Reid

This is the first time after 6 and a half years that i didn't receive the check in my account. Did everybody on the SSA list receive their check in their account? - @Good_ManGood_Man, I am tad confused about some of the sentences you've written, ... Read More

G'day all As the title suggests, I'm looking at the possibility of retirement in Vietnam in 4 years and would appreciate all the advice I can get. I understand there is no retirement visa as such and I don't intend to work. There seems to be mixed ... Read More

In HCMC, there are a number of furniture stores on Đương Ngô Gia Tư where I have bought furniture that is well-made. I have also measured the space in my "cozy" bedroom and had night stand, wardrobe, and storage cabinet ... Read More

Announced in the news today: Ho Chi Minh City to set off fireworks at 16 sites for 50th anniversary of city named after President Ho Chi Minh I remember how 11 Years ago, on the even of 30 April 2015 I was sitting with a few locals on a sidewalk in ... Read More

@MarkinNam Good link. Thank you for that, Mark. Here's a vid from immigration detailing the process. (Link, Facebook) edit: I watched the vid, and this pre-arrival information form seems to ask for the same info as the traveller had submitted ... Read More

Off on another topic. At an open gate at a construction site, I was able to see into the ground floor area of a new tower going up. There were all these people wearing hard hats. Then, I looked at the ground. Many of them were barefoot, some wearing ... Read More

Visited Vinmec Clinic in Duong Dong yesterday for a consultation. I paid 690K VND with appointment, would have been 1,100K VND as a walk-in. This is apparently the examination room for the blue-eyed pilots In the novel, Dune. Either that or the ... Read More

Hello everyone! In many countries, transportation costs are becoming a real challenge for expats. Some are completely changing their habits: using public transport more often, carpooling, switching to scooters… or cycling. In Denmark, for ... Read More

MAybe there are two kinds of people-Those who can delay gratification now for a future reward.Those whose interests are more immediate.I was in the first category, always debt-free and a saver but didint know how investing worked... and didint know ... Read More

A prominent attorney dies and finds himself in a long queue (line, Americans) leading up to the Pearly Gates. He can't believe how slowly the queue is moving so he steps out of line and walks to the front of the queue.There, St. Peter admonishes him ... Read More

Guy goes to his doctor.Guy: Doc, I've got this terrible flatulence problem! It's not making any noise or anything and there's no bad smell, either, but it just goes on and on making me very uncomfortable.Doc: Take one of these pills every day and ... Read More

I’ll be honest — when I first looked at markets, savings, investing… it all just felt like noise. Charts moving up and down. Headlines changing every day. Everyone sounding like they knew what was coming next. I didn’t feel ... Read More

Likely, and I forgot about the lack of smell that a switch to electric bikes will bring. Due to your wise decision to continue with lead-acid batteries. I've read that lithium batteries will develop a distinctive smell of their own should thermal ... Read More

Wasn't able to find the article I had referenced, but I did find this in one of our local e-rags. Hanoi's smog puzzle: Vehicle emissions contribute just 15%, officials say Despite popular belief, vehicle emissions are not the main culprit behind ... Read More

Hi all, where can one find reliable rental agents ? Does anyone have recommendations. Please pm me their details. - @MarkinNam Unfortunately, It doesn't seem that this website has one of the most commonly requested professional fields: rental ... Read More

Hi all, This has probably been done to death on this forum, but I really need info on how to live long term in Vietnam, especially in Nha Trang. I am 67 years old, I'm Dutch and retired now. Have been to Thailand many times and wanted to retire ... Read More

@Biff2My experience (memory not 100%) that I wrote to the office Social Security in the Philippines; they helped me find the form online. I filled it out with signature, scanned it, and sent it back to them. Done. Read More

@PhuNinhTim Try Googling Virtual Mailbox company? Read More

Hi, How old are you? I am surprised that you don't know how to ride a bicycle. I ride in Ho Chi Minh City a lot. Um, private message me and let's take it from there.(Lennerd) Read More

It's really making a fuss over nothing. It's very easy to adapt to Vietnamese drivingAll you need to do is not be entrenched in a Western perspective, be flexible and tolerant. The Vietnamese are in their own country and do as they please; it's up ... Read More

Looking to move to Vung Tau area from Canada, what’s the options for work as an expat? I’m currently a manager at a commercial exterior construction company, I specialize in building envelope. - @Matthew Oliver mccormickHey Matthew, As ... Read More

Nowhere in this thread is the issue of pronunciation competency addressed. - @OceanBeach92107 The spoken word. Vocab is number one. The more words a student knows, the better they can communicate with an interlocutor. Grammar comes third, but ... Read More

" . . . mathematical statistics. . . ."Are there any non-mathematical statistics? Asking for a friend. Read More

@Lennerd Wow, that is a lot of stress reading that..lol  I need to ask my bank if I can use my sisters address since she will be signing an affidavit or equivalent to having access to my account in case of fraud or needing a new card, etc. So ... Read More

@jrharvey I get money out of my WISE account at ATMs in TP HCM pretty much every week. - @Lennerd There were glitches at first: it’s a savings account . . . I had to select that as that is not the default on the ATM screen. Read More

@jrharvey I get money out of my WISE account at ATMs in TP HCM pretty much every week. Read More

@callaway4000 I don’t know what the limits of inactivity are because I transfer funds at least once a month! Read More

@callaway4000, I don't KNOW the ins and outs of every banking situation.I was told that if I get a WISE account in Vietnam I wouldn't get an ATM card with the account. Thus, I was advised to get a WISE account in the USA, which I did. Conveniently, ... Read More

@callaway4000, I can't tell you what the best thing to do is; I can only tell you what I do and that it's working for me.I have all my income direct-deposited into a Schwab account in the USA. I transfer money as I need it to a WISE account for ... Read More

@Mac68 There are multiple stories on VN Express about terrifying flooding, storm related. Ít is widely acknowledged that the typhoons that rake Philippines often go on to hit the mainland of Central and Northern Vietnam and Southern China ... Read More

Hi @Donald Sawatzki, I am living in Ho Chi Minh City.You don't say what the level of disability you're living with, so like Aidan in HCMC I can't give you maybe the exact piece of information you're looking for.I am in my third year of living in Ho ... Read More

@drutter, I also met my now-wife on VN Cupid dot com .I posted a long list of qualities I'd like to have in a partner on my profile. Many women said I was "too strict" but my wife and I are very compatible and she ticked all the boxes. Also, many ... Read More

This article says similar has been seen in Vietnam, including in the South. Yikes.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/world/asia/laos-wasp-attack-father-son.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE8.qR2K.TyZP4qlccVLU&smid=url-share Read More

@dlewis516I have done that visa run to that location twice now. The first time I waited ~3 hours. The second time I waited 2 hours and 20 minutes and paying close attention, too.Between drinking coffee, chatting with fellow travelers, and reading my ... Read More

A priest, a politician, and an engineer are condemned to death and are queued up by the guillotine.The priest is slated to go first and the exchange goes like this:Executioner [to priest]: Would you like to go face down or face up?Priest: I want to ... Read More

This is an absolutely useless and waste of time thread. It wouldn't matter what answer anyone gives here, the response would be a "what-about-ism".This is the kind of senseless thread that develops on this forum when someone is looking for a way to ... Read More

@OceanBeach92107Kinder, wiser words have not been spoken. I'm referring to our guy who, by his own admission, sat on the front stoop drinking as the neighbors feed his wife the truth about what a deadbeat he is.My $0.02 worth.First, those 90 days of ... Read More

I know its a long shot but is anyone at all aware of a US registered notary living in Saigon. Im selling my home in the US. I know the US embassy is an option but I have closing documents that require a wet seal and notarization from both myself and ... Read More

This is an absolutely useless and waste of time thread. It wouldn't matter what answer anyone gives here, the response would be a "what-about-ism".This is the kind of senseless thread that develops on this forum when someone is looking for a way to ... Read More

I'm coming to HCMC at the end of the month (I'm expatriate in Cambodia) to arrange a hip replacement (poss. bi-lateral). I'll need at least six weeks to recover as I understand so am looking for somewhere suitable. I came last month for an MRI and ... Read More

When ordering breakfast at hotel you can get one egg and toast for $2.50. If you buy two eggs and toast it will cost $3.50. What the hell is wrong with the second egg! - @Guest2023Nothing's wrong with the second egg. The toast costs $1.50. Each egg ... Read More

@Aidan in HCMC,That was my first thought, too! Maybe this dates me."Comin' into Los Angeleeze,Bringing in a couple of keys.Don't touch my bags if you pleezeMr. Customs Man!"Those days are long gone! Read More

@MarkinNam, Good luck with the move!I was living in California, USA from August 2022 - April 2025 and visited Vietnam twice during that time. Before that, I was living up near Seattle, Washington, in the Puget Sound area (since 2017, when I left ... Read More

@Aidan in HCMCHere in HCMC, I went to Uniqlo. They had nothing, not one thing, that I could fit into.I went to H&M and they had clothes that I could get into AND clothing that was a size or two bigger than what I wear. This is a new development ... Read More

@Dannyroc3I bought and ride a bicycle all over the place in District 1 and 3. I bought it at a bike shop locally in D 3. Here's what I wrote to a friend back in North America:The first bit is that I bought a bicycle and have really, really enjoyed ... Read More

@OceanBeach92107"In the USA there are a number of heavy regional accents that make it virtually impossible for that person to successfully teach English in Vietnam." No kidding! Admittedly, this was a long time ago, the summer of 1971. A friend and ... Read More

@LennerdActually, the graph is showing *productivity GROWTH* which means, I suppose, that it is a year-on-year percentage change? Also, the lower line is average wage GROWTH. Hmm. Again, some percent change year-on-year?Regardless, the tracking of ... Read More

@OceanBeach92107what did one fish say to the other fish when he ran into a concrete wall?"Dam!" Read More

@Dannyroc3Did you read the article/text accompanying the graph?"When I looked at the -Productivity vs compensation- link you gave, I noticed the timeline perfectly matched up to the years where Women were pouring into the workforce. If the number of ... Read More

@ozzymanD7, a true "expat bubble" is a world away from Bui Vien in Pham Ngu Lau! D7 is wide streets with a kind of Western suburban vibe, including at least a couple of shopping malls, Vivo City and Crescent Mall. There are also a couple of ... Read More

I have never had a problem with a Mailinh or Vinasun taxi. The number of cabs companies that try to make their cabs *look* like Vinasun taxis is kinda funny: white cars with green and red details and "Vina" somewhere in the name is the way they go. ... Read More

When Richard Nixon graduated from high school, his family chipped in and gave him a watch.When JFK graduated from high school, his family chipped in and gave him a million dollars because he already had a watch.--Richard Armor in "It all started ... Read More

If you think you are smarter than the previous generation: 50 years ago the owners manual of a car showed you how to adjust the valves. Today it warns you not to drink the contents of the battery... - @OceanBeach92107Is that because the valves ... Read More

I asked my friend in North Korea how he was doing.He said, "I can't complain." Read More

@tonykeys2003I don't see where in HCMC you're living. There are a lot of International Schools in D2, HCMC. They are full of 7-year-olds. ISHMC, British, Saigon Pearl, German, and more are over there. There are also playgrounds on and around those ... Read More

@QPR_FC Have you looked into VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)? Cheap. Also allows "them" to call you and even send text messages to you. My brother (in India) uses a US number for VOIP and pays the service about $2 USD per month. Cheap.Skype was ... Read More

Two friends are talking.Man 1: Man, I had a real doozy of a fight with my wife last night. She just won't look at my side of the issue.Man 2: Hey. Maybe you just need to let go of what you're clinging to and give her a break.Man 1: I am not going to ... Read More

@Dimitra Politi,Regarding the "meager livelihood" comment, I think @OceanBeach92107 was only going on the information he had. And, as a person who worked in Vietnam *as a teacher,* though not an English teacher, I would advise caution on the move. ... Read More

@Lennerd That's good, you understand. But VN is no different, bribes exists at all levels of society. I have experienced first hand the locals, police, government licensing agents, both local and national related to business activities. Good luck! ... Read More

@Lennerd Not sure how long you have been in VN, but I am taking a guess you do not understand how it works in VN. As you know its a communist country, but things work very differently from the western world. As a foreigner, you are a walking ATM to ... Read More

@yng68bld Surely the law must protect the innocence.. only need to report to the ' right' authority. - @davidlimjudahMy post is not about problems of a tenant vs. a landlord. It's about the "right" authority.in January of 2023, I was pickpocketed ... Read More

The cops were called to a ditch beside the road, just out of town.As reported, they found a corpse there. Upon close examination by the county coroner, the body was found to have every orifice stuffed with Cheerios -- belly button, ears, nose, ... Read More

@tonykeys2003I am also moving to Vietnam in a couple of months. Yay!My USA pensions and Social Security are directly and electronically deposited in a US bank account. I will use an ATM card to get money in Vietnam.This, and wire transfers when ... Read More

@OceanBeach92107 I didnt ask you a question about visas . I have been here a lot longer than you and already know everything about visas. My question was about rooms around 2.5 mill vnd...so...I found one for 3 million . Very nice and Im very happy ... Read More

@Dannyroc3I googled, what day is the Chinese new year 2025 and got this answer: January 29, 2025.That is the first new moon (?) of the new lunar year. All the stuff ahead of that and all the stuff behind that that is referred to as "Tet" is just the ... Read More

45 days at the border free visa.....visa free whatever ...you know what i mean . - @ushfuhgGeneral Stickler here.Actually, I don't know what you mean. Those of us who have spent a bit of time here in Vietnam are keenly aware of the visa challenges ... Read More

A while ago, I posted about a New York Times article about the expat life.(An expat is an immigrant with money. . . . jokingly proffered.)Here are the letters to the editor that The NY Times printed today on their ... Read More

@Aidan in HCMC Retired music teacher, promoted to General Stickler . . . Read More

@cheehaI know this is a very old thread/post. Technically, it's not the music that's been translated, it's the lyrics. The music is the same (or similar enough to be recognized as the same) whether the words are English or Vietnamese. 🤪 ... Read More

@Aidan in HCMCIt unfolds like a Monty Python sketch of a news interview. 😂It's safe until the front falls off.It was towed outside the environment. Read More

@Aidan in HCMC,A friend of mine, now deceased, grew up on a farm in west-central Minnesota. The county agricultural assistance program included the service of artificial insemination of his dad's cows. The man who did the work, very much like having ... Read More

@Aidan in HCMC, when I first moved to Shanghai, China, I thought the operative meaning of a red light was simply a suggestion that you do something different, like slow down for example. Read More

@Aidan in HCMCI *think* I applied for my current visa back in March 2024, so there may have been water under the bridge since then. I see below here [now above] a post from someone who "used their passport photo" for the application. That may or may ... Read More

@ushfuhgHi, I took a photo of the photo page of my passport. I made a copy and cropped it down to just the photo. Then, I uploaded it to the eVisa site. That has worked three times -- eVisa granted each time. So the passport photo and the visa ... Read More

A man and a dog go into a bar.Bartender: Sir, you can't come in here with a dog.Man: But this is a talking dog!Bartender, getting irritated: It doesn't matter if the dog is a talking dog. You can't bring a dog in here, get out!Man [to dog]: What do ... Read More

@OceanBeach92107I agree with *some* of your points, among them, that the USA isn't the country it was when I was a little boy. Specifically, America was a country in which its citizens were, rightly or wrongly, confident about their place in the ... Read More

Here's a shared opinion from The NY Times. If it is what they say it is, you can open it without a subscription.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/opin … =url-shareI don't agree with the author about the attributes of an expat but I did like ... Read More

Hi all. My exchange was 100.00 for 26,000,000 two days ago. Gold shop as advised here before. Thank you - @TwinlessTwinAt 26,000 VND to USD $1, wouldn't $100 USD be 2.6 million VND, not 26 million? 26,000 = $1260,000 = $102,600,000 = $10026,000,000 ... Read More

@TwinlessTwin Read More

@hkdmanYou don't say that you are *located* currently in the USA. If you are, do you not have health insurance? If that is the case, then I understand why you are inquiring about what's come to be called "medical tourism."India has or had recently ... Read More

First off, a taxi will not be able to take you to the front door of the hotel. I believe, after looking on Google maps, that the place is on an alleyway. This is a good thing other than the fact that you'll have to lug your luggage a meter or 40 ... Read More

This one never fails to leave me and my family laughing hard. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckq-neX5BFsAnd this one is a close second. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PcL6-mjRNk&t=3s Read More

@LennerdAnd how about this? I can get a 90-day tourist visa from Vietnam for USD $50. A Vietnamese citizen pays USD $275 for a USA tourist visa. Again, that's simply a part of the bilateral agreement between two countries. What Thailand, Laos, ... Read More

@Dannyroc3*All* visa agreements are bi-lateral -- between two countries. So, for example, my brother who has a USA passport traveling to Australia requires only an ETA: Electronic Travel Authority. I also have the same and the only way to get such ... Read More

@AlbertDifiI've lived or visited a few cities in the USA, too: New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles. I worked in both LA and Seattle area for 8 years each, so not exactly an outsider.The level of street-level ... Read More

@goofydad56I hope you mean your visa expires, not your passport! If it is your passport, then your country's consulate or embassy is the place for you, not a run to Cambodia. If it's your visa, then I suggest, at this late date that you a) find out ... Read More

@snake77If you read the replies, you'll see a, *cough* Canadian whose name, "Aidan in HCMC" we won't mention here, who says in his post that he's adopted all of these, uh, operations in his own driving.Did it really read like a complaint?I can now ... Read More

@OceanBeach92107There was nothing unsatisfactory about the service and it was the 5th or 6th time using the same driver. 🤣 Read More

@OceanBeach92107 I just paid him the agreed-upon fare of 30K VND. Read More

The last time witch was 6 months ago I had 3 molar extractions. I had bone mass put back in for a future implant. And yes I plan to send a panoramic x-ray of my teeth to get a real estimate. When I get ready to go I will make it for 1 month to ... Read More

A colleague of mine went to Chiangmai, Thailand for dental implants -- like four or five of them across the front of his bottom jaw. This was ~ 7 years ago. He paid about $1,000 per "hole". At about the same time, my aunt in California got an ... Read More

If you take out a standard home loan (mortgage) in the USA you'll be paying it back for 30 years. If you rob a bank there you'll be out of prison in 10 years. Follow me for more financial advice... - @OceanBeach92107You might not get to keep the ... Read More

I ordered on the same day, from Amazon, a chicken and an egg. In a week I'll be able to tell you which came first. Read More

I've just been advised that my Gov't-owned CPAP (Australia) can't be taken out of the country for contractual reasons. Does anyone know if it's possible to hire one for a week in Danang or Hoi An? I will be there from 22-29 November. Thanks. - ... Read More