Westerners living in Vietnam

panda7 wrote:

im sure the Vietnamese feel the same way going to western countries and finding no bidets. they'd be like wtf !

There is a solution:  http://www.amazon.com/SmarterFresh-Spra … held+bidet  One of many      Eventually even Jimlove's native Denmark may arise from dark Scandinavia and learn of this civilizing innovation.  French colonialism left behind two good things.  Banh Mi and bidets.

Jimlove wrote:

Done need to hear from VN apologists like THIGV etc.

You might consider reading my post again as I clearly prefaced it with a comment that I was not one who could see no wrong with Vietnamese culture.  My comment was simply that if you are so unhappy, what is holding you here.  Something does not add up.

Moondancer wrote:

I have lived in Thailand for many years. Thais think farangs pockets are lined with Gold.
I have now come to Vietnam to live permanently Its still the same but more blatant.
When I go shopping I pay more for every item.
Example
Small milk drinks I pay 30000 Vnd Wife pays 24000 Vnd
Vietnamese Rum "      " 100000 Vnd Wife pays 75000 Vnd
Crisps I pay 10000 Vnd Wife pays 6000 Vnd
So my Wife has to do all the shopping.Or I go with her to show the shop keepers that we are together and not to rip me off!

TVB!

colinoscapee wrote:

As much as I like Vietnamese people socially, I do struggle with their attitude. They do have a tendency to not accept any fault and dealing with them on a day to day basis can be trying. Never try and teach a local anything, as they actually think they know everything. Overall, at this time in my life I prefer to live here even with the problems faced being an expat. At times it's very frustrating , especially on the roads where they have a total disregard for the law and close calls are the order of the day.

You made me smile..., "they know everything" ...yep. I was project manager for a bomb clearance project  in the Mekong Delta. I told the local clearance team that we had to search the TZ (transition zone - beach out to deep water) for bombs as the seismic teams would lay cables there.

The local UXO clearance company (Bomicen) told me that there were no bombs in the transition zone. I said that bombs often get washed up into the transition zone, but anyway as part of the project Health and Safety management procedure, we were obliged to do a search. They said, maybe in my country, but not in Vietnam, as Vietnam is different.

They laughed and sniggered and I had to supervise them directly to make them do it.

Day one - nothing found Hahahahah from Bomicen
day two - nothing found - Hahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahah stupid foreigner from Bomicen

Day 3. 1 x 105mm HE projectile found right on the seismic line; followed by a box of 40mm grenades.

Bomicen - maybe you put them there ......

Yeah right

Jimlove wrote:

So Thai-wfie just came back from Ba Le market and - surprise surprise - these thiefs once Again tried to cheat, not with prices, but with the change ...

Why does this always happen in this cheating country but almost never in Thailand - anybody actually lived both Places that have explanation ... ?

Done need to hear from VN apologists like THIGV etc.

Err, its called bargaining. This what you do in markets here. In fact thats what you do in markets the world over.

You need to leave you home country attitude behind.

Oh and yeah, I have lived in Thailand, and Laos and Cambodia and Hong Kong and Singapore and Malaysia, and Iran and and and... get real mate.

Yogi007 wrote:

What's that old saying ...
Watch, listen,observe,assess ,ADAPT and hopefully survive in your new environment.

I walk a lot here. I walk past hundreds of small markets, people sitting in the hot sun selling a few pieces of fruit to make a few pennies to feed their families.

Quite often the old ladies at the market here "get" me for a few dong.   Big deal....when their 5 year old kid is sitting beside them helping to put the onion in the bag do you think I care where that few dong is going.  A whole 20 cents maybe.

In my country we have a social security system .      I wonder how it would be back there if there wasn't that system in place.    I'd say the Desparate and penniless would spending their last dollars on a balaclava and baseball bat and coming after people.   They do that already on a daily basis , and these people get a regular income from a job or welfare. 

Could you imagine how savage they'd be if they had ZERO income like people here.

It's pretty good here.

Most expats I know don't dare go near a market, I do,as I know most of the prices from watching others. It's not the markets that are so bad, it's the penny pinching middle aged hag at the local shop that pisses me off. And don't even think that these people are struggling, many are doing very,very well. Look like you're doing badly so nobody thinks you have money is a very common scenario here. At the end of the day, if the shopkeeper tries to shaft you, move on to the next one, I have numerous small local shops and markets I deal with,and keep going to until they try and up the price,most of them don't.