out with other expats, especially the ones among us who live here indefinitely or have Vietnamese spouses.

All the above replies are spot on. One more thing: your medicine may not be available in VN, which will really depress youm

Hi Ryan,
If you don't mind to do any kind of work and dont mind the tiny wage you will earn, also ok to live like regular local vietnamese. I dont think you have any trouble to survive here. I have seen an Aussie bloke deliver  "bún" (a kind of fresh noodles) to markets, restaurants everyday for his wife (she is vietnamese and she makes "bún"). And I can really see true happiness shown on his face although he rides a dirty, raggy scooter to carry "bún" bags around. I think he probably found true love and enjoy the way of life here as is. It is the only thing that matters.

The generic duloxetine appears to be available. There are primarily generics in the 3rd world bc low cost.  Google with the quotes:

duloxetine viet nam "mua"

Just bring a year's supply when you come, tho your profile implies you've already landed.

29 and no profession? Get in gear boy! Time to learn a trade.
Bumming around in SE Asia with low funds can be a rough existence. We call those 'backpackers'. Can you work remotely for a US company? Some kind of online work? Contact your friends and old employers, even writing may be a possibility.

The veterans here have given great advice especially the financial needs one.

I assume you have funds for travel as you stated.  If not, I would consider getting certification for teaching English with TEFL or TESOL or even CELTA but it may cost you some money and time.  A 4 weeks CELTA course at ILA Vietnam is $1750 but it will give you a good opportunity for employment right away if you plan to stay 6 mos to a year.

Regarding medication, some US meds are available or have European or generic equivalents.  I looked up here , http://www.thuoc.net.vn, and found that duloxetine may be available but I'm not in VN right now so hopefully Yogi or someone in country can check for you.

Another work option - I know a guy who is sponsored by Samsung, tour companies, and others for traveling, taking photos, writing blogs, do advertising, give lectures about his travels in VN and abroad.  You may want to look into blogging or freelancing for journals or websites like this guy has done to cover some of your costs.