Ideal location for living

Anh Pham46

Member

Member since 23 October 2021

Anh Pham46

02 February 2022 05:51:05

Anh Pham46

02 February 2022 05:51:05

Hello expat community!

My family is in a bit of an impasse on where we should live. I will be working in the city but the school she will be ultimately attending will be in the Vinhomes riverside area (BIS). My husband likes the aesthetics of the homes and he feels most comfortable with the transition to those villas particularly. Ciputra didn't resonate with him for UNIS being close by. My daughter is 2 turning 3 and those are the only two international schools that will take her age and my company is paying for her tuition so we would like to send her to a top tier IS.

I don't mind the Starlake area, it's 15 mins to UNIS when daughter can attend there and not far from my company in Lang Ha. However it doesn't seem like Starlake, from all the google I can do, isn't as built out with the amenities as Vinhomes Riverside is and my husband will be the one at home mostly so he's trying to fill his time as much as possible so amenities and community is important to him.

My daughter gets motion sick in the car so we have to limit her time in one as much as possible, that's why we hope to live close to a school she would attend. 15 mins is her max before she starts throwing up. Hoping she grows out of it when she's older but my husband still gets motion sick so who knows?

My main qualm is missing out on the cool restaurants and shops if we live out too far in the riverside area. I know it probably has its own type of scene but ideally I would love to live in the west lake area but we can't afford anything that has 4-5 bedrooms there that's not an apartment. I know if we live in the riverside area, my commute will be crazy and I'll dedicate 2 hours a day in the car missing out on family time.

I guess I'm just looking for insight on communities and if anyone has any experience with choosing the right neighborhood with families in mind. Thanks for reading my rambling and any advice given.

matthanoi

Active member

Member since 24 September 2020

matthanoi

03 February 2022 06:14:27

matthanoi

03 February 2022 06:14:27

Hi Anh,

I've lived in Hanoi for just over a year. I do not have a family, so I am not sure how helpful my thoughts are. But for the lack of anything else...

- From driving through the area, the Starlake development doesn't look particularly inspiring. On the plus side, its not that far from places that are much livelier - probably about 20/30 minutes in a grab/taxi to the "westernized" part of Tay Ho or the area around Hoan Kiem lake, or a reasonably short walk down to the road round Tay Ho lake. The perimeter road is good for walking (or as good as anywhere in Hanoi) and has some nice cafes. On that side of the lake they aren't really aimed at foreigners, which might be a plus or a minus depending on what you are looking for.

- I've never been to VInhomes Riverside, but I have met expats with families who choose to live there because of the school. You are right that it is a long way out, so you are pretty much limited to that area for socializing.

- Have you looked in to asking your company to provide a car and driver? It doesn't make the commute any shorter but it does take away some of the pain.

Complete aside - I got motion sick when I was younger and grew out of it, so there is hope.

Good luck with your move.

Anh Pham46

Member

Member since 23 October 2021

Anh Pham46

03 February 2022 07:15:53

Anh Pham46

03 February 2022 07:15:53

matthanoi wrote:
Good luck with your move.

This is exactly what I was looking for!! Thank you so much for your helpful answer! And thank you for not being rude about it, I know the question sounds very privileged but we are out of our element here and it took a lot of convincing my husband to move to Hanoi for my job. Thank you again!!

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