Becoming an Expat in Hoi An, Vietnam

1- An expat is a man (or woman, but let's just use masculine gender this time for simplicity's sake) who goes to sleep, wakes up, eats his meals, talks on the phone, watches TV, etc.  the same way other men do every day.  The same things and same way he himself has done every day.  Except that he's doing them now in another country. 

Being an expat is living one's life in a country that's not one's own.  Life comes with its vagaries, not a hard and fast periodic table that one can memorise.  One doesn't learn about becoming an expat, especially in just 12 days.  One becomes an expat by moving to another country to live, and becomes a better expat by immersing oneself in the local life, not by talking to or hanging out with other expats.

2- What you can learn, if you truly want to move to Vietnam, anywhere in Vietnam and not Hoi An specifically, is to read as much as you can about the country, its history, governments (previous and present), laws (immigration, traffic, family, etc.), religions, traditions, and custom.  Above all, learn the language because without knowing the language to some degree, you'll always be an observer, never become one of the doers.

Thank you for your input.

I realize this is a slow process that takes time, effort and determination.  I have been doing research, and feel visiting will help me further understand what has to be done on a practical level to get there and start my journey.

Uptownbruce wrote:

I have been doing research, and feel visiting will help me further understand what has to be done on a practical level to get there and start my journey.

Visiting is a must, but don't expect to learn anything concrete in your first trip to the country, especially a short trip.  If you can take off from work or work remotely for a while, get the longest visa that allows you to be in Hội An for at least 3 months or 6 months. 

You'll need that much of time to see if you want to put up with the endless throng of tourists on the daily basis that may affect your enjoyment at the cafe in the evening, the relentless rain during wet season (yes, it's wet season everywhere, but the Central is much wetter than the rest of the country), and the flood that is a novelty at first but will turn into a big nuisance year after year (and it's not the same kind of flood as in Venice so don't expect to have wooden planks to walk on).   

If your heart is not set on Hội An (a chance to experience other parts of the country IN PERSON would be a much better plan), a year is the perfect amount of time to find out which location will suit you better in real life. 

Researching is seeing things from someone else's eyes and perspective, which is great if this were a medical research and the someone else were a medical expert of that subject.  Not when the research is to find a best place to live and the information givers come from different age and socioeconomic groups, different interests and hobbies, different values and beliefs, different POV and mindset, etc.

There don't seem to be many active members on this board located in Hoi An.

You might try sending a direct message to some participants in the Hoi An expat network.

I visited Hoi An back in 2008, so I can't remember or recognize the name of the place I stayed. You should realize that Hoi An Old Town and the modern town of Hoi An are two different places. Anyway, I enjoyed my time there but only had a few days.

This website offers some good info but you shouldn't rely on it alone. Get some other opinions about the places listed here:

Full list:
https://www.travelfish.org/accommodatio … hoi_an/all

Noteworthy list:
https://www.travelfish.org/accommodatio … n/all/7824

Combined articles from the local, private, and government-owned newspapers, here's news from Hội An:

The water of Thu Bồn River became heavily salinated, which caused the discontinuation of fresh water supply to Hội An Old Town.  Drinking water for the residents has been deficient for months.  Due to the lack of water, many restaurants, businesses, and accommodations for travellers are temporarily closed.  Seventy percent of the people in the villages of Cẩm Thanh (of the famous Rừng Dừa Cẩm Thanh where 2000 tourists alight daily) and Cẩm Châu have been living with serious lack of water since March.  Vạn Lăng is one of the villages that suffers the most.  Due to very strong tourism, new hotels, restaurants, and other developments are built so quickly, there's not enough water supply to support everyone and every facility."

Want to romanticise a natural disaster?  Read this brochure from the National Oil Services Join Stock Company of VN (OSC, or Du Lịch Dịch Vụ Dầu Khí Việt Nam).

My translation from Vietnamese:

For a long time now, Hội An Old Town has been likened to the "flood bag" of the Thu Bồn downriver; the image of flood water reaching the roofs of carefully reserved ancient houses is as familiar as one of Lantern Nights.  In the flood season, many locals are willing to provide tourists with hired boats to see the old town, take photos of the mossy roofs immersed in sea water, and discover how Hội An residents live with the flood.  Seeing the overall landscape of Hội Ann's ancient roof when the flood rises, visiting the streets of Hội An Old Town by boats, and drinking coffee from the cafes on the second floors of some ancient houses, those activities will form a special sentiment and that novelty feeling is yours to keep.

Appreciate the information.

Will further research.

It's just my opinion but unless you like the quiet country life, unlike New York City, then Hoi An is possible. You'll probably be sick of all the tourist shops and tourists after a month if you live within the town. Maybe Danang might suit you better and less than an hour ride to Hoi An?

Thanks for your response. For the past 6 years, I have been living in a country town in Connecticut,  surrounded by trees, not visible to the road or other houses. I grew up in the woods here and lived in quiet, small, New England towns until I went to college. And loved it.

The size, scale, and pace is what attracts me to Hoi An.  Danang, or other large cities interest my primarily for access what resources are needed. This is what the trip is about, to see if Hoi An is a good fit. I will visit Danang as well.

Bruce

I too have been exploring Vietnam with a view to spending my winters out there. I loved Hoi An as a tourist, but my goodness it's crowded, not to even mention the possibility of floods. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to live there permanently.
I was very impressed with Dalat as a place to live, perhaps you could give it a try, the climate is very nice and although it's a city it's a manageable size. Sapa is also very nice, but perhaps a little cold in the winter.

Da Lat is Vietnam's closest answer to New England than any other city and town in the country.

I love small towns; one of the best places we've ever lived in had a population of 5000.  Hoi An is a small town in size but not in the amount of tourists that increases year after year: almost 2 millions in 2017, more than 4.5 millions in 2018.

Uptownbruce wrote:

Appreciate the information.

Will further research.

How did your visit go?

UptownBruce:  Well?  Did you relocate to Vietnam?   Love to hear about your decision.

I'm hoping admin won't mind me revitalizing this thread that went dormant during COVID times.

Our expert-emeritus Ciambella left some great, huge nuggets of wisdom here, both in observations about Hội An as well as in sage words about what it means to truly be an expat in any country, especially Vietnam:

First, regarding Hội An and the fresh water supply:

Combined articles from the local, private, and government-owned newspapers, here's news from Hội An:

The water of Thu Bồn River became heavily salinated, which caused the discontinuation of fresh water supply to Hội An Old Town. Drinking water for the residents has been deficient for months. Due to the lack of water, many restaurants, businesses, and accommodations for travellers are temporarily closed. Seventy percent of the people in the villages of Cẩm Thanh (of the famous Rừng Dừa Cẩm Thanh where 2000 tourists alight daily) and Cẩm Châu have been living with serious lack of water since March. Vạn Lăng is one of the villages that suffers the most. Due to very strong tourism, new hotels, restaurants, and other developments are built so quickly, there's not enough water supply to support everyone and every facility."

-@Ciambella

Next, this "romanticizing" of flooding here in Hội An has sadly become a real thing, with some tour guides in Hội An specializing in disaster tours...

Want to romanticise a natural disaster? Read this brochure from the National Oil Services Join Stock Company of VN (OSC, or Du Lịch Dịch Vụ Dầu Khí Việt Nam).

My translation from Vietnamese:

For a long time now, Hội An Old Town has been likened to the "flood bag" of the Thu Bồn downriver; the image of flood water reaching the roofs of carefully reserved ancient houses is as familiar as one of Lantern Nights. In the flood season, many locals are willing to provide tourists with hired boats to see the old town, take photos of the mossy roofs immersed in sea water, and discover how Hội An residents live with the flood. Seeing the overall landscape of Hội Ann's ancient roof when the flood rises, visiting the streets of Hội An Old Town by boats, and drinking coffee from the cafes on the second floors of some ancient houses, those activities will form a special sentiment and that novelty feeling is yours to keep.
-@Ciambella

Big thanks to ADMIN for renaming this thread.

Here's the exchange that Ciambella had with the OP:

1- An expat is a man (or woman, but let's just use masculine gender this time for simplicity's sake) who goes to sleep, wakes up, eats his meals, talks on the phone, watches TV, etc. the same way other men do every day. The same things and same way he himself has done every day. Except that he's doing them now in another country.

Being an expat is living one's life in a country that's not one's own. Life comes with its vagaries, not a hard and fast periodic table that one can memorise. One doesn't learn about becoming an expat, especially in just 12 days. One becomes an expat by moving to another country to live, and becomes a better expat by immersing oneself in the local life, not by talking to or hanging out with other expats.

2- What you can learn, if you truly want to move to Vietnam, anywhere in Vietnam and not Hoi An specifically, is to read as much as you can about the country, its history, governments (previous and present), laws (immigration, traffic, family, etc.), religions, traditions, and custom. Above all, learn the language because without knowing the language to some degree, you'll always be an observer, never become one of the doers.

-@Ciambella

Uptownbruce wrote:I have been doing research, and feel visiting will help me further understand what has to be done on a practical level to get there and start my journey.

Visiting is a must, but don't expect to learn anything concrete in your first trip to the country, especially a short trip. If you can take off from work or work remotely for a while, get the longest visa that allows you to be in Hội An for at least 3 months or 6 months.

You'll need that much of time to see if you want to put up with the endless throng of tourists on the daily basis that may affect your enjoyment at the cafe in the evening, the relentless rain during wet season (yes, it's wet season everywhere, but the Central is much wetter than the rest of the country), and the flood that is a novelty at first but will turn into a big nuisance year after year (and it's not the same kind of flood as in Venice so don't expect to have wooden planks to walk on). 

If your heart is not set on Hội An (a chance to experience other parts of the country IN PERSON would be a much better plan), a year is the perfect amount of time to find out which location will suit you better in real life.

Researching is seeing things from someone else's eyes and perspective, which is great if this were a medical research and the someone else were a medical expert of that subject. Not when the research is to find a best place to live and the information givers come from different age and socioeconomic groups, different interests and hobbies, different values and beliefs, different POV and mindset, etc.
-@Ciambella

@OceanBeach92107 I'm afraid to ask but what happened to Ciambella I don't see her on here anymore? Also is she a real person or actually ChatGBT?

@OceanBeach92107 I'm afraid to ask but what happened to Ciambella I don't see her on here anymore? Also is she a real person or actually ChatGBT?
-@MikeTVN

Yes she is a real person.

@OceanBeach92107 I'm afraid to ask but what happened to Ciambella I don't see her on here anymore? Also is she a real person or actually ChatGBT?
-@MikeTVN

As Colin verified (we both know her personally from Vũng Tàu, as do GOBOT, John Ross, Andy & others) she's definitely real.

She left the forum when the crazy debates that started in 2020 got out of control and her job as Vietnam Expert became less about sharing information and more about babysitting.

Then she and her husband continued their globetrotting ways and relocated out of Việt Nam, partially motivated by the terrible treatment she received as a Việt Kiều living here on a VEC during Covid.

Don't anyone feel bad for them.

They are living life to the fullest and totally enjoying the change in scene.

Thanks for the information. To be sure my ChatGBT (AI) question/comment was meant to be a tremendous compliment to her. I have massive respect for her intelligence and integrity and almost as much for the two guys who replied to my question.