What do you like the most in Vietnam?

Like the quality of life, the food and affordability. Nha trang has a nice climate and friendly people

Expat.com Vietnam!

Seeing rainbows after rain. The possibility to rent a motorbike and ride to anywhere. Cheap prices.

Waking up to actual roosters in the morning and the sound of the same seller who walks down the street chanting the same words every morning. It's really...different from the US

Cheap unlimited , reasonably fast internet.

annetruong wrote:

Waking up to actual roosters in the morning and the sound of the same seller who walks down the street chanting the same words every morning. It's really...different from the US

Well, you would love it where I live, you could have the actual roosters waking you up nearly hourly, hope you like the sound of barking dogs as well, because that's usually the next thing you'll hear.

Vietnam is very accessible for everything, food, living and work. And all place you fine that you want in affordable price  but if you know how to speak Vietnamese or else its gonna be expensive. Da nang is one of the most beautiful place to live.

It can be strange, but there is my the-best list:

1. Freedom. It's hard to believe, but Vietnam have a minimal limitations in laws, so you don't pay a fine for the many things you do.
2. People are open-minded, i don't meet ungrounded aggression for all 5 years i live here. But they are very hard to say "no", keep it in mind. And sometimes i have so much attention to my person, even if i don't need it %-)
3. Business opportunities. Economic grows rapidly, so it's a lot of opportunities in my business here, easy to start and grow.

T-Troll wrote:

It can be strange, but there is my the-best list:

1. Freedom. It's hard to believe, but Vietnam have a minimal limitations in laws, so you don't pay a fine for the many things you do.
2. People are open-minded, i don't meet ungrounded aggression for all 5 years i live here. But they are very hard to say "no", keep it in mind. And sometimes i have so much attention to my person, even if i don't need it %-)
3. Business opportunities. Economic grows rapidly, so it's a lot of opportunities in my business here, easy to start and grow.

Depends on where you live obviously.
1 Freedom, ....."  minimal limitations in laws", definitely never heard anyone say that about VN, I'm not even allowed to take photo's of certain things where I live, ( but ok to hand the wife the camera and let her do it though??? )
My commune has a no M/b trailer law, and animals are not allowed on the front of a m/bike, ( unhelmeted babies and kids no problem ). I'm also the only Foreigner who is allowed to stay there.
2 Open minded, but not to learning new or easier ways of doing things.  Keep away from the watery beer drinkers and no problems with aggressive VN's, ( unless you try and steal their dog, or get involved in an accident with one of them ).
3 Business opportunities, tried that, but because my business plans didn't involve upteem billions VND, they weren't even interested in helping.( or looking up the new laws ).
Wanted to start one business with a VN partner, but couldn't find a VN I could trust, or who would be reliable.

I love Vietnams friendliness, most people will want to try and communicate with you sharing a joke. If you smile at them first. A smile goes along way in Vietnam. I love the climate, the Beautiful scenery. The freedom and the cost of living. There's not much I don't like about living here, but my biggest hate is dumping of rubbish. People dump building waste on the beach road, bricks, concreat, anything, it's so crazy spoiling natural Beauty with builders waste. I wish the goverment would do something about this. If you done this in the UK you would go to jail.

The people here will never as "no" to anything, instead they would tell you a story. They will not honour any verbal contract and even with written ones. Any contractual agreements must be signed by multiple governments and witnesses to be enforceable. If it's a land purchase, you need to get all the neighbours to sign the purchase agreement also. Sometimes you need the previous owner to sign the documents too and it's tough to locate them.
However, life here is peaceful and to live a simple retired life is much cheaper. I never dreamt of living on a land of 460 square meters back home, but here I am having it. Large garden to plant my own vegetables and even rear some poultry when I have the time.

Come on people, be honest: the women

TanRay wrote:

The people here will never as "no" to anything, instead they would tell you a story. They will not honour any verbal contract and even with written ones. Any contractual agreements must be signed by multiple governments and witnesses to be enforceable. If it's a land purchase, you need to get all the neighbours to sign the purchase agreement also. Sometimes you need the previous owner to sign the documents too and it's tough to locate them.
However, life here is peaceful and to live a simple retired life is much cheaper. I never dreamt of living on a land of 460 square meters back home, but here I am having it. Large garden to plant my own vegetables and even rear some poultry when I have the time.

"  If it's a land purchase, you need to get all the neighbours to sign the purchase agreement also. Sometimes you need the previous owner to sign the documents too and it's tough to locate them."  where did you hear that??, I've bought 2 blocks of land here, and the neighbours didn't even know it was sold until I came along to do some work on them, and only the previous owner's were the only ones who had anything to do with the sale/contract.

@bluenz crazy as it sounds it is a requirement for land purchase. Its done before the pink book is issued to the new user and its purpose is to prevent  arguments or going to court after the sale  of the land. Its done down here all the time and it really can be a problem if the old red book and the new pink book don't match. It normally accomplished at the same time the government surveyor's measure the land. Its just an agreement with the neighbors that they concur  on the dimension's of the land and have no claim on it. Might have happened and you weren't aware of it.

Rick

I like the fact that days and nights are more or less the same in length throughout the year. I like the food, but that is not a main reason. Finding work has been very easy in the last six years, and that IS the main reason for me, 'fingers cross' for it to last.
I like the fact that the population is young, it's a pleasure to see so many treasures on the motorbikes, though I don't like the motorbikes themselves. I like the fact that the climate is not cold    I like it when life is not too predictable ... I love the 'illegal' freedom here. It's not expensive to live and the măng cụt is the best fruit in the world. I like it that there's an almost unlimited amount of bits to download. I like it that just on a whim you can turn around and do sth you've never done before, I like the good massages and the foot care.

I like the people and the affordable living and of course the food and the weather.

Budman1 wrote:

@bluenz crazy as it sounds it is a requirement for land purchase. Its done before the pink book is issued to the new user and its purpose is to prevent  arguments or going to court after the sale  of the land. Its done down here all the time and it really can be a problem if the old red book and the new pink book don't match. It normally accomplished at the same time the government surveyor's measure the land. Its just an agreement with the neighbors that they concur  on the dimension's of the land and have no claim on it. Might have happened and you weren't aware of it.

Rick

No , it doesn't really surprise me, ( the neighbours like/have to know EVERYTHING.). Both lots of land had been for sale for sometime, so it must have been done at the very start, ( unusual for VNs, but they still managed to get the boundary lines wrong on one piece of land, a bit late when the wall/fence had already been erected )/
Other land we've looked at, they didn't even have  their Red /Pink books, they weren't even sure where the boundary lines actually were, and expected us to wait weeks while they stuffed around getting the correct paperwork..

The people...they are real, non hostile, friendly/smile and they remember your name.  Tolerance...if I bump into someone walking they don't give me an attitude or get angry or frightened.  Sure, prices for housing, transportation, cell phone service are cheap compared to LA or SF or NY.  Yes, things are "loosygoosy" sometimes...especially on the road...but I'll take that over an uptight, sue crazy, Police State like it is back in the USA.  Opportunities for good income and entrepreneurial business are exploding here... if you open your eyes, mind and imagination.

The Vietnamese people are more humble. social, go getter, no ego compare to rest of the world. The women are very beutiful, health and beauty conscious and know to manage life against all odds.

I follow these procedures for all 4 plots of land that I bought. Like Budman1 wrote, it's to prevent any complications later.
You are lucky not to have land disputes. One of my cousin-in-law, was forced to sell a piece when the older owner came back to claim a portion of the land.
Anyway, it's easily settled if you know how. People here are quite contented with some monetary compensation if you get the right middle man.
Life here for me, far north in Quang Ninh, is more complicated. Unruly law enforcers that's always asking for money, sign.
However, the pace here is picking up and now we even have two supermarkets. Smiles and enjoy your stay

Absolutely agree with what you are saying here. I am English and have left France after 30 + years living there. As a general rule the Vietnamese are warm hearted and wonderful, kind people.

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I adore Vietnam.  We actually had not planned to visit Vietnam, as we originally hoped to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  After two months there when it did not work out we moved on to Cambodia for a month.  We didn't love the VIBE there either.  So, after a month there we moved onto Saigon.  It was ALMOST love at first sight.  We felt comfortable in our surroundings immediately.  We loved the food.  We were enthralled with the wide open spaces and parks.  AND THE PEOPLE ROCKED OUR WORLD....they are kind, generous, compassionate and fun.  We were staying near the backpacker area though, and we really needed to move after a week.  This was accomplished when we came upon our new family:  RUBY HOME.  Owners Jimmy and Ruby and their amazing team /family were loving, fun, helpful, kind, generous people and we felt like we have known them all our lives.  They are our family.  We stayed with them for a month and then we moved to our current, and hopefully permanent location, DA NANG.  We heard a little about Da Nang from some folks in Thailand who loved it.  And, I also have a friend from High School living here (the world is small).  He has been here for  3 years.  And, he is incredibly happy and at peace.  After living here for a month, we understand why he feels this way.  There is slight breeze off the sky blue ocean that comforts the community.  The people smile and say hello any time they say you.....a constuction worker, a cab driver, workers on their way to work of all kinds.   The kids are adorable and happy.  All the people wear a smile as easily as they wear their clothing each day.  We feel at peace.  It is not too crowded.  The community is close.  People look after one another.  We feel safe.  We meet new people every day.  It is easy to travel around the region.  The food is fresh and delicious.  We visit the local outdoor/indoor markets for fresh meats, fish, produce, noodles and veggies every other day.  We get there by bicycle!  Vietnam is beautiful.  The people are beautiful.  We are grateful and we feel welcome every day.  We LOVE Vietnam.  Everyone should visit.

Absolutely agree with what you are saying here. I am English and have left France after 30 + years living there. As a general rule the Vietnamese are warm hearted and wonderful, kind people.

TanRay wrote:

I follow these procedures for all 4 plots of land that I bought. Like Budman1 wrote, it's to prevent any complications later.
You are lucky not to have land disputes. One of my cousin-in-law, was forced to sell a piece when the older owner came back to claim a portion of the land.
Anyway, it's easily settled if you know how. People here are quite contented with some monetary compensation if you get the right middle man.
Life here for me, far north in Quang Bing, is more complicated. Unruly law enforcers that's always asking for money, sign.
However, the pace here is picking up and now we even have two supermarkets. Smiles and enjoy your stay

I did have a " border " dispute with one neighbour, he watched me place about 3000 bricks in neat piles all the way along the fence, for about a week, even he could have worked out was was happening and how it was going to happen, but he waited until i had a couple of workers mix the first batch of cement and place the first few bricks before he, a friend and his brother in law, did the big macho act, and said if I build the wall, ( bricks between the posts that were already there ), they were going to push it over, 30 minutes later I found out the idiots had built the fence directly on the boundary line.( But of course I'd paid for all of it ).
Do you know if this land procedure is the same if you buy a house?
You're not that far away from me, I wish I'd gone to " stay " in Quang BinH instead of Quang Ngai, ( 2 supermarkets as well ), but at least I've never had any officers here ask me for tea money, ( except for when I first stayed at my then fiancee's house ).or ever had any need for " middlemen ".

Welcome to Vietnam. The procedures are the same. Get the "title deeds" if available, if not the owner should have a paper that shows the land boundary. Ensure your house is within that boundary. Get the owner to have the papers signed by the neighbours before you sign any documents. Pay 90% - 95% of the sale price, the balance should be paid only after the transfer is registered and accepted by the proper authority.

TanRay wrote:

Welcome to Vietnam. The procedures are the same. Get the "title deeds" if available, if not the owner should have a paper that shows the land boundary. Ensure your house is within that boundary. Get the owner to have the papers signed by the neighbours before you sign any documents. Pay 90% - 95% of the sale price, the balance should be paid only after the transfer is registered and accepted by the proper authority.

I don't have to worry about that, we have 2 houses that are past due to be reprocessed, ( they are so far behind in their loan repayments, and past their contract dates ), their Red/Pink Books are lodged at the Bank, they were changed into my wife's name, when the loans were taken out.
We should have started a thread on buying property in VN??? But this is far more informative than the " I love VN " posts.

Well, I still love Vietnam after 4 years. Will extend my 5 year visa next year.
There are many places I've yet explored. Low cost of travel as compared to many countries, good food and friendly people, what else can you ask more?

1. The weather
2. The people especially phụ nữ
3. The food
4. Cost of living
5. $10 cost of getting caught speeding (60 kph on the main highway is speeding except near VungTau)
6. Not requiring permits for every little thing (I am allowed to burn counterfeit money in front of my house)

I'm curious about Vietnamese women in foreigners eyes / minds. Can you tell me why you love Vietnam because of us?

Am I late? 
I saw so many drooling comments about Vietnam. Really felt happy but some members comment positively here only. They already make multiple negative comments in different threads 
Back to the topic.
I am still remember my previous comments and stand on those.
Vietnam is a nice place to live if you can adjust little. Normally people are friendly but when you understand them slowly, they not much friendly. Yeah, many girls are 'friendly' until they get what they want
Like another member mentioned, Vietnamese are the embodiment of tolerance ! I cannot tolerate like them even though I am living here! They never say a word against injustice.
Business people are very funny. When we deal with them the first time, they are very happy and friendly even though cannot communicate sufficiently. If you are a regular customer, then you can see their true color. They don't care you and allow you to wait more time to serve. (May be they think, 'this guy has no other place to go other than me')
Anyway living expense is medium compared to other countries. Income too 
Disposable income? Don't dream too much   
I am living here since 2008 and I would like to say, "Satisfactory".
If you don't mingle with many officials and government offices, you can sleep well without headache and blood pressure!
Like I mentioned in other threads, please don't come here to make money but you can be an ATM if you want!
Freedom? Yeah a lot of freedom, if you stay home 
Anyway better than some other countries!

Hey Mr.  Charma
Really?  It depends on people.  Some bad,  some good.  I really don't agree with your comments like that. What do you know about Saigonee?  We can help anyone & don't think they give back to us their  help... So don't worry no good  people around you.  I am sure Saigonees are very nice & friendly,  Charma.

You are right in many ways but don't you think this is also happening in many countries?
Regular means you wait, friends means you give, freedom means you pay, and work means you do n I watch.
These are what you learn through time, so be friendly when required and when necessary. They are judging you every interaction, this is Vietnam. Learn and adapt and you would see the funny side and live happily. Forget about what is right or wrong, there is only "right and left" here.
Be happy and enjoy your stay. There is always a home (your home country) if you think it's shits here, but I am loving it, :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a vibrant emerging fine arts scene in HCM.

bluenz wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

@bluenz crazy as it sounds it is a requirement for land purchase. Its done before the pink book is issued to the new user and its purpose is to prevent  arguments or going to court after the sale  of the land. Its done down here all the time and it really can be a problem if the old red book and the new pink book don't match. It normally accomplished at the same time the government surveyor's measure the land. Its just an agreement with the neighbors that they concur  on the dimension's of the land and have no claim on it. Might have happened and you weren't aware of it.

Rick

No , it doesn't really surprise me, ( the neighbours like/have to know EVERYTHING.). Both lots of land had been for sale for sometime, so it must have been done at the very start, ( unusual for VNs, but they still managed to get the boundary lines wrong on one piece of land, a bit late when the wall/fence had already been erected )/
Other land we've looked at, they didn't even have  their Red /Pink books, they weren't even sure where the boundary lines actually were, and expected us to wait weeks while they stuffed around getting the correct paperwork..

Sort of same thing happened to me:  Lady I bought the land I built our house on, recently sold us the ppty behind our house 180m x 95m- came to the house with a hand written note on a piece of paper with hers & three sisters signatures on it expecting me to fork over $15K USD.   I let the wife handle it while I went into the bedroom to laugh, this way she wouldn't  get upset - This is how business has been done for centuries in the Delta  I suppose.  We did get the land surveys and neighbors signed, in fact they were happy because the ppty was always full of snakes, we cleared it to grow grass for the Cows.

The best thing in Vietnam is the family connections. Viets are very family centered, something we miss in the west.

I enjoy the slower pace of life and many beauty treatments at very reasonable prices. Most of all, I enjoy going to local coffee restaurants by the river and enjoy watching the day go by. Eating yummy street food is also very enjoyable. It's fun for me as I have many local friends who show me great eating places and bustling local markets.

Real Saigoneers may be nice.
How many 'Saigoneers' do you know?
Do you think people came over from other provinces are Saigoneer? 
I think I know better than you.
Don't say 'we', speak for yourself. May be you can help without a return in this forum. Let us see outside forum 
I never said all people are bad. Good and bad people everywhere!

Claireengtalk1 wrote:

Hey Mr.  Charma
Really?  It depends on people.  Some bad,  some good.  I really don't agree with your comments like that. What do you know about Saigonee?  We can help anyone ; don't think they give back to us their  help... So don't worry no good  people around you.  I am sure Saigonees are very nice &; friendly,  Charma.