New members of the Vietnam forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Katieshields wrote:

Hi everyone, I am living in Khe Sanh for the next two months and I would love it if I could meet some expats. I am staying with a Vietnamese host family, they are very kind, however I would be so happy if I could meet some expats. Please let me know if you are visiting or staying in the region!

I would caution people about this user. I was privately contacted by them, unsolicited, and was unable to confirm their identity through Facebook and Instagram accounts. It appears this globe trotter has not made a new post since 2017, they use incorrect syntax when writing, they thought Hanoi is "nearby" Khe Sahn, and they are unresponsive to most questions. I suspect a hacked Facebook account and have blocked them from further contact there.

Hello! everyone. 
I'm Duang from Thailand. Nice to meet you! Now I am studying Fashion management in UK. I have some experience on Fashion design in Thailand. I am doing a project for expanding a cosmetic brand to Vietnam as an assessment in my course so that I want to talk to Vietnamese girls to collect opinions. If you want to be my friends or want to share about fashion and beauty stuff, you can message me. I promise I willingly to help you.

How about organize a drink all together ?

Duangkamon wrote:

Hello! everyone. 
I'm Duang from Thailand. Nice to meet you! Now I am studying Fashion management in UK. I have some experience on Fashion design in Thailand. I am doing a project for expanding a cosmetic brand to Vietnam as an assessment in my course so that I want to talk to Vietnamese girls to collect opinions. If you want to be my friends or want to share about fashion and beauty stuff, you can message me. I promise I willingly to help you.

Let's organize a drink soon ?

Hi all,
I've made seven trips to Vietnam. The first was in 1996 when I visited Saigon, Ben Tre,  Hue, and Da Nang.  That was my first trip ever outside of the States. Since then I've visited Hanoi, Hai Phong, Vinh Ha Long, Ha Tien, Chau Doc, Rach Gia, Vung Tau, Da Lat and dozens of places in between.
In the process I developed a deep appreciation for the people of Vietnam, its culture, its food, and the country. My wife and I adopted a Vietnamese orphan in 1992. I learned to speak, read, and write Vietnamese as I taught her English. My wife died in in 2015. I am researching how to retire in Vietnam and Da Lat in particular.
I speak enough Vietnamese to do almost anything I want although the dialect around Hue escapes me. Nhưng người dân Huế hiểu tiếng địa phương phía Bắc nên tôi gặp chút rắc rối. Central Vietnam has its own dialect and vocabulary.
I owned and operated an engineering consulting firm for 25 years. In 2001 I took a summer off and worked in a Vietnamese restaurant free gratis and learned how to cook Vietnamese food. The restaurant was owned and operated by two Vietnamese ladies that were trained in France. Chi Tu and Chi Thuy taught me so much. At that time I grew and maintained a 5000 sq foot garden with dozens of varieties of Vietnamese veggies and herbs. Gardening in Da Lat will be a pure joy.
I will stay in touch with you as I transition into Vietnam. I would like to teach English with or without pay. I have a practiced neutral accent and I think I could benefit the children of Vietnam greatly.

I'm afraid I won't be able to go because I'm currently in UK. However, it's interesting to drink with new friends in Vietnam. Thank you for asking me.

Hi there,

Contact me also please.
I would be interested in the Hotel venture

Hi
I come to Vietnam every winter on business and love it here.  I will be recovering from a hip operation so would like to stay longer than my usual one month.  I will be in Hoi An for most of that time so would like to get to know more expats. 

I am a retired accountant now a. Retail shop owner/operator .  If anyone can help me find more interesting items to send back to Canada for my shop I'm interested.
Thanks
Maggie

I am interested in fashions as I have a retail business in Canada.
  I go to Hoi an every year to buy and nd have clothing made.  Anything you could add I would grateful
For as I would like to add to my shop at home..

Hi all.
I'm a Japanese, and I've started living and working in Saigon since July. I'd like to make new friends here. Also I'm going to start leaning French:) Please feel free to contact me if you are also looking for friends in Saigon!

Hello!

I'm moving to Saigon from the US in January, and right now I'm trying to research neighborhoods to live in.  My interests are hiking, running, snowboarding, video games and fashion/beauty.  If anyone can recommend a good Vietnamese language site or book I would be very appreciative!

Not a lot of plaes to snowboard in Viet Nam.

No but there are in Japan!

flashylawnmower wrote:

No but there are in Japan!

I think this is the Vietnam thread. Maybe you are on the wrong thread.

flashylawnmower wrote:

I'm moving to Saigon from the US in January...  My interests are hiking, running, snowboarding, video games and fashion/beauty

colinoscapee wrote:

Not a lot of plaes to snowboard in Viet Nam.

flashylawnmower wrote:

No but there are in Japan!

With airfares at $500 from Saigon to Tokyo, then after 6 hours on the air, add another 2 or 3 hours and $150 RT on the train to the nearest ski resort, plus hotel and meals and entry fee, snowboarding is an expensive hobby to pursue from Vietnam.

..maybe not for a flashy lawn mower..?     

Hi there guys,

This is Melyn  from the Philippines.

Frankly, I also wanted to meet more friends here, I have a friend who has friends in Vietnam and they've become actively friends on Facebook. So, I think that Vietnamese and Filipinos do share the same values when it comes to friendship. Get what I mean,.

Anyways, he're things about me, I am old, I think, I'm 33, about to be 34 this Oct.....
I have kids already and I am planning to work outside Philippines, thinking of working in Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia or Vietnam.. Since, it's my dream to have my own savings and of course to travel.

Glad to be joining in this community hope I can meet new friends here and happy to know more about Vietnam, especially the people. 

dackdack wrote:

Hi there guys,

This is Melyn  ..from the Philippines.. Currently seeking for a job, an English tutor for Vietnamese.. My friend once invited me to be a tutor for their clients in Vietnam, but it's a company, so I refused for I am looking for a direct students preferably those who are in their primary schools.. I can help them with their English assignments and as well as help them in speaking English.

If you do know anybody looking for an English tutor, please do message me, very much willing to help. We'll talk for the price.

Glad to be joining in this community hope I can meet new friends here and happy to know more about Vietnam, especially the people. 

Your post is about work, not really introducing yourself.

Hi,

Sorry for that, if this is not allowed then I can have it posted on the right thread..
Going to edit it now.. or will just have it posted on my bio .. 

Thanks again. Appreciate it..

Hi everyone.

I am Maos, or that's what my friends call me, 32 years old, and I will be moving to Can Tho for a while from November. Hoping to get to know some nature and reptiles over there and maybe some people too 😁

I have a house ready for me and my best friend has been there for over 2 years and loves it over there. He met the love of his life there so who knows what might happen.

I am an Icelander, born and bread, but really found myself in Cambodia a few years ago.

Cheers

***

hi Gemma... I guess you have already left Vietnam.... but yes, the humidity is a killer!

Hi this is Maddy.. Moving to HCM city soon .
Looking for useful tips , for ex. Current Whether  ...happening places ...to do list ... Or to avoid list.. Overall I am very excited and ..hope I Wil enjoy you guys company.

HI Jim , my name is Lorne I will be heading back to Vietnam  in late Nov, early Dec.  ,have to spend some time in HCMC then I'll be heading north to Da Nang. I live in Toronto and only have about three weeks to spend there, then back to work..I have traveled  to Vietnam  many times since 2006,and am also thinking of retiring in Da Nang area . Maybe we could get together and have a coffee or  beer ,up to you ,let me know cheers Lorne

Hi everyone. I'm not a new member but I guess I've never introduced myself here.
I'm Caroline, Vietnamese. I had lived overseas for 9 years and decided to come back home to Saigon almost 2 years ago. Since then, I've developed social anxiety where I haven't met new people for years, though I used to be very sociable. If you're experiencing this or used to do so, I wanna hear your thoughts. Cheers!

Caroline_Le wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm not a new member but I guess I've never introduced myself here.
I'm Caroline, Vietnamese. I had lived overseas for 9 years and decided to come back home to Saigon almost 2 years ago. Since then, I've developed social anxiety where I haven't met new people for years, though I used to be very sociable. If you're experiencing this or used to do so, I wanna hear your thoughts. Cheers!

Yeah but you speak the languages, know the customs, you can talk to any Vietnamese or English speaker. Whereas there is a significant barrier for most expats. Curious if you returned from overseas life changed somehow?
(ignore if  too personal but you started it!)

French living in Can Tho.

Hi everyone

I am travelling to Vietnam for about three months in February. The trip is a recon for my plans to move there on a more permanent basis in August. I'm looking seriously at settling in Da Nang at the moment, however, this may change. I own an online English teaching business which I will run from Vietnam, but eventually plan to wind things down over the next five years and move into early retirement.

I'm also an avid musician. I've played bass in a variety of blues, rock and hard rock bands my whole life. I'd love to meet up with some like minded musos in Da Nang for some fun. 

And I'm a runner. So if there's any running groups out there, I'd love to join you.

Alanmntn wrote:

Hi everyone

I am travelling to Vietnam for about three months in February. The trip is a recon for my plans to move there on a more permanent basis in August. I'm looking seriously at settling in Da Nang at the moment, however, this may change. I own an online English teaching business which I will run from Vietnam, but eventually plan to wind things down over the next five years and move into early retirement.

I'm also an avid musician. I've played bass in a variety of blues, rock and hard rock bands my whole life. I'd love to meet up with some like minded musos in Da Nang for some fun. 

And I'm a runner. So if there's any running groups out there, I'd love to join you.

If you aren't already aware, here are general dates for TET 2019:

Tết 2019 in Vietnam
Tuesday, February 5
Observed dates:
Saturday, February 2 -
Sunday, February 10

Best to arrive before February 1st OR after February 11th. I'll let others explain why that's so important.

Thanks, I'm all booked to arrive on the 3rd Feb and got accommodation all sorted. So I'll hopefully be fine.

OB's point was close to Tet people quit working and everything shuts down. The closer to Tet the worse it is.

Thanks, I appreciate the info. I had read about that and was prepared.

Alanmntn wrote:

Thanks, I appreciate the info. I had read about that and was prepared.

Good. Hope that works for you. Just saying, I doubt I'd find anyone on the forum who would schedule checking into a hotel during that time. Oft repeated advice here is that it's best to get checked into travel lodgings before the holidays  start, or wait until after they are over.

Your lodgings will likely be running on skeleton staff during that period. Should you arrive after hours, who knows who will be there to help you?

Cheers!

No worries, thanks for your advice. I'll look at changing my dates to avoid it.

Alternatively there could be some advantages to visiting during Tet.  Many cities have large flower based exhibits right in the streets, fireworks displays and such.  I haven't been to Da Nang during Tet but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the same.  If you want to do much that involves government agencies, then delay your trip but that's unlikely to be a problem for a visitor.  There may be fewer to select from but there will be plenty of restaurants to choose from even if they are running on skeletal staff.  The phenomenon of leaving town to return to your hometown is more relevant to HCM and I expect Hanoi where a large part of the population are recent migrants from the countryside with parents and grandparents on the farm.  The population of Da Nang may actually increase during Tet.

Remember that the main attraction of Da Nang, the beach, will still be there.

The OP's check in date is Feb 3, it'll still be fine.  The day after will be a different story.

It's not just government offices that are closed for Tet.  Shops and restaurants will be closed for a minimum of 4 days, from Feb 4 through Feb 7.  More than likely, it'll be much longer. 

No one (except a skeletal staff in hotels) would be working on Feb 4 because it's Tet's Eve (Giao Thừa), the most important day of the year.  Everyone will spend the whole day cooking worship ceremony meal/s (cúng Giao Thừa) and preparing the house to greet Tet. 

The 3 days that follow are 3 days of Tet during which time one doesn't do hard labour (again, except a skeletal staff in hotels).  I wouldn't count on eating out during those days.  After that, calendar will be consulted to find the best day to re-open the business, the most important act of the year for all business owners.

Transportation will also be limited during those days.

Neighbourhood markets and small restaurants will probably open half day on Feb 7 because it's a very good day after the upcoming Tết Nguyên Đán Kỷ Hợi (Year of the Pig)  to open business, but will close again until the merchants are ready to open full time. 

Time, dates, and locations for flower displays (starting 2 days before Tet until 6 days after Tet in past years) and fireworks on Giao Thừa will not be set by the local government until close to Tet.

G'day all. My name's Bob, I'm 35 years, originally from Australia but have spent the last year and a half living and working in Thailand as a primary school teacher. I am currently here on a 3 month visa but am hoping to stay longer.

Any advice on cheap accommodation, work (preferably part time teaching) and anything else anyone can suggest would be greatly appreciated.

Would be good to catch up face to face with fellow expats who know the ins and outs of this place so I can pick your brains. I am currently staying in District 7.
Cheers

Well.  We are going to Ho Chi Mingh & then looking to end up in Da Nang.  We are 4 South Africans ranging from 38 - 55 so we will keep in contact as we are leaving on 1 November from SA to Vietnam.  So we are happy to meet up with you for a drink or lunch as we will be teaching English as well.

Regards
Zoe

Hi all,

My wife and I will be moving to HCMC in mid November. We are both originally from the UK.

I'm an Operations Director in the footwear industry. We have lived in China for fours years prior to this and decided it was time ofr a change of scenery.

We're looking to live in either District 2 or 7.

Hoping to use this forum to gather valuable info and then hopefully be able to offers some at some point,

Cheers!