Hmm...what do you miss?

colinoscapee wrote:

Good drivers,better roads, low corruption and clean enviroment.These are things that could be done here, but I cant see the Commies ever doing it.

Just remember, you get what you pay for. That we don't have these things in Vietnam is one of the reasons it is less expensive to live here. Want better roads and clean environment? Pony up to the VN tax man. (That's only if there's no corruption - right now, most of your money would probably just end up in his pocket, rather than improving infrastructure.) If we could wave a magic wand and make Vietnam comparable to our home countries, I think we would also find a comparable cost of living, with the taxes that go along with it. I'm guessing it will be at least 20-30 years before VN infrastructure approaches the levels Western countries (US, EU, AUS) have right now.

colinoscapee wrote:

So your saying that people cant put rubbish in a bin or companies stop pumping waste into rivers.Did you realise it costs more to build a road in VN then it does in the USA, I wonder why. The whole point is this, the government could have better infastructure, but the coffers are getting fleeced every day by people in positions of power.It doesnt need money for police to get out on the road, it just takes them to actually give a damn.


Just so you know, I do pay tax here.

And just so you know, I pay tax here as well...

The point of my post, and I thought I clarified my comments about paying taxes by pointing out what you restated above, regarding corruption, was that for Vietnam to be the exact same as our home countries, all the associated costs of living here would also have to be the same. At that point, what would be the point of living and doing business here? I would just go back to USA and live and do my business there.

Agree with you that it doesn't cost money to throw trash in a waste bin, stop putting waste into waterways, or for the traffic police to do their jobs properly.

ancientpathos wrote:

Every once in a while I miss large breasts.  Just take a trip to the tourist areas and then I realize I am much better off with the asian size.

Took me a third read before I realised you were talking about food.  You were talking about food weren't you?

I miss walking, playing, picnics on the GRASS.  Also that I am currently visiting Europe, I didn't realise how much I enjoy walking places without being worried about getting run over by motorbikes.

JVo18 wrote:

Miss my M3. Miss food too but I go back every 4 months and stock up on everything so that's gotten better. Miss watching nfl all day on Sunday. Miss the first 2 days of march madness (anyone who knows what I'm talking about knows that's the 2 greatest days of the year!) I'm a sports nut if you couldn't tell... Miss my friends as well. I have nothing against English teachers but for some odd reason they seem to be the only people here I meet. It'd be nice to meet people around my age (30) who weren't just English teachers.

I'm here man...older than 20 but younger than 50.   But I'm more of a charity/social worker type.  I do teach English too but normally I do it for free.  So I guess I am an English teacher...as...well.   

JVo18 wrote:

Miss my M3...

What's a M3?

BMW M3, a high-performance compact executive car produced by German automaker BMW?

tintinmiami2013 wrote:

Expats,

What do you miss from your respective countries beside your love ones?

Do share.

Tin Tin

I miss getting shot at.  Gone are the days of dodging bullets at movie cinemas, schools (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sc … ted_States), airports, churches....

Here, I just worry about pickpockets....boring.

I think you get my sarcasm.  Yes, there are things I miss in America but there are things I'd rather not miss.  For me, there's probably more negative than positive so in balance I guess I don't really miss anything.

mtgmike wrote:

And I like the hoses on the toilets for washing your rear, this alone makes it all worthwhile.

Gotta love the simple pleasures in life

cheeha wrote:

ancientpathos wrote:

Every once in a while I miss large breasts.  Just take a trip to the tourist areas and then I realize I am much better off with the asian size.

Took me a third read before I realised you were talking about food.  You were talking about food weren't you?

I miss walking, playing, picnics on the GRASS.  Also that I am currently visiting Europe, I didn't realise how much I enjoy walking places without being worried about getting run over by motorbikes.

I wasn't talking about the food.

Did you realise it costs more to build a road in VN then it does in the USA, I wonder why.

colinoscopie, While I realize there is corruption in Vietnam, it would still cost more to build a road in the Mekong Delta than it does in most states of the U.S.. The engineering challenge makes all the difference in the world. Modern highways need a substrata that can support them. In areas where the subsoil is essentially wet all year long, anchoring or 'floating' highways over the subsoil is not cheap. I'm sure their is an engineer out there who can give us the proper terminology, but the result is the same. It's no accident that the Delta had to wait for the 1990s and 2000s to throw bridges over the Mekong and Bassac.

What I really miss in Florida: A decent real pub a la GB, Aussie, or Ireland. A night drinking beer with expats on the Ben Ninh Kieu in Can Tho, or in the expat bars of Nha Trang is far more pleasurable than a year drinking anywhere in Florida.

colinoscapee wrote:

Well I wasnt really referring to the Delta, I was referring to roads overall. Corruption is the biggest problem and lets not forget that these roads are falling apart after 12 months. That means the products in use are very low, take into consideration that a civil worker here would be on about 150-200 usd a month compared to about 2000 usd a month in the states.. So labour costs are ten fold in the states, yet they can still build roads cheaper.

In relation to the bridges over the main rivers, most are built and funded by countries like Australia,Japan and so on. Most are just cable- stayed bridges which have been around for decades. If you want to check out a bridge, have a look at Phu My bridge from D7 to Cat Lai. It was built by aussies, the locals then built the road that connects it on the Cat Lai side. The quality of workmanship is disgusting, money in pockets for the biys and then use inferior materials and workmanship.

This blog, although written about Russia, can be applied to Việt Nam.  It does talk about corruption as jacking the price up but there are other factors that increase the cost of road miles, such as land clearing/purchase that Australia and the US don't really factor into the road costs.

http://www.thedutcheye.com/opinions/bus … -mile.html

As far as the Phú Mỹ Bridge (HCMC) goes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ph%C3%BA_M%E1%BB%B9_Bridge, it was built by a consortium of French, German, Vietnamese as well as Australians, though much of the funding were from Australia, France and Germany.  However, I think if you go to the bridge and stop at it's apex, you'll see an Aussie flag-plaque so Australia gets the credit. 

Australia also gets credit for the Mỹ Thuận Bridge in Vĩnh Long Province while Japan get the credit for the Cần Thơ Bridge.

Good_Man wrote:

mtgmike wrote:

And I like the hoses on the toilets for washing your rear, this alone makes it all worthwhile.

Gotta love the simple pleasures in life

Is that what that hose is for?  Now that explains why I always have to bring my own TP to the WC.

colinoscapee wrote:

Im sorry I forgot about the extra 100 million for land acquisition and clearing.

Sounds familiar.

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

Good_Man wrote:

mtgmike wrote:

And I like the hoses on the toilets for washing your rear, this alone makes it all worthwhile.

Gotta love the simple pleasures in life

Is that what that hose is for?  Now that explains why I always have to bring my own TP to the WC.

Yeah the water pressure can really make you jump sometimes. But it is nice that they provide a bucket of water incase you are thirsty, and a towel to dry the sweat from your face.

ssuprnova wrote:

"Also, everyday politeness and manners, things being done the proper way, and personal space. Oh, and the ban on smoking."

If someone puts an elbow into your personal space, if they light up a smoke nearby, or if you find yourself next to a backpacker that believes forgoing showers is all part of the adventure, you accept it or solve the problem by moving yourself two steps in a different direction.  If this is backwards, please don't turn me around.

mtgmike wrote:

ssuprnova wrote:

"Also, everyday politeness and manners, things being done the proper way, and personal space. Oh, and the ban on smoking."

If someone puts an elbow into your personal space, if they light up a smoke nearby, or if you find yourself next to a backpacker that believes forgoing showers is all part of the adventure, you accept it or solve the problem by moving yourself two steps in a different direction.  If this is backwards, please don't turn me around.

Easier said than done. People have no concept of secondhand smoke being harmful so you can often find yourself in someone's home lighting up one around pregnant women and children or just anybody not fond of it. Explaining is futile and they only become confused.

colinoscapee wrote:

What about when you go to a busy fuel station and they park anywhere and everywhere. Then some mental giant parks behind you so you cant get out, common sense is something that is not seen often in Viet Nam.

Yah, that's when you physically manhandle his motorbike out of the way so you can get out.  I get annoyed by the lack of foresight and consideration that other people have towards each other as well.

Speaking of smoking.  There was a guy lighting up those giant incense sticks they use for honoring the dead.  He had a whole wad and the smoke was flying in my face.  I told him to move over yonder to light them and he was like..."oh it'll be a few seconds".  And I was like "hell no, get that crap out of my face" and I basically pushed/shove/guided him 5 meters away from me.

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

What about when you go to a busy fuel station and they park anywhere and everywhere. Then some mental giant parks behind you so you cant get out, common sense is something that is not seen often in Viet Nam.

Yah, that's when you physically manhandle his motorbike out of the way so you can get out.  I get annoyed by the lack of foresight and consideration that other people have towards each other as well.

This was the thing that struck me the most. The vast majority of VNese people are so friendly and helpful, but they can't seem to think five seconds ahead.

Being considerate towards strangers... this one makes me miss home.