TEFL Can Tho
American expat in Vietnam
Forum posts
68
About me
American
Lives in Can Tho
Speaks English, German, Spanish, Vietnamese
Registration: 26 January 2015
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
My work visa came through yesterday. Two years. I didn't have to leave the country even though my previous was a three-month tourist. It cost me 9.5 mil. New problem: work permit requirement for teachers used to be university diploma OR ... Read More
Tap water in HCMC by GuestPoster13
Is it safe to drink the tap water at home if a water filter is used? Any expats have experience trying this? If no, is there a place to buy bottled water in larger quantities to save some on the price?
Vietnam only has secondary wastewater treatment. That means there're no turds or twigs floating in it but it has bacteria, including coliform, and heavy metals. A filtration system helps but locally made ones usually don't last and ... Read More
Top 5 tips to live in Vietnam by expat.com
Hi, When you are going to live abroad, you may have a lot of questions. Hence to facilitate you in this process, we are inviting expats to share their top 5 tips with regards to settling and living in Vietnam. What recommendations would you ...
1) don't date poor people. Just dont. The gap is uncrossable, and love will not cross it 2) make it clear from the start that you are not giving money to your partner's family, unless it's for specific and limited needs like private ... Read More
Top 5 tips to live in Vietnam by expat.com
Hi, When you are going to live abroad, you may have a lot of questions. Hence to facilitate you in this process, we are inviting expats to share their top 5 tips with regards to settling and living in Vietnam. What recommendations would you ...
0) learn the language, start before arrival 1) don't live in HCMC, avoid sexpats 2) vet your employees very carefully 3) don't leave pets outside or within reach 4) learn the visa rules Read More
Where can I replace glass on an Ipad by Guest63985
By accident our Ipad got broken and we need to replace with a new glass. Does anyone have any recommendations where to go in HCMC? And do you have an idea about costs for the replacement? The Ipad is working as normal, its only (!) the glass ...
Try one of those half dozen stores in two minutes walking distance that have the Apple logo on display. Or one of the thousands in the city. Thus is like asking where you can get a bowl of phở. Read More
Are the chances of finding a vietnamese wife in vietnam good by davidgoode
Hi there, I am a vietnamese american guy living in the U.S and I am having a hard time finding a girlfriend here. I am looking into getting introduced by family in vietnam to a vietnamese girl. I am not the partying type of guy and I just want to ...
Generics like "there are good and bad" just take up space. The balance between the two is decidedly unfavorable and a man seeking a wife here needs to hear useful and cautionary information, not platitudes. I know a lot of men both up ... Read More
Nice apartment by HaydnP
Hi everyone - coming to HCMC to live soon (I hope!) and been looking at places in near to work in District One. Appreciate the different areas to live - cost, entertainment, roads etc, but just as important is a nice apartment building with a pool ...
I don't know about Saigon but I never heard of an apartment with a gym in this country. Not many VIetnamese exercise after college but maybe in neighborhoods catering to foreigners. I wouldn't know. The only gym with AC is a staggering ... Read More
Psychiatric Test For Marriage by milkybunnyHCM
Where can I get this done? I called FV and they said no can do for Americans, call Cho Ray! I call Cho Ray, they said they stopped doing that recently, you have to go to a psychiatric hospital. Anybody have an idea where those might be?
Expedite, bribe, whatever, there's no escaping it here. As for marriage I know a number of men both personally and from afar who married VIetnamese women. I'd say the odds of it working out are not good, the only good experiences coming ... Read More
Chances of getting a job without the TEFL qualification?
Why even bother with the question, much less the hassle? The TEFL is trivially easy to get Read More
thieves by Guestposter822
Have just been back to Nha Trang after a year away and have noticed an increase in crime. My phone was stolen from the Thap Ba poolside (I've been there many times before and always thought it was relatively safe). Then a few nights later my ...
Johnny's First Word Processor. Johnny tries all the formattings!! Read More
I want to learn vietnamese
Having a vietnamese name doesn't ensure fluency Read More
Are Vietnamese wives control freaks????? by Vagabondone
Just curious if any of the men on this forum feel their wives are controlling? Do you begin to feel like you are in prison after a longer time with them? Do you feel that in order to get along with them you must give up other things in life you ...
... and more time to practice the guitar. I'm working on the Berkeley Sonatina. Always wanted to play that. Read More
Are Vietnamese wives control freaks????? by Vagabondone
Just curious if any of the men on this forum feel their wives are controlling? Do you begin to feel like you are in prison after a longer time with them? Do you feel that in order to get along with them you must give up other things in life you ...
Didn't we have enough of this stuff in the 70s? I sure did. Read More
Are Vietnamese wives control freaks????? by Vagabondone
Just curious if any of the men on this forum feel their wives are controlling? Do you begin to feel like you are in prison after a longer time with them? Do you feel that in order to get along with them you must give up other things in life you ...
I know about ten men married to or in relationships with Vietnamese women. Eight of them are giving huge monthly cash amounts to the women's families. One had endless arguments over it and they broke up many times before he finally put his foot ... Read More
Working in Vietnam by andytruong91
Hi Everyone! I am newbie here :) I was born in Vietnam and now living in Melbourne Australia with my family. I am fresh graduate student from RMIT with bachelor degree in I.T. It quite tough finding a I.T job in Australia, that is why i am planning ...
Go to a noodle place. Tính tiền. 95.000₫. Give the waiter a hundred. Does he pull a five out of his pocket? No. He walks to the other end of the shop and trades some fat guy smoking at a table and brings the five back. This ... Read More
Trying to renew my visa for another 3 months by albinofrog
Is anyone else attempting to get their visa renewed this week?? I was told there's some kind of change in immigration policy that's preventing it. Can anyone help me?
My work permit/visa has been approved ... for TWO years. I was expecting one. Read More
thieves by Guestposter822
Have just been back to Nha Trang after a year away and have noticed an increase in crime. My phone was stolen from the Thap Ba poolside (I've been there many times before and always thought it was relatively safe). Then a few nights later my ...
The occasional anecdote of honesty warms the heart but they're rarities. I know maybe three Vietnamese I'd trust with my lunch money. They'll steal anything. Read More
Working in Vietnam by andytruong91
Hi Everyone! I am newbie here :) I was born in Vietnam and now living in Melbourne Australia with my family. I am fresh graduate student from RMIT with bachelor degree in I.T. It quite tough finding a I.T job in Australia, that is why i am planning ...
What sort do you do? Software development? System administration? Database? It makes a difference. For software dev. the best thing you can do is either work up from QA (software testing) or write some apps you can use in a portfolio. I got my ... Read More
Working in Vietnam by andytruong91
Hi Everyone! I am newbie here :) I was born in Vietnam and now living in Melbourne Australia with my family. I am fresh graduate student from RMIT with bachelor degree in I.T. It quite tough finding a I.T job in Australia, that is why i am planning ...
IT work pays local wages here. I wanted to teach software development instead of English and learned that the pay was a quarter for full time university work what I get now for half time teaching English. But as an Asian you're not likely to ... Read More
Can Tho
The City of Poems is a study in contradictions. It's a big city populated by villagers. There aren't a lot of expats nor a lot of tourist areas. There are two theaters, both new, some good western food, not a lot of good Vietnamese food, ... Read More
Bad News for Expats wishing to Extend their Visas. by DirtyPierre
Since last Monday morning, you cannot extend a Viet visa, you have to go out of the country and buy a new one. Welcome to the smart Viet immigration Authorities. NOT
The document is fragmentary and says nothing about renewals. Moreover, nobody knows how to implement it. Read More
Bad News for Expats wishing to Extend their Visas. by DirtyPierre
Since last Monday morning, you cannot extend a Viet visa, you have to go out of the country and buy a new one. Welcome to the smart Viet immigration Authorities. NOT
The big problem is that a lot of us live here. The extended tourist fiction is insulting to everyone. We don't want to do sham marriages. We want to retire here, or live here till we die. There should be a visa for that. It's not like ... Read More
When a girl says : <insert your name > dang ghet ? by @ussieDave
Been talking to this girl (26) , who we share a mutual friend (who has been an Australian male friend of mine for many years - he actually put us in contact) pretty much every day for close to 8 months now. Viber, Zalo, face to face on skype etc ...
I doubt I'm the only one getting sick an' bleedin' tired of these nutty superstitions. Can't say adorable? Bad luck to take precautions? "Draw out the poison?" Read More
When a girl says : <insert your name > dang ghet ? by @ussieDave
Been talking to this girl (26) , who we share a mutual friend (who has been an Australian male friend of mine for many years - he actually put us in contact) pretty much every day for close to 8 months now. Viber, Zalo, face to face on skype etc ...
Dangerous to even take a stab without the diacritics. For example, dáng ghét comes out as "hateful." But I'm presuming the first word is đang, the tense-word meaning "currently." Even so, ghet isn't ... Read More
Expat blog February Gathering on 8th Feb 2015 by Richard Loo
We will meet up before everyone go back for TET holidays. February monthly gathering will be as follows Date: 08/02/2015 Sunday Venue: Highland Coffee 181 Ham Nghi, P HguyenThai Binh, ...
I doubt I can make it because of the combination on work commitments and distance, I will see what arrangements I can make because I would like to show up. However, attend or not, I'd like to thank the originator for making the venue a ... Read More
I'm getting sick of this slow internet !! by Frank Malt
It's been 10 days now and it crawls at a snails pace, so fix it already !! How much longer do we endure this?
I think I've taken enough of your insults, Mr. Jaitch. Good day. Read More
I'm getting sick of this slow internet !! by Frank Malt
It's been 10 days now and it crawls at a snails pace, so fix it already !! How much longer do we endure this?
I wasn't talking about electrical distribution, I wasn't talking about prioritizing entire classes of service like government agencies over users. I was and am talking about limiting bandwidth to specific URLs, which is indisputably ... Read More
I'm getting sick of this slow internet !! by Frank Malt
It's been 10 days now and it crawls at a snails pace, so fix it already !! How much longer do we endure this?
The 'throttling' in Phu My Hung (a very old, very decrepit, small part of Quan 7) has a sole InterNet provider. Their system is ancient, the wiring is old and signal loss high. 'Throttling' / load balancing takes place at the ... Read More
Love Vietnam but the past has ties by MarkinNam
just a little moan and for any who struggle. Just so we don't cross any Topic lines. Why I struggle to get my A into G MarkinNam MarkinNam Serial expat Perth 2013-05-19 426 posts Re: Trying to renew my visa for another 3 months Yup, know what ...
I'm not the expert outside desert plants but one possibility is that plants from temperate regions don't like the unvarying day length here. Every plant I brought here died within two years, after initially thriving. Months and months of ... Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
Wish somebody would scan and post one of them extension stamps dated after 01/01/15. It would add more creditability then credibility than just saying they got it without proof. RickWhere's the motivation to lie? With the huge spread in ... Read More
I'm getting sick of this slow internet !! by Frank Malt
It's been 10 days now and it crawls at a snails pace, so fix it already !! How much longer do we endure this?
A big part of the slowdown is throttling. Someone in the chain in throttling Facebook, YouTube, and others. If you go through a VPN and proxy server you'll get much faster service in spite of the extra hop and the encryption. I started using ... Read More
Love Vietnam but the past has ties by MarkinNam
just a little moan and for any who struggle. Just so we don't cross any Topic lines. Why I struggle to get my A into G MarkinNam MarkinNam Serial expat Perth 2013-05-19 426 posts Re: Trying to renew my visa for another 3 months Yup, know what ...
The only Vietnamese whose opinions matter to me are the educated few. The rest I've concluded long ago are, literally, not conscious. They live on some sort of taxic compulsion, grasping for food, alcohol, and money. They don't even act ... Read More
INDIAN IN Ho Chi Minh City - where to live and buy vegetarian food? by BATRA49
NEED SOME INFO ABOUT ISSUES FACED BY INDIAN - VEGETATRIANS IN HO CHI MINH CITY
You want to look for the word chay on restaurant signs. There is a lot of really good vegetarian food in Việt Nam and it's very inexpensive. That's chay. No diacritics. Best of luck. Read More
Wifi card or USB adapter in HCMC? by benjoj
Hi all I need to get a PCI wifi card or USB wifi adapter for my PC somewhere in HCMC. I have had a look on the FPTShop website but could not see anything close to what I need. Does anyone have any ideas please? Thanks Ben
As per my original post, it is a PCI card I need, for a desktop. Failing that a USB equivalent.Same answer. WiFi is built in now so you need to shop sources that supply parts for less than leading edge machines. PCMCIA, PCI, USB, whatever, WiFi ... Read More
Dog Meat Trade in Vietnam by sjpersonal
The reason that I joined this group was to learn more about Vietnam because I was really considering retiring there in a few years, specifically Hoi An. I found out about the Murder of Innocent Dogs in Thailand for food, so that country was crossed ...
This is an absolutely despicable thing to say to anyone, especially on a topic indisputably awful as this one. It's mealy mouthed and snotty. Quit it. I run a Facebook group for Việt Nam expats to vent spleen and anyone who posts this ... Read More
Wifi card or USB adapter in HCMC? by benjoj
Hi all I need to get a PCI wifi card or USB wifi adapter for my PC somewhere in HCMC. I have had a look on the FPTShop website but could not see anything close to what I need. Does anyone have any ideas please? Thanks Ben
I don't mean to sound harsh but the only item easier to buy in urban Vietnam is a bowl of noodles. Okay, WiFi dongles are indeed getting harder to find since all new laptops come with WiFi built in. Try Lazada, they deliver COD and have ... Read More
Wifi card or USB adapter in HCMC? by benjoj
Hi all I need to get a PCI wifi card or USB wifi adapter for my PC somewhere in HCMC. I have had a look on the FPTShop website but could not see anything close to what I need. Does anyone have any ideas please? Thanks Ben
There are six stores selling these within two blocks of my house. Just go for a walk. Go to a Viettel or Mobiphone store. You really should make an effort before starting a thread for something so trivially easy as this. Read More
Work for TESOL qualifed but no teaching degree
Well a crackdown would just mean that the schools breaking the law have to do their part better. I think the degree requirements can be waived with good work history. As for contradictory information, that's the rule here, not the ... Read More
Dog Meat Trade in Vietnam by sjpersonal
The reason that I joined this group was to learn more about Vietnam because I was really considering retiring there in a few years, specifically Hoi An. I found out about the Murder of Innocent Dogs in Thailand for food, so that country was crossed ...
Out in the countryside people will kill the dog thieves, they'll mob them, beat them to death, so nobody can say who actually killed them. In the cities they're like a mafia, organized and connected, and nobody will even tell a distraught ... Read More
Visa Extension by VietnamVenice3260
Hello gang ! Okay I am coming into country to meet a lady , and we may just tie the knot ... well it is the plan . Mother says save money , ah yes that . Well the straight and skinny is that I might become a husband and if I do marry ... HOW would ...
You know Shaazia, most of us expats come from over policed areas in the world. Some of us came to Asia for that actual reason, ie. to escape it. Why does this topic go off topic so much that you would need to remind us ? So what if it goes off ... Read More
Work for TESOL qualifed but no teaching degree
Some schools will let you work without a degree. If you have one it doesn't have to be in teaching. Mine's in mathematics. Problem is, you may get paid less. The schools are desperate for native speakers, there are five potential jobs ... Read More
Trying to renew my visa for another 3 months by albinofrog
Is anyone else attempting to get their visa renewed this week?? I was told there's some kind of change in immigration policy that's preventing it. Can anyone help me?
Scuttlebutt has it that renewals are over. I think it's just a Tết shakedown and we'll be back to $120 for a $10 visa in a few months. Read More
Trying to renew my visa for another 3 months by albinofrog
Is anyone else attempting to get their visa renewed this week?? I was told there's some kind of change in immigration policy that's preventing it. Can anyone help me?
Colin I wasn't trying to be funny , but sarcastic re the law changes, I'm more of a dog lover than a fan of humans, they aren't so fickleThis place can make a misanthrope out of a Pollyanna. I don't even have a dog anymore. It just ... Read More
Phu Quoc Island
Phú Quốc isn't Saigon. I'm sure there are bars there but most people go there for the scenery and the food. It's not the place for a boisterous night life. It's relaxed and peaceful there. Read More
Want to work in Vietnam
Respect and hard work won't get you a cup of charred corn and carcinogens coffee here. You have to have a college degree and a skill that can't be filled with Vietnamese. No H1-B program here. The heavy hitter for working in Vietnam is ... Read More
Visa Extension by VietnamVenice3260
Hello gang ! Okay I am coming into country to meet a lady , and we may just tie the knot ... well it is the plan . Mother says save money , ah yes that . Well the straight and skinny is that I might become a husband and if I do marry ... HOW would ...
Not sure why so much discussion is about VECs which, as far as I know, are only for Việt Kiêu, not for expats. As for provisions in the new document for work visa, how do you interpret the DN visa? It's not a permit. It's a ... Read More
Visa Extension by VietnamVenice3260
Hello gang ! Okay I am coming into country to meet a lady , and we may just tie the knot ... well it is the plan . Mother says save money , ah yes that . Well the straight and skinny is that I might become a husband and if I do marry ... HOW would ...
They can't end renewability for work visas. Companies can't go through hiring someone new for positions requiring foreigners every year. As for tourist visas, if there isn't some new workaround, official or coffee-money, then a lot of ... Read More
Visa Extension by VietnamVenice3260
Hello gang ! Okay I am coming into country to meet a lady , and we may just tie the knot ... well it is the plan . Mother says save money , ah yes that . Well the straight and skinny is that I might become a husband and if I do marry ... HOW would ...
I though this thread was about visa extensions. The travails of international nuptials are a separate issue and should be in a separate thread. A lot of people are seriously worried about this new law and want information, so far there doesn't ... Read More
Visa Extension by VietnamVenice3260
Hello gang ! Okay I am coming into country to meet a lady , and we may just tie the knot ... well it is the plan . Mother says save money , ah yes that . Well the straight and skinny is that I might become a husband and if I do marry ... HOW would ...
Tell her you're not giving money to her family and watch what happens. Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
Why should they care about us? Given the bad example set by so many expats who only come to have sex with girls a quarter their age or to finish themselves off with cheap booze, I wouldn't care about them either. I avoid these people, and the ... Read More
10 Important Changes Of New Immigration Law Of Vietnam From 2015 by Vietnam-Travel-142
In recently, I got many questions related the changes of New Vietnam Immigration Law, how its changes effect and which department of Vietnam Government they can contact to solve their problems. In this article, I summarise the most interested ...
Thanks for this summary. I was unware that several visas are extended. I read a lot into that "may" under (2). Thus is my situation, but my employer is handling my work visa, so I don't yet know if I'll have to leave. Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
A friend of mine just had his dogs poisoned, probably in preparation for a burglary by someone who needs yellow and red bling (and beer) for Tết. The big dog hogged the poisoned meat and died, another was convulsing but is expected to ... Read More
Online shopping Vietnam by moroanna
I am searching for online shops in Vietnam. I found a website where are the top 10 online shopping websites are listed i.e. vatgia.com, 5giay.vn, nhommua.com etc. However, they are all in Vietnamese. Does anyone know an online website which is in ...
Lazada works, has English, and you can pay COD. Read More
New Immigration Laws by Mark mac
Hye all I am moving to Vietnam in the beginning of November. my employer told me that I can come there on a visit visa and then they can change my visit visa status to work permit over there.... i checked online and there is a new law that will be ...
I'm letting my employer handle my tourist ——> work transition. I asked if I'd have to leave and come back. They don't know. They're taking the attitude that they're not going to ask. They have a lot of pull in ... Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
I liked it better before you edited it. It's true. Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
Please explain this agency letter. I have several friends who're really worried. I got into teaching for the visa more than for the money. I already make more than enough freelancing but now I have a job at a prestigious Vietnamese school ... Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
"Anger will consume you" is condescending and not helpful. I read this thread. I don't see a lot of anger. I see anxiety. And it appears amply justified. Read More
Visa extension by Gphillips
I have a 90 day, multiple entry, C-1 visa for Vietnam. It is valid through 04 Feb. I need a one month extension to 04 Mar 2015. Unaware of the rule changes I went to the local travel agency for an extension on 06 Jan. No can do! Went to the ...
I got my three months extension a few days before the new law. Now my work visa is approved and on the way. Just in time, from the sound of it. Read More