Moving to Vietnam

Stay away from Saigon and Ha Noi if you're worried about pollution.

Hi,

I note you are moving to Saigon, you should worry about traffic and pollution, but will get over it soon enough with the vibrancy of the city, but SAFETY SHOULD ALWAYS BE A PRIORITY HERE, do not take the laid back attitude and smiling faces  for granted.  I will be in Saigon in September and have lived here for some years now, so feel free  to catch up if need be.

Enjoy Vietnam.......................Des

Hello there im tarkan from Australia im 37 and moving to Vietnam in September to teach english. Just a hint... be picky an weary of street vendors of food a lot are good an clean but some are not. If you see a popular one with a lot of customers then it's ok. Pollution is part of the city whether you like it or not. You'll adapt in a couple of weeks and for this i suggest going to a sauna an spa to detoxify an expel all toxins out of your body. As for transportation try to use mini buses, never jump in a cab that hasn't got a meter or he/she doesn't want to turn it on as they will try to rip you off by negotiating a price with you. Hope this helped. Message me if you require further info. Btw whatever nationality you are besides Vietnamese you'll be a little uncomfortable in hanoi as they tend to be a little racist an discriminative.

i have been in Saigon for 2 months, actually, i think Saigon is very safe, do not worry about safeness. if you choose to have accomodation in hotel, they got 24 hours reception or security guarder. Besides, when i walk on the street, some vietnamese on the motorbike tried to remind me to take care of my bag, that is very nice.
By the way, Saigon doesn't have a good air  since so many motorbikes on the road, and the river smells terrible sometimes.

I have moved back to Vietnam for 8 months and the experience is amazing so far District 1,2,7 is recommended for Expat due to good facilities and near the center of Saigon.
In my opinion, Saigon is pretty safe as long as you do not show off your jewelry and stuff. Pocket picker here is nowhere near the level of Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing lol.
About pollution, it is the same story for every big city. You can choose to live in district 2, 7 because it is greener and not so crowded for now. However, please ready to cover your face while riding motorbike.
In Vietnam, you can travel with public transportation like trains, airplanes, coaches. However, do not keep your hope high with the customer service. Or you can travel by yourself with rental car, motorbike .etc. FYI, there is no subway and inner city train.

Drop me a message if you need any help when moving here.
Best of luck,

Yeh, Its safe when u have nothing to lose hahaha

ur comment is fun and helpful. love u ^^