New members of the Vietnam forum, introduce yourselves here - 2021

Puja333 wrote:

Yes i also think so of the time in Nepal.
When the time is right i will be so happy to move to vietnam. I just want live in peace and harmony
The first time when i stayed in vietnam it felt like home.    I was living with a very nice family.
It felt like home but i was overstrained... of all the emotions and impressions....

Thank you for reply and the good advices 

I am not really sure what you mean by "I was oveertrained... of all the emotions and impressions."  I hope you are not thinking based on your relatively short prior stay that life in Vietnam is all "peace and harmony."  Urban Vietnamese have all the interpersonal stresses and strains of people in any industrialized country.  The few people I have met that live in truly agricultural areas may or may not have as many interpersonal stresses but they do have the added stress of livng in relative poverty.  Hopefully you can find your sweet spot but I hope you don't assume that Vietnam is conflict free.

yudirajput wrote:

goodolboy wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Da Nang is one of the better or more popular places to live. Less traffic and closer to the beach

Renting.. depending on your needs you should be able to find a decent place 300-400 USD but be prepared for lots of promising ads and nice photos that don't represent the actually property . It's common here to post a listing and price that are not correct and try and charge you more. But don't let that deter you, finding 6 places you like, at least half should be close to what you want.

Living costs.. electric is reasonable, using fans instead of Aircon should come in under 1 million VND for a midsize one bed apartment. Water is very cheap .

We have a 2 bed 73m2  apartment here in HCMC. AC is on from 7pm to 6 am, all electric incl cooking, ceiling fan on all day, TV on basically all day & my electric bill here has never been over 850,000vnd


UPDATE........Sorry I got it wrong, just checked my EVNHCMC online account & twice it was over 850.

March  612,676
April   812,856
May     734,921
June      893,928
July       921,965
August   782,073
Sept       754,016

850,000 vnd that is less than 38 USD or less than 47 CAD. That explains how cheap Vietnam can really be.

If I may ask, how long have you been living in Vietnam for and what do you do there for living ?

Again thanks a lot for valuable inputs.
Really appreciate mate.

Cheers,

If I may ask, how long have you been living in Vietnam for.........................lived here nearly14 years

and what do you do there for living ...............................................................live off my pensions & investments.

THIGV wrote:

Puja333 wrote:

Yes i also think so of the time in Nepal.
When the time is right i will be so happy to move to vietnam. I just want live in peace and harmony
The first time when i stayed in vietnam it felt like home.    I was living with a very nice family.
It felt like home but i was overstrained... of all the emotions and impressions....

Thank you for reply and the good advices 

I am not really sure what you mean by "I was oveertrained... of all the emotions and impressions."  I hope you are not thinking based on your relatively short prior stay that life in Vietnam is all "peace and harmony."  Urban Vietnamese have all the interpersonal stresses and strains of people in any industrialized country.  The few people I have met that live in truly agricultural areas may or may not have as many interpersonal stresses but they do have the added stress of livng in relative poverty.  Hopefully you can find your sweet spot but I hope you don't assume that Vietnam is conflict free.

sure i know they have stress too  and is it not everything in harmony...
and not everything is good there.
I know every place in the world have conflicts and everyone has problems in the world.

But vietnam and also nepal they are my dream countrys. 
I can not explain but i feel there are my home.   

My friend from vietnam said to me maybe in a previous life i was lived there.
I also was in japan, china, england, austria, thailand before but i never felt like this.... 

i dont know how to explain.

Hope you can understand me... 

goodolboy wrote:

yudirajput wrote:

goodolboy wrote:

We have a 2 bed 73m2  apartment here in HCMC. AC is on from 7pm to 6 am, all electric incl cooking, ceiling fan on all day, TV on basically all day & my electric bill here has never been over 850,000vnd


UPDATE........Sorry I got it wrong, just checked my EVNHCMC online account & twice it was over 850.

March  612,676
April   812,856
May     734,921
June      893,928
July       921,965
August   782,073
Sept       754,016

850,000 vnd that is less than 38 USD or less than 47 CAD. That explains how cheap Vietnam can really be.

If I may ask, how long have you been living in Vietnam for and what do you do there for living ?

Again thanks a lot for valuable inputs.
Really appreciate mate.

Cheers,

If I may ask, how long have you been living in Vietnam for.........................lived here nearly14 years

and what do you do there for living ...............................................................live off my pensions & investments.

Well, That explains all.

14 Years - wow that's a long time sir, How do you manage to renew your visas throughout all these years ?
Did you marry to a Viet if that's okay to ask? ( out of curiosity only)

Puja333 wrote:

THIGV wrote:

Puja333 wrote:

Yes i also think so of the time in Nepal.
When the time is right i will be so happy to move to vietnam. I just want live in peace and harmony
The first time when i stayed in vietnam it felt like home.    I was living with a very nice family.
It felt like home but i was overstrained... of all the emotions and impressions....

Thank you for reply and the good advices 

I am not really sure what you mean by "I was oveertrained... of all the emotions and impressions."  I hope you are not thinking based on your relatively short prior stay that life in Vietnam is all "peace and harmony."  Urban Vietnamese have all the interpersonal stresses and strains of people in any industrialized country.  The few people I have met that live in truly agricultural areas may or may not have as many interpersonal stresses but they do have the added stress of livng in relative poverty.  Hopefully you can find your sweet spot but I hope you don't assume that Vietnam is conflict free.

sure i know they have stress too  and is it not everything in harmony...
and not everything is good there.
I know every place in the world have conflicts and everyone has problems in the world.

But vietnam and also nepal they are my dream countrys. 
I can not explain but i feel there are my home.   

My friend from vietnam said to me maybe in a previous life i was lived there.
I also was in japan, china, england, austria, thailand before but i never felt like this.... 

i dont know how to explain.

Hope you can understand me... 

Some people are very good at listening to thoughts as if from the right brain.

Others can only hear with their left brain.

I think many of us understand your expression of a metaphysical connection and the desires of your heart.

Good luck!

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Puja333 wrote:

THIGV wrote:

I am not really sure what you mean by "I was oveertrained... of all the emotions and impressions."  I hope you are not thinking based on your relatively short prior stay that life in Vietnam is all "peace and harmony."  Urban Vietnamese have all the interpersonal stresses and strains of people in any industrialized country.  The few people I have met that live in truly agricultural areas may or may not have as many interpersonal stresses but they do have the added stress of livng in relative poverty.  Hopefully you can find your sweet spot but I hope you don't assume that Vietnam is conflict free.

sure i know they have stress too  and is it not everything in harmony...
and not everything is good there.
I know every place in the world have conflicts and everyone has problems in the world.

But vietnam and also nepal they are my dream countrys. 
I can not explain but i feel there are my home.   

My friend from vietnam said to me maybe in a previous life i was lived there.
I also was in japan, china, england, austria, thailand before but i never felt like this.... 

i dont know how to explain.

Hope you can understand me... 

Some people are very good at listening to thoughts as if from the right brain.

Others can only hear with their left brain.

I think many of us understand your expression of a metaphysical connection and the desires of your heart.

Good luck!

Thank you so much and all of you are so friendly and helpful. 

Hi to all

I am Charles from UK .  I was born in Sri Lanka or when I was born it was called Ceylon😊 I do have a connection to Asia. I am a keen traveler and photography as my hobby. I am planing to live in Vietnam and hoping to make the move in January 2022.  I have picked Hoi An to settle down. Please be free everyone to provide information. Especially interested how the visa system works. Any other questions please be free to ask me.

batstonec wrote:

Hi to all

I am Charles from UK .  I was born in Sri Lanka or when I was born it was called Ceylon😊 I do have a connection to Asia. I am a keen traveler and photography as my hobby. I am planing to live in Vietnam and hoping to make the move in January 2022.  I have picked Hoi An to settle down. Please be free everyone to provide information. Especially interested how the visa system works. Any other questions please be free to ask me.

It appears you have some homework to do, which probably should have been done before you chose the date you want to move.

The borders of Vietnam are currently closed to tourists.

If you have about $132,000 US dollars to invest, then you could get an investor visa which would entitle you to a 3-year temporary residence certificate (renewable).

Or, if you want to work while you are in Vietnam, you can qualify for an entry Visa as an expert, which usually means either an English teacher, or someone who has a skill that Vietnamese citizens are not able to accomplish currently.

Otherwise, closed borders mean no visas.

Hội An is not a bad choice, though you have to be a bit selective about where you choose to live, as there is a Disneyland quality to the ancient town area with many foreigners feeling that they are disrespected by the businesses attempting to make a lot of money off of tourists and expats.

I was living there until June when the government would not further extend my business Visa.

Hi Ocean Beach
Thank you for your message and I appreciate it very much.  I see from your location you are living now in Mexico. Sorry to hear that Vietnamese government did not extend your business visa. It is difficult to do homework during pandemic because the information I receive online is contradictory😊 I am not planing to work or do any business in Vietnam. I am retired and hoping to have a peaceful life in Vietnam. Anyway, thank you once again for your valuable information. Please keep in touch.

Ocean beach already gave you a lot of good information.
I'd recommend you to visit Hoi An first, once things turn back to normal again.
(probably 2nd half of next year somewhere)

Hoi An is absolutely a lovely town, so don't get me wrong.
But when I visited back in 2018, I found the hordes of tourists this place attracks every single day, taking away a bit of it's charm.
Once things turn back to normal, pretty sure they will return as well

batstonec wrote:

Hi Ocean Beach
Thank you for your message and I appreciate it very much.  I see from your location you are living now in Mexico. Sorry to hear that Vietnamese government did not extend your business visa. It is difficult to do homework during pandemic because the information I receive online is contradictory😊 I am not planing to work or do any business in Vietnam. I am retired and hoping to have a peaceful life in Vietnam. Anyway, thank you once again for your valuable information. Please keep in touch.

As OB says you need to be an investor or expert to get a visa, on a tourist visa it's a short stay option, there is no retirement visa for Vietnam.

Hi Andy

Thank you for your message and I appreciate your information.  As OB stated I will have to do some home work to begin with😊 Have a wonderful afternoon.

Hi Andy

Could you please let me know how long is a tourist visa valid for? Also is there any possibility to extend it?

batstonec wrote:

Hi Andy

Could you please let me know how long is a tourist visa valid for? Also is there any possibility to extend it?

As of now there are no borders open so no idea what tourist visa system will look like when it restarts, it used to be 3 months and out and back in again to renew and 12 months for Americans, all that stopped on March 15th 2020.

So the answer is,,,, nobody knows yet.

Thank you Andy, I understand the news is not clear and I hope 2022 will bring clarity. Very kind of you for the info.
You take care and be safe.🙏❤️

batstonec wrote:

Thank you Andy, I understand the news is not clear and I hope 2022 will bring clarity. Very kind of you for the info.
You take care and be safe.🙏❤️

As my grandpa used to say "as clear as mud", I think it has to be in the top 5 questions when can we come to Vietnam.

The thinking seems to be try to open the country to domestic travel to get the tourist system working again without spreading covid and closing everything down again, then start to open up to "safe countries".

It will be a tough call for the person that signs off on opening the borders if it all goes pear shape.

OB are you hoping to go back to Vietnam.  Did you live there for a long time?

batstonec wrote:

OB are you hoping to go back to Vietnam.  Did you live there for a long time?

I invite you to click on my avatar and read my profile, where that information is posted.

This thread is primarily for the introduction of new members.

You can send private messages to most forum members by clicking on their Avatar and choosing to send them a message.

However many forum members only accept messages from established contacts, so you might want to request to be added as a contact first.

Or you are welcome to create a new thread to discuss a particular topic.

Thank you, got it.

HI, one question can one person live on, 1500 a month modestly

Good question and I am new here too. More information we have make it easier decide the life in Vietnam .

mjudesullivan6 wrote:

HI, one question can one person live on, 1500 a month modestly

There is a somewhat unkind acronym which I will not repeat here but you really should read the forum.  This question has been asked and answered innumerable times. 

Your only excuse, and a valid one, is that the search function on this site is terrible.   One of its deficiencies is that it will not sort results by date so this was my first relevant result to a search for 1500 but it is from 2017.   Search result      Still with a little more digging you can find your answer.

mjudesullivan6 wrote:

HI, one question can one person live on, 1500 a month modestly

Straight answer...............yes,

Thank you for the information

https://vn.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-se … passports/

Good place to start....

Hello. We are planning a move to Hue in 2022. Currently in Chiang Mai. I am a writer and educator, my husband is a carpenter and designer, we are both avid divers and sailors. When  back in the US (residence in the PNW), we live aboard a 63-foot, 100-yr old ex-British Columbia forestry vessel.  Really just hoping to meet and chat with other ex-pats in the Hue area.
Thanks!

ChristineWA wrote:

Hello. We are planning a move to Hue in 2022. Currently in Chiang Mai. I am a writer and educator, my husband is a carpenter and designer, we are both avid divers and sailors. When  back in the US (residence in the PNW), we live aboard a 63-foot, 100-yr old ex-British Columbia forestry vessel.  Really just hoping to meet and chat with other ex-pats in the Hue area.
Thanks!

Missing the sea you are. 🚢  We don't hear, well I don't hear, about many expats in Hue. You probably know about Facebook groups, search for 'expats Hue', and don't miss "expats Danang" also "expats Da Nang" (Vietnamese spelling) due to that large happy crowd down the coast.  But not to deter you, expat.com is friendlier than FB. 

Hello, my wife and I live near Vancouver Canada, and are contemplating retirement soon. We are looking at moving abroad and Vietnam and Danang caught our eye. Some feedback would be nice, particularly from any Canadians. Our questions are typical, livability, healthcare, real estate?, purchase or rent? Hoping to hear back from someone!

camchidley wrote:

Hello, my wife and I live near Vancouver Canada, and are contemplating retirement soon. We are looking at moving abroad and Vietnam and Danang caught our eye. Some feedback would be nice, particularly from any Canadians. Our questions are typical, livability, healthcare, real estate?, purchase or rent? Hoping to hear back from someone!

Welcome to the Vietnam forum.

This is an introductory thread, where it's best to tell other members as much about yourself as possible.

However when seeking quality feedback to your specific questions, a better method is to create your own individual thread dealing with a specific question such as cost of living in an area, or places to see, etc.

Also everything you mentioned has been previously addressed in this forum many many many times.

A good way to find those threads on this website is to use Google search, entering your keyword(s) and "expat.com".

So if I'm looking to find out about the cost of living in Vietnam I might search for:

expat.com cost of living in Vietnam

You will get better search results that way than when using the finicky search function on this website.

Good luck with your future plans.

Hello everyone,

I would love your help to find a university that can help me learn a new language in HCMC, or an interesting new course for a semester at least.

I am living in Hong Kong at the moment but would love to come to HCMC but I will need to apply with a Uni to get a student visa.

Does anyone know if the government gives out student visas now with the whole covid situation?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards,
Marlen

izesmarlen wrote:

Hello everyone,

I would love your help to find a university that can help me learn a new language in HCMC, or an interesting new course for a semester at least.

I am living in Hong Kong at the moment but would love to come to HCMC but I will need to apply with a Uni to get a student visa.

Does anyone know if the government gives out student visas now with the whole covid situation?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards,
Marlen

This is the most often mentioned Univ for learning Vietnamese language, but they have many programs.  They will know about student visas, or as much as anyone could know at the present.

google  "The University of Social Sciences and Humanities Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City"

Hi All
I've been living and working in Saigon for more than 10 years, but just join this group recently.

yasim wrote:

Hi All
I've been living and working in Saigon for more than 10 years, but just join this group recently.

Welcome to Expat.com Yasmin