Finding a job/playing gigs

Hi everybody,
I'm Kim in Austin, Tx. I'm wanting to move to Vietnam in September or October, if they are accepting people then. I have my degree in English (have taught ESL) and would like to teach but my lifelong profession has been as a piano player/singer. I'll want to work eventually but just want to live without  working for a few months to explore and get settled a bit. Any thoughts about finding a job/playing gigs after I arrive?

Hello Dalaimama,

Welcome to Expat.com :)

I have created a new topic on the Vietnam forum with your post. As a stand-alone topic, your query will get more visibility and benefit from enhanced interaction with our members.

While awaiting responses from our members, you should consider creating your CV and submitting it in the dedicated Jobs in Vietnam section.

With the help of our members, you will find more pointers to further your job search.

Good luck,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

About 12 years ago, when I was living in District 1, Saigon, a guy from the Philippines who lived in my building had a job as the 'piano man' in the lobby bar of the New World Hotel. Not sure if hotels still have that sort of thing but contacting swanky hotels in the cities and beach resorts might be a place to start.

Other than that, not sure there are many paying gigs for foreigners except for the Filipino bands that you find in some bars and clubs. You'll have to get out there and network to see what you can find.

These websites many help you find out more about the nightlife in:

Saigon: https://saigoneer.com ; https://saigoneer.com/saigon-events

Hanoi: https://urbanisthanoi.com ; https://urbanisthanoi.com/events-calendar

It's likely that the Filipino piano player works for more than he can make in Manila but a lot less than a hotel piano player would make in Austin or any good sized US city.  However if you have a decent paying daytime ESL job, you might be willing to take the wages just because you want to play.