New members of the Vietnam forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Hi everyone!
My name is Nick. I recently moved to HCM from Las Vegas.
I was born in Korea, went schools in Boston, NY, and Utah, then lived in HK and China for six years, then Vegas for seven years, and now I am here.
I am so excited although Vietnamese seems to be the most difficult language to me.
(Honestly, I can't even remember a word, other than 'Thank you')
I am straight, DDF, non-drinker, not even a drop, which makes my life a little boring.
I am sober for 8 years now -->very proud of myself about it.
I sell cooking thermometers, a manufacturer.
I love listening music, reading, watching movies stuffs.
Still looking for an apartment, staying at dorm in the factory now.
Any information about the city would be grateful.
Nice restaurants, tour spots, and etc.
You all have a great night!

yuiltherm wrote:

Hi everyone!
My name is Nick. I recently moved to HCM from Las Vegas.
I was born in Korea, went schools in Boston, NY, and Utah, then lived in HK and China for six years, then Vegas for seven years, and now I am here.
I am so excited although Vietnamese seems to be the most difficult language to me.
(Honestly, I can't even remember a word, other than 'Thank you')
I am straight, DDF, non-drinker, not even a drop, which makes my life a little boring.
I am sober for 8 years now -->very proud of myself about it.
I sell cooking thermometers, a manufacturer.
I love listening music, reading, watching movies stuffs.
Still looking for an apartment, staying at dorm in the factory now.
Any information about the city would be grateful.
Nice restaurants, tour spots, and etc.
You all have a great night!

I recommend looking on AirBnB Experiences as locals give yo their time to show off Saigon. It’s nice because it’s off the beaten track and nothing feels commercialised. I’m doing one this weekend! They also do lots of outdoor sports such as kayaking on the Mekong Delta

Thanks so much for your information!
I wouldn't have time for outdoor this weekend, but I definitely gonna try the air b&b tomorrow.

Good day! I'm Junarlyn from the Philippines. I've been teaching English for almost 4 years in the ESL industry. I graduated Bachelor of Elementary Education major in General Education. I'm very interested to be part of your institution where I can impart my knowledge especially to the English as our second language. Hope you'll give me a chance to share what I've learned! I've met a lot of students from different countries and I believe in my capabilities that learning of the student will never be wasted. Have a nice day!

Junaarliin wrote:

Good day! I'm Junarlyn from the Philippines. I've been teaching English for almost 4 years in the ESL industry. I graduated Bachelor of Elementary Education major in General Education. I'm very interested to be part of your institution where I can impart my knowledge especially to the English as our second language. Hope you'll give me a chance to share what I've learned! I've met a lot of students from different countries and I believe in my capabilities that learning of the student will never be wasted. Have a nice day!

Best wishes for your success. I truly mean that.

As I read your introductory post, I'm reminded of the difficulties I often experience when communicating with English-speaking people from The Philippines.

Education isn't the issue. It's a matter of syntax, or the lack of it.

I mention this because I've already learned that the ideal English teacher here is one who speaks the type of English one hears on broadcast news. So Brits, Aussies and Americans all have a leg up on you (there's a dangerous use of the idiom!) if they freely speak refined English without a strong regional accent.

Understand that there are already native Vietnamese people who speak English as well as you probably can, and they aren't being hired to be English teachers, because those who fund the educations of Vietnamese children insist on having teachers who speak the "successful" English of the world economic community.

If you can't demonstrate a greater command of English than a Vietnamese person with advanced English skills, your chances of being hired will be limited.

This thread is intended as an introduction to the forum, not a dialogue on why someone is here or there future here in Vietnam. There are better places to chat.

Diazo wrote:

This thread is intended as an introduction to the forum, not a dialogue on why someone is here or there future here in Vietnam. There are better places to chat.

But what does that have to do with interest rates in The Sudan?

Hello,

My name is Sara Bergeron, and I'm a Master's student in Organizational Communication at the University of Ottawa, Canada. For my thesis, I've decided to study the intercultural communication between Canadian expats and Vietnamese host-community members. I'll be travelling to Vietnam in the winter for data collection and would be very happy to get connected with other Canadian expats living in Vietnam. If you're interested in my study or think you may be able to help in any way, please feel free to reach out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Sara

Hi all. I'm originally from the UK and have been living in Melbourne, Australia for the last fourteen years.

Seriously thinking about moving to Hanoi with a view to teaching English there next year.

Look forward to learning from peoples’ experiences and advice.

Thanks for reading.

Sara Bergeron wrote:

Hello,

My name is Sara Bergeron, and I'm a Master's student in Organizational Communication at the University of Ottawa, Canada. For my thesis, I've decided to study the intercultural communication between Canadian expats and Vietnamese host-community members. I'll be travelling to Vietnam in the winter for data collection and would be very happy to get connected with other Canadian expats living in Vietnam. If you're interested in my study or think you may be able to help in any way, please feel free to reach out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Sara

Nice of the scientist to introduce herself to the lab rats before dissecting them.

Seriously, it seems to me that the more the people realize they are being studied, the more skewed will be your data.

FWIW, I suggest simply coming here and figuring out a way to get your questions answered without directly asking the subjects of your inquiry.

I would assume you know that already, so it does have me wondering if we are being trolled.

Just thinking out loud here...

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

FWIW, I suggest simply coming here and figuring out a way to get your questions answered without directly asking the subjects of your inquiry.

I would assume you know that already, so it does have me wondering if we are being trolled.

Unlike with true lab rats, social sciences have certain ethical constraints when working with people.  You can't be tricking your subjects.   There may be groupings including controls that they may not be aware of, but all have to be aware that they are part of a study.

Or not thinking at all.

Hi there,
I'm Julie from Newcastle Australia.

This post really belongs in jobs or English teaching, not in introductions. It seems everyone has gotten stuck on introductions as a means to post a topic. Nice to have you here though. You will get far more responses if you put it where it belongs, I think. Few read this thread. I did because I replied to another post here and you get subsequent post by all who post in your email box.

Vagabondone wrote:

Few read this thread.

This is my favorite thread! You're missing some good stories if you skip it! 

Agree though that detailed questions get more attention as new topics with descriptive titles.

From the UK, Managing cable assembly factories in China and HCM, been travelling here for past 15 years and have been staying here for the past 2 years, Been lurking but not posting on this forum for several years. Living in D7

Hello All,

Hail from the US.  Been here for several years now.  Another Teacher of English (ATE) or so I believe.   You can call me D'.   Still learning the ropes of living here (when I think I've mastered smth still smth new).   Anyway, nice to meet you.

Cheers

.
..so, is dastardly better than despicable..?   

I hate to think I've been eclipsed...     
.

Hello everyone,

I am currently living in Budapest, Hungary and I am gonna move from here to Danang city with my wife. I think its one of the best website for seeking help from other expatriates who are living and working in Vietnam.

***

Welcome to Vietnam! I have been living here in HCMC for 3 years now and I married a wonderful Vietnamese lady 6 months after I got here (of course we knew each other long before I got here). The people are warm and welcoming.
I teach English, the main occupation of expats here. If English is your native language and you have a bachlors degree, in any subject, you can find work here as an English teacher. Certification to teach English will improve your opportunities but you can get along without it. The main thing is that English is your native language. As for the rest of the job market, I am not able to help you there. Perhaps some of the other expats can.
Opening a bank account, renting, and things like that will be much easier if you have a good, trustworthy Vietnamese friend.
Everything is cheap when compared to American prices, I'm not sure about prices where you are at now. You might want to compare prices on the internet.
I'll fill out the survey when the link becomes aviable. Good luck with your move.

Vagabondone wrote:

This post really belongs in jobs or English teaching, not in introductions. It seems everyone has gotten stuck on introductions as a means to post a topic. Nice to have you here though. You will get far more responses if you put it where it belongs, I think. Few read this thread. I did because I replied to another post here and you get subsequent post by all who post in your email box.

I thought the purpose of this thread was introductions.  I suggest that you go back to Julien's post #1and read it again.  Imagine if every post from a new member started a new thread.  The clutter would be unbelievable.

Hi everyone This is mukesh from India..
Newbee to HCM city, willing to work here ... currently  I am on short term IT project
I would like to learn Vietnamese language ..so that i will be plus point to my profile could you please suggest or provide me contacts it will be gr8!

Greetings to everyone my name is Bob Ebers residing in Huntington, New York. Discovered this site a few days ago and have since been mesmerized by the level of heart felt sharing and generosity of spirit in this community. I'm excited to plan at least a month long trip early next year to explore the possibility and options of semi-retirement in VN. Currently single with one grown son (in UK) and two fantastic grand kids. I'm a veteran (USAF - 1 TAC - RF-4C - Crew Chief) with an advanced degree in business administration from a B1G 10 school. More information about my business and background can be found on LinkedIn.

It would be great to connect with and learn from others who have traveled this path before me - and most importantly make new acquaintances  - leading to friendship. My current friends would describe me as supportive, loyal, with a sharing spirit. It would be great to find a way to contribute my organization development, teamwork, change leadership and employee engagement skills and talents to help support the continued prosperity and success of VN.

Currently trying to narrow down where to start my trip Da Nang, Vung Tao or ? Grateful for any ideas, suggestions and connections...

Hawthorn effect revisited

Send me a message... We are doing the same thing.

Hi everyone and welcome to Expat.Com

@ Workplacestars, feel free to post a new topic on the Vietnam forum so that members can provide their feedback.

- https://www.expat.com/forum/post.php?fi … mp;lang=en

All the best,
Bhavna

Hello to everyone in Hanoi !! i am currently living for a couple of months here as a centre base for most of my flight around china , cambodia , taiwan , mymmar , thailand and etc. i am mainly based in ASEAN countries due to my business nature. 

recently i come across this expat platform through a local friend that i met at a bar and it does seem like a very interesting place to connect with new friends ^^

Hi everyone,
Its been sometime since I post here. I used to organize expat gathering with locals every month for few years. We helped many expats and even organized activities and events. I have been staying in HCM for 5 years and was wondering if anyone would be interested for meetup with locals /expats. Let me know and i may start again if there is a demand.
Welcome to Saigon! ^^

Hello everyone,

I'm currently in the Philippines but might work in Vietnam for a short term project ( approx 10 months). I'll stay in Hanoi and would love to meet fellow expats there.

When not in busy, I want to explore the other side of Vietnam. I've been to Hanoi, Vietnam last October 2018 for a 3 days business trip. During my free time, I visited the Hoa Lu and Tam Coc and the Hanoi city. I would like to try other places as well (Sapa, Halong Bay, Da Nang and more). I just want to feel the culture of Vietnamese and how it differs to my culture.

I'm looking for a fellow traveler would love to visit these place and explore the beauty of Vietnam.

If anyone interested to meet up for some coffee. Let me know

Hello fellow expats! My name is Tommy and i originally grew up in O.C., California, After getting bored of California I decided to move to Seattle. It was a new change of scene but oh man Vietnam is a whole different story! 14 hours on a flight, hot and humid but it's totally worth it. I am an English teacher at AMA and SEC but I'm still learning to ropes here. I'd definitely have to say the culture difference is huge. I'm open mind to learning new things at the same time I hope i will learn a thing or two about how to avoid scammers here!. Anyway thank you for reading this and I am very excited to meet some awesome people on here.

Hi everyone,
Just joined and trying to follow protocol, introduce myself
I just moved to hcm from last city of singapore couple of months back (my wife is vnese). Hoping to benefit from this community, and of course i would contribute when/where i can.
Cheers! Xin chao!

trex7891 wrote:

Hi everyone,
Just joined and trying to follow protocol, introduce myself

Just a hint.  Don't hit the "Back" arrow on your browser after you post.  Instead hit "Vietnam" on the tree at the top or else simply close the tab and then open up again.  That way you can avoid double posts.

Hi all,
Im from Vancouver, BC. now living in SaiGon for few months to do some market research. looking for like minded friends to play high level Basketball or other sports....foods too good here. gotta keep in shape. hit me up if you are sports minded too. Im down for some good food gathering as well. cheers.

it seem very interesting to attend such a gathering event do hit me up if there is a gathering in the future ??

Thanks...  As a matter of fact, I realized the double post, but couldn't find a way to delete one of them. I hope that's common newbie's problem... 

THIGV wrote:

trex7891 wrote:

Hi everyone,
Just joined and trying to follow protocol, introduce myself

Just a hint.  Don't hit the "Back" arrow on your browser after you post.  Instead hit "Vietnam" on the tree at the top or else simply close the tab and then open up again.  That way you can avoid double posts.

OK.... learnt to "quote" too. Hopefully it's within the right forum for this "training".
Cheers and thanks

trex7891 wrote:

OK.... learnt to "quote" too. Hopefully it's within the right forum for this "training".
Cheers and thanks

Happy to help.  Yes it is a perfect place to learn the mechanics.

Gday, my name is Ros, I currently live in Queensland, Australia and am planning to live and work in Vietnam shortly, hoping around February arrival in 2019.   I am very excited to have found this site today and look forward to connecting with people once I arrive.  I would greatly appreciate help in a few areas if anyone would like to share their knowledge, thank you in advance.
1. My departure airport is Brisbane. Is there a better airline to fly with?  I don't want a really long 2 or 3 stopover flight as my back is not as good as it used to be. Is a flight to Singapore than Da Nang the best way to go.
2. I currently have a 3 month tourist visa , but will be hopefully getting work on-line English teaching so will need accommodation with good wi fi connection. I have been advised its cheaper to rent by the month. I will be looking for most economical way to do this. I will need a quiet room or space though to conduct class lessons on-line. Any accommodation recommendations?
I am looking at taking out Covermore insurance for 12 months. It's about $1000 for full coverage. Is this the best way to go?
I am 56 years old and do not know if there is an age restriction on working in s.e Asia which is why I'm travelling on tourist visa and working on-line. Can anyone enlighten me on this, should I come in on a working visa instead if that is possible?
I will want to know the best places for locals to eat at.
I'm looking forward to connecting with expats when I arrive. Is there a regular meeting time/place?
I am also extremely keen on studying Qi gong/tai chi with a views entrails on doing teacher training. Is there a good place to do this?
Thanks for any help, looking forward to hearing from you all, cheers from Sunny Coast 😃

You do not mention where it is you plan on living. Many of the answers to your questions will depend on that. So I tbink it would be better if you tell us where. Once we know that you can learn if the medical facilities you want to use will except your carrier, you wlll know better what AP to fly into etc.
  I have had friends that taught online and the standard WiFi installed did not meet there needs. But you can have fiber optics installed. I assume your already hooked up with an online teaching company. If not it took a few of my friends a long time to get signed up.
  Hopefully you have already gotten your Hepatitis B and A vaccine. Would be good to know if your on any meds. Some are strictky forbidden here and can get you crossswise of the law. Some you can not get. Especially psychotropic meds.
  Unless your teaching for someone here you will not need a work permit.
  When you do arrive I would suggest you only use Vinasun or Mai Linh taxi’s. Vinasun uses white vehicles with green markinngs. Mai Linh green with yellow markings. A 7 passenger is more exspensive then a 4 passenger. But it depends on what city your arriving in. Vinasun is not in all cities.
  Feel free to PM me if you  wish.