Living in Vietnam: AMA

[pugilistico]

Isn’t Vietnam a Communist country? I wouldn’t want to be trapped there

How would you get trapped there? You think their immigration would just let you stay indefinitely without a proper visa?

They are describing incidents that happen EVERYWHERE.

Man swindled out of money by a beautiful woman? That is unheard of!!!

I don't understand the logic of criticizing people who go to a certain country because some tourists go there for shady reasons or get screwed over. People should never go to the US because gun violence happens sometimes.

That’s Pho Sure.


I think the only Asian(I don’t mean countries that include old Soviet Bloc) id even consider move to for a brief period is Japan. I’ve never understood people wanting to move to some third world shithole.

Italy and Spain, sure, but not a country where the the GDP per capita is less than what I spend at Costco in a year.

You get all of the comforts of modern living for a fraction of the price. More developed and expensive doesn't mean better quality.

What are the National Holidays in Vietnam?

What are the biggest differences you noticed in laws compared to other countries?

You want me to list all of the laws and national holidays?

The most obvious difference as a foreign national are the immigration and visa laws. Vietnam allows 30-45 days visa free and 90 days with a visa depending on your nationality. Thailand allows 45-90 days visa free depending on your nationality.

I was in Thailand before Vietnam so the weed, smoking, and drinking laws was something I noticed. While weed is basically legal in thailand, they are much more strict about where you can smoke (weed or tobacco) and Thailand also has these weird drinking laws where you can't buy alcohol on certain hours or even days. Things close more early so often times if I go out, I find myself at home around midnight but in Vietnam things are open for way longer, booze is more accessible and you can light up a cig almost anywhere. I don't party or drink that much so it doesn't really affect me anyway.

Oh and they drive on the right here.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

Do you call everybody Charlie

 

[zapataxiv]

I'm a little curious about this as well.
How does rental works over there for foreigners, are you paying monthly with contract or just changing places constantly to see which is better price wise? I'm curious of the process since you are there for extended period. I read through the thread, you are at Da Nang?

I've been planning to go to some SE Asia for some extended stay as well. I keep hearing how "powerful" Singapore passport is, but after checking, most Visa free entry countries only allow us for 30 days, which is kind of short tbh.

whoo that Singapore Passport is goated for East Asian Travel
I'm jealous

 

[zapataxiv]

How would you get trapped there? You think their immigration would just let you stay indefinitely without a proper visa?
.

lol you're right
I live in China now and have been for almost 10 years
but western propaganda makes it seem like communist === hell
reality is most of these countries are either pretty capitaliatic because they want money
or so many people disregard the laws that they become almost useless
here it is a mix of both

 

[pugilistico]

lol you're right
I live in China now and have been for almost 10 years
but western propaganda makes it seem like communist === hell
reality is most of these countries are either pretty capitaliatic because they want money
or so many people disregard the laws that they become almost useless
here it is a mix of both

How are you liking it there? China is one place I was never interested in not because of the communism but because of how Chinese tourists are outside of China. But I know it's giant country with lots of diversity so I shouldn't let my bias limit me.

Traveling has helped me break down my biases and misconceptions. People think poorer, non-democratic country = shittier in every way, but the reality is that nothing is linear. Korea and Japan are developed "Westernized" countries with democracies but they're extremely rigid and people don't have western values. Meanwhile Thailand with its military government and a monarchy has the most progressive LGBT and drug laws in Asia. Vietnam is a "poor" country but you don't see tents of homeless drug addicts like in the US or gypsies pickpocketing people like in Europe. Despite being poor, everybody seems to have a roof over their head and food on the table at least. You can walk outside at night without having to worry about someone mugging you.

Being cheap doesn't mean worse and being more expensive doesn't mean better. Some countries are more expensive, but the quality of life is worse. For example I found that Cambodia and the Philippines to be more expensive, but they have much less infrastructure and the people more desperate. The UAE, while having western prices, was a shithole.

And because some of these places are so corrupt the upside is that they're more loose with the rules, which ironically gives you more freedom unlike in some more "developed and free" countries where they have a million rules about everything. It's all about your values and what you enjoy.

 

[cowboyjunkie]

How are you liking it there? China is one place I was never interested in not because of the communism but because of how Chinese tourists are outside of China. But I know it's giant country with lots of diversity so I shouldn't let my bias limit me.

Traveling has helped me break down my biases and misconceptions. People think poorer, non-democratic country = shittier in every way, but the reality is that nothing is linear. Korea and Japan are developed "Westernized" countries with democracies but they're extremely rigid and people don't have western values. Meanwhile Thailand with its military government and a monarchy has the most progressive LGBT and drug laws in Asia. Vietnam is a "poor" country but you don't see tents of homeless drug addicts like in the US or gypsies pickpocketing people like in Europe. Despite being poor, everybody seems to have a roof over their head and food on the table at least. You can walk outside at night without having to worry about someone mugging you.

Being cheap doesn't mean worse and being more expensive doesn't mean better. Some countries are more expensive, but the quality of life is worse. For example I found that Cambodia and the Philippines to be more expensive, but they have much less infrastructure and the people more desperate. The UAE, while having western prices, was a shithole.

And because some of these places are so corrupt the upside is that they're more loose with the rules, which ironically gives you more freedom unlike in some more "developed and free" countries where they have a million rules about everything. It's all about your values and what you enjoy.

Here’s an amazing YT channel that will change your mind about China. It’s strange that all of the propaganda that we see has us to believe that it’s so dirty and overcrowded.

This girl does a great job of filming outside of those big cities.

https://m.youtube.com/@littlechineseeverywhere

 

[humperdoo]

They are describing incidents that happen EVERYWHERE.

Man swindled out of money by a beautiful woman? That is unheard of!!!

Apparently, there are scams like that. A tourist flirting with a beautiful girl and then they have a date, going to a hotel and then somebody busts inside the hotel room claiming he is the husband of the girl. The police step in and ask for all your documents and then juice out all the tourist money. They all share the money with the police. All happy.

 

[chardog]

Is the Pho in Vietnam better than the Pho in America?

Probably not better than top tier American places but better than most, and it costs as low as $1 at a budget place. Tourists place have ultra high prices and you might not even know because you think it’s low compared to where your from.

 

[pugilistico]

Apparently, there are scams like that. A tourist flirting with a beautiful girl and then they have a date, going to a hotel and then somebody busts inside the hotel room claiming he is the husband of the girl. The police step in and ask for all your documents and then juice out all the tourist money. They all share the money with the police. All happy.

I heard of a similar story in Hanoi where an American guy hit it off with a Russian girl and he followed her back to her place and there were a bunch of dudes waiting for him. They took all of his cash and let him go.

It's apparently quite common in Thailand for Thai girls already in relationships to date a farang to get money so she can financially support her actual relationship. The stupid farang are none the wiser.

In all seriousness, I feel like it's quite easy to avoid this kind of stuff if you have some sense about you. Personally I don't date locals and I take my time to know the women before sleeping with them. Don't get blinded by easy pussy.

There's also a common scam in America where she'll vow to stay with you until death do you apart then you buy a house and help raise the kids but she'll fuck another guy on the side and when you find out, she'll take half your shit, the kids, and you'll end up paying alimony and child support. Don't trust women if you don't want to get scammed.

Probably not better than top tier American places but better than most, and it costs as low as $1 at a budget place. Tourists place have ultra high prices and you might not even know because you think it’s low compared to where your from.

I had Pho literally 4 times.
Once in Seoul for like 10 bucks and was horrible and gave me a bias that Viet food is shite. Once in Saigon at a street vendor for like a dollar and it was okay. Once in Orange County for like 8 bucks and it was okay. Then recently in a touristy restaurant in Da Nang for like 3 bucks, which was quite good but imo pho just isn't something to get excited for.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Absolutely fucking insane lol.


it's exactly like this video. It's just better in smaller cities because there's less traffic but expect the unexpected always. I'm surprised I don't see more accidents than I do. By far it's the worst country I've driven in. But the upside is that because there seems to be no rules, you can do whatever the fuck you want. You only have to worry about cops when they decide they want to make extra coffee money that day. Police presence is minimal.

It's amusing to me when some people get uppity about tourists driving bikes with no valid license when you have literal children driving their 3 siblings on one bike. I'm sure that 12 year old driving while holding his baby sister doesn't have a license.

One thing that perplexes me is that the locals almost never make a turn from the lane that makes the most logical sense. They'll merge to the far right lane and then cut through 3 lanes of incoming traffic to make a left at an intersection. Well, they don't make any logical decisions on the road whatsoever.

In some rural areas it's actually worse if you're driving at night because people will do all the crazy shit they do during the day but in the dark. A lady dressed in all back with no lights will suddenly merge in front of you. Kids will be playing soccer on the street. Random cows and dogs jumping out. And there are no street lights so it's pitch black. I go real slow at night and honk constantly. At least in the city there are street lights and lights from the buildings.

And no cities are not clean. Beaches are not clean. Forests are not clean. It's perfectly acceptable to throw garbage literally anywhere. The other day I hiked through a jungle to get to a secluded beach with literally no other people in sight. Both the trail and the beach was still covered in plastic waste. I've seen locals just dump their trash into the sewer in the cities lol. Some southeast asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia (at least Bali) is taking some initiative to clean up their garbage but Vietnam is behind on that.

Thank you for your detailed response.

 

[VulcanNervPinch]

It's really hard to notice the prostitution stuff when I'm hanging out with 20-30 year olds who want to surf, make music, build apps, and shoot youtube videos. Or hippie chicks who go vegan restaurants and do yoga.

What is bringing 20-30 yo Western chicks there??

 

[BoogerDawson]

What do you get for $10?

efreeting you want

 

[CutStryker]

How would you get trapped there? You think their immigration would just let you stay indefinitely without a proper visa?

I don't understand the logic of criticizing people who go to a certain country because some tourists go there for shady reasons or get screwed over. People should never go to the US because gun violence happens sometimes.


You get all of the comforts of modern living for a fraction of the price. More developed and expensive doesn't mean better quality.



You want me to list all of the laws and national holidays?

The most obvious difference as a foreign national are the immigration and visa laws. Vietnam allows 30-45 days visa free and 90 days with a visa depending on your nationality. Thailand allows 45-90 days visa free depending on your nationality.

I was in Thailand before Vietnam so the weed, smoking, and drinking laws was something I noticed. While weed is basically legal in thailand, they are much more strict about where you can smoke (weed or tobacco) and Thailand also has these weird drinking laws where you can't buy alcohol on certain hours or even days. Things close more early so often times if I go out, I find myself at home around midnight but in Vietnam things are open for way longer, booze is more accessible and you can light up a cig almost anywhere. I don't party or drink that much so it doesn't really affect me anyway.

Oh and they drive on the right here.

Ah, Communist countries if they want don’t follow the rules, they would just take your ass. SMH

 

[GSP_37]

I thought I read a lot of foods from Thailand have lead due to contaminated soil the food was grown in. Does Vietnam have the same problem?

 

[pugilistico]

Ah, Communist countries if they want don’t follow the rules, they would just take your ass. SMH

Ah yes. It's common knowledge that there are gulags full of tourists in Vietnam lol.

I thought I read a lot of foods from Thailand have lead due to contaminated soil the food was grown in. Does Vietnam have the same problem?

That I have no idea. I never knew that about Thailand either. I haven't gotten lead poisoning so far. The food here is quite high quality since everything is grown locally and in the jungle. It just tastes good so that's all that I care about.

What is bringing 20-30 yo Western chicks there??

Probably because it's cheap, the weather is good, and because there is a "looseness" to the rules in a lot of these places, there's a sense of freedom as well. A lot of hippie types around here. And it's quite safe which is important for a lot of women. I met a lot of cool adventurous young women in these parts.

 

[MichiganMMA1978]

My uncle was killed in the Quang Nam province on July 12, 1968.
I need you to investigate and track down whoever planted that explosive device and relay all pertinent information back to me.

 

[bean88]

I was in Vietnam this time last year for a few weeks, Da Nang and Hoi An really stood out, especially Hoi An

Got to agree the food is some of the best in SE Asia, tough to pick between Vietnam and Thailand for me

I spoke in detail to a woman at one of the resorts we were staying in who lives there (as an expat) and she said it’s brutal in the rainy season, ie rain for weeks at a time, so much that they can’t even dry their clothes when they come out of the washing machine because there’s too much moisture in the air

She also said the language is incredibly difficult to learn (although her early teens son had managed it)

I think the extreme heat, rain seasons and humidity makes it a pretty uncomfortable place to live year round

 

[scorpiorising]

Why so? It's super cheap, good quality of living, great food, etc.

I'll give you one guess

 

[Brampton_Boy]

Serious question - how much money would you need to live a "high standard of living" in a place like Vietnam?

I'm only 39, but I've saved up a bit and outright own my house. Every time I get sick of of work I fantasize about saying "fuck it", and retire in South East Asia or Central America. Is a million dollars enough to live the rest of your in relative luxury?

 

[pugilistico]

My uncle was killed in the Quang Nam province on July 12, 1968.
I need you to investigate and track down whoever planted that explosive device and relay all pertinent information back to me.

My grandpa fought in the war as well. He made it back but he got cancer and died a year later which really sucked for my poor grandma. I always wondered if it was because of agent orange.