Job Discussion Forums

[toiyeuthitmeo]

I saw a poster considering between Vung Tau and Hai Phong, and I thought I might share some of my, uh, expertise, on the subject of Vung Tau. I spent a lot of time working there. Enjoy and please feel free to add or disagree

Vung Tau positives-

Traffic/pollution/population not a problem, easy to get around and learn your motorbike skills.

Relaxed feel, usually no big city madness, streets are pretty clear during lunch and after dark.

Convenient. Food/shopping all close and you can find whatever you want, and the schools, living spaces, beaches, and city center are all never more than a 10-15 min bike ride away (usually less). A full tank of motorbike fuel lasts many people a week or more, you can get around fairly easily on a pedal bike, and taxi rides are cheap enough.

Good restaurants. In addition to good Vietnamese seafood and meat/rice staples (seaside grilled octopus and crab legs with cold Saigon beer, mmm mmm mmm) , there are several tasty international restaurants, including a Chinese place run by a Chinese man (Bobo T's), an Indian place run by an Indian (Ali Baba), a Ukranian place run by a Ukranian (Kozak--great beer) an Italian place (David's-- awesome!) run by an Italian, an Aussie sausage place run by an Inuit, and a handful of decent Aussie and Kiwi taverns (Ned Kelly's, Belly's, Tommy's).

Some nature to enjoy. The beach is underrated if you ask me, but it is not as nice as Mui Ne or Danang. Think crowds, scattered litter, and gray-ish water. Nice sand though. There are a couple small mountains that offer some hiking, biking, and greenery. Motorbike rides along the coastal roads are very nice.

Many English schools, fairly easy to find work and pick up private students, including Russian and Ukrainian students, an interesting twist and challenge to teaching in Vietnam.

A group of sociable (and sometimes rowdy ) English teachers who like to share a meal and have a night out or a house party.

Close to Saigon if you feel like hanging out in the "big city" or need to go to the airport.

Weather- Being next to the sea it is more comfortable than Saigon lots of times.

Very cheap. You can share a big house with one or two other people for less than $200 / month, or get a nice serviced flat for $300-$500 / month.

Vung Tau drawbacks-

It's small. It can get boring if you're a big city type, and you're not going to have an easy time getting into say, a sport league or a book club, and it doesn't take long to have experienced all of the dining, drinking, and dancing establishments the town has to offer. There's not much culture in terms of museums, etc. For single females, it is not an easy place to find a mate or even a fling, or so I've heard--not a lot of expat men to choose from, and we don't see expat female teachers going after the local men. Why? Not sure. I'd be interested to hear some theories. No live music for the most part. There are lots of oil industry workers and other tourists who can make people uncomfortable, usually having to do with their interactions with the local ladies and their consumption of copious amounts of beer. Guess you might lump some of the teachers in that category too The bars are mostly girly bars, some less in-your-face than others( Offshore, Sunset) , and some that can get downright sleazy (Red Parrot, Vitamin C...er...not that I would know or anything). Besides Saigon, Vung Tau is not really close to any notable places to visit (Mui Ne, which is very lovely, is the closest that comes to mind, and is still a few hours away). It gets quite crowded on the weekends when people from Saigon flood in to visit. The ocean/beach is not the best. The hospital and health care in general is quite terrible for anything worse than stitches.

Anything else?

Hope someone finds that informative or helpful. Oh and the sausage shop is not run by an Inuit. I think he's Tajikistani.

[gastropod]

Thanks a bunch toiyeuthitmeo. I'll probably be there to see it for myself in a month or so. I haven't been to VN before but I don't like the sound of the crowds, noise and pollution in HCMC. I'm coming by land from China and I have been thinking of checking out VN's coastal towns as I make my way down. I have been taking quite an interest in Vung Tau lately because it seems like a place where jobs can be found without too much hard graft. I had been really hoping to get some first hand impressions from someone on the scene so your post was just the ticket. Thanks so much for taking the trouble!

[PattyFlipper]

[Minella]

Thank you for this info. I have decided to go to Vung Tau instead of Hai Phong now Anyone heard of the Cleverlearn English School in Vung Tau?

[toiyeuthitmeo]

Yup. There's a nice bunch of teachers working there, actually house-shared with a teacher from there for a short while. I used to hear some negative things about the place (wages and Vietnamese ownership/management frustrations) but as of late people don't seem to be complaining. Shoot me a message when you get into town

[Minella]

Oh that sounds good. Yea for sure will let ya know.

[snollygoster]

Cleverlearn-- Ha ha ha
Cleverlearn in Vung Tau. Ha ha ha ha
Truong Tay ba lo.
Bring dirty t-shirts, patched jeans and flip-flops, and be looked down on by other ESL teachers. BUT its a job, and the location is glorious.

[Minella]

I am now scared!! Have you worked there before? Is it really bad?

[snollygoster]

No its not bad- In general, Cleverlearn projects a less than perfect image of what one normally expects of a "teacher"- so expect to be tarred with their brush.
As to Cleverlearn Vung Tau-its a franchise, and may be better than the usual Cleverlearn owned schools-My own experience with Cleverlearn Vung Tau has been by phone and e-mail only, and I got the impression of considerable confusion and disarray- not unusual for a Cleverlearn school.

Just bring some patience, and dont expect too much organization, and you will be fine. Lots of kids-One good thing is that the day times will be mostly free for you, as almost all classes will be at night and most definately on week ends. At least that way you can avoid the crowds of rubbish throwing locals who come down to Vung Tau to pollute the beaches every week-end. During the week, Vung Tau is mostly "empty" so you will be free at the right times to enjoy it.

Keep an open mind, dont get exasperated by the lack of organization, and keep an eye open for the next job. Say "hello" to Xuan from someone who knows Cleverlearn.

[Andy123]

Fair post snollygoster.

It is a job and expect nothing more. If you are there to teach you will be disappointed. If you are looking to pay the bills and expect nothing more you will be fine.

An interesting note is the number of teachers I know who have "burned out" living there. Maybe too much of a good thing.

[s10czar]

Are there any good gyms in Vung Tao??? Ok, forget "good"...are there any gyms at all???

[Minella]

Thank you guys!! That really helped. I will be having an interview with Xuan in a few days. Will see how it goes. Did any of you have to go through a health check up procedure in Vietnam to get a work permit?

[snollygoster]

Everyone has to have a health check to get a Work Permit in Vietnam.
Its not difficult- usual stuff- blood tests, urine, eyes, history, tonsilectimy, appendectimy, --he he- no no no- very normal type at an international hospital (The Viet government will not accept a healt certificate from a Viet govt hospital- it must be SOS, French Hospital etc.)

You dont have to have a work permit for the first 3 months-after that the givernment will want to see one. so you have 3 months to get it sorted. Xuan will know what to do about it (I guess).
As "*beep* lover" (Toi yeu thit meow) says, dont stress- Its a way to pay the bills and have an adventure- Its probably a good first job in Vietnam actually- It will teach you not to take yourself too seriously- Once you are settled in, then you can become a "real" teacher.

Enjoy.

[deadlift]

Cleverlearn huh? The name rang a bell from another forum. These are in reply to the question "Is it easy to find a job teaching English in Vietnam":

[toiyeuthitmeo]