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

Vagabondone wrote:

It is the home of a monker lady who now rents out each floor of her home.

I assume it is some kind of a typo but what is a "monker" lady.  Is it someone who hawks goods in the open market (monger) or is it someone who spends all day in a monastery or is there a third possibility that I have missed?   

rossiemac wrote:

1.  Is a flight to Singapore than Da Nang the best way to go.

Good reasons for flying into HCMC, Đà Nẵng or Hà Nội.

I suggest Đà Nẵng because of the central location, from which you can venture north, west and south on short trips.

Perhaps flying into Đà Nẵng and flying out of HCMC (or vice versa) will work best for you?

rossiemac wrote:

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?

While there are some highly recommended properties here on Airbnb, the prices are inflated for those good locations. Otherwise, Airbnb is a real crapshoot here, with lots of stories about landlords who don't have a clue as to how to set up a proper space with amenities.

My own landlord is a dear, but she rented an apartment through Airbnb the other day and the hapless British renter came to us asking for a broom and a mop and glassware.

The landlord had assumed that a three-day renter would clean the unprepped apartment, as well as supply her own kitchen tools.

Airbnb IS a great tool to use, once you are here. You can identify possible apartments, then contact the landlord for a viewing, and end up negotiating a nice, long term rate.

The Mỹ An area of Đà Nẵng (Google Maps link) may suit you best when you first arrive. Hotel rates are slightly higher because it's an expat-friendly area. However, you can find a monthly hotel room for about ₫7 million VND or a hotel-apartment room including equipped kitchenette for around ₫9 million VND.

Even true apartments (studio or 1 bedroom) can be quickly found after arrival. The base price is about the same as a hotel-apartment, but you get less maid service and probably have to pay for electricity in an apartment.

I recommend you pull up the Google map and search the area for "hotels" or "lodging". Most hotels will have rates updated instantly for sites such as Hotels.com (a @Ciambella frequent-traveler favorite) and Booking.com. I consistently get the best rates through Agoda, using their app with ₫VND rates. BUT, by doing a Google maps search first, any special rates available through other travel sites will be easily seen.

I recommend booking 3 to 5 nights at a hotel, then look for longer term accommodations once you are here and can walk the neighborhood.

rossiemac wrote:

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?

To get these kinds of recommendations on this site, it may be best to start new threads with specific questions & a sub topic under specific cities.

Otherwise, the Facebook group DanangHoianexpats is your best bet for local recommendations and tons of SPAM.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

I recommend booking 3 to 5 nights at a hotel, then look for longer term accommodations once you are here and can walk the neighborhood.

Da Nang is full of construction. We had a nice room at the beach, but next door they were pounding piles into the ground for the new tower next door. All day.    So I would book no more then 3 nights, you can always move to another quieter hotel, there are plenty of rooms.

oh_hello wrote:

Thank you both THIGV and Vagabondone for responding. For my project, I simply need 25 people to be a part of my panel to give me feedback throughout my process of developing a product that might be of use to lower the rates of human trafficking. Because this is a large issue, I am focusing on young adult females living in isolated villages in Vietnam that are trafficked to China. I am simply looking for people with knowledge and seeing that this forum involves people who have been in Vietnam, I was hoping to use them as a resource.

Again it is possible that someone reading here could help you but it is still likely that you are looking to focus on a smaller northern village, not a likely place to find expats.  The only exception might be someone married to someone from such a village but not living there.  Still, good luck.

blinddonkey wrote:

anyone know about the victori hotel in My khe beach,
An Thuong 2  Da Nang?
seems a nice place, it is quiet or lots of construction?

Yes

Ona.journey.now wrote:

Or pool, or lake, or river, or even a creek! We are also water babies, can't you tell?

I fear you will be rather disappointed with the water quality in Saigon.  I never came across a single body of water there that was not so severely polluted and malodorous that one wouldn't want to be near it let alone take a dive.  The air quality is not a lot better.  I expect that you may have encountered similar situations in urban areas of the Philippines.   It sounds to me that one of the coastal cities may be more to your liking.

THIGV wrote:

Ona.journey.now wrote:

Or pool, or lake, or river, or even a creek! We are also water babies, can't you tell?

I fear you will be rather disappointed with the water quality in Saigon.  I never came across a single body of water there that was not so severely polluted and malodorous that one wouldn't want to be near it let alone take a dive.  The air quality is not a lot better.  I expect that you may have encountered similar situations in urban areas of the Philippines.   It sounds to me that one of the coastal cities may be more to your liking.

Many thanks!  Yeah, HCMC is definitely more of a cosmopolitan city, which we kind of are in need of at the moment.  We just did the coastal thing in Thailand and are craving a bit of more of socializing you can find in cities.  We actually have our eye on Da Nang eventually, as soon as we fix our visa situation, but until then city living here we come.  Or as long as we can take weekend trips to some great water, we'll be alright! 👍  As for the Philippines...I didnt leave a western country to end up in another  country wanting to be westernized.  That and we love Vietnamese food.  We are counting down the days until we can get our hands on some!!

Julien wrote:

Hi all,

Newbie on the Vietnam forum? Dont know how to start?

This thread is for you

We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your expat projects in Vietnam if you are planning to move there.

It will enable us to help you better but above all to wish you a warm welcome.

Welcome on board!