Job Discussion Forums

[Tue]

Can people who have experience living in both places, care to compare ?

It seems that most foreigners here are just waiting to save money to leave. I must admit, my rose tinted goggles have warn off, and the constant hassle of living in Vietnam is starting to wear me thin. I mean overcharging by 100 -500% is a little much, even when know the correct price and have paid the correct rice recently. Walking down the street is a test of patience after a hard days work, and the motorbike drivers are the basically legalized theft (only for foreigners).

It seems Vietnam is anxious to drive out all foreigners and foreigner investments at any cost, heaven forbid any foreigner investment to help the average wage increase past 100$ a month.

Can anyone compare with Thailand or even Cambodia/Laos ?

Would living in Thailand (outside of BK) be more relaxing and less in-your-face than Vietnam ?

Last time I was in Thailand (a while ago unfortunately) I remember the "I am going to be friendly and charming, while I overcharge this farang a bit more" vs the "I am going to screw this foreigner huge, and then laugh in its face for being dumb enough to come here"

Can any explain how they coped here, or did you just smarten up and leave ?

Ok rant over, compare please

[uberinflight]

[kuberkat]

Tue, though I havent' lived in SEA I did travel there quite a bit and I can see the point of what you are saying. The Vietnamese attitude towards foreigners that I perceived was quite aggressive, and though I met a few lovely people, the two-tiered pricing became annoying quickly enough. As a traveler, it felt as if locals perceived me to have bottomless wells of cash to which they were perfectly entitled. I found Vietnam particularly fatiguing, and the ubiquitous state intervention certainly did not help. (What I will always praise the country for, though, is its unbelieveable coffee, the nifty coffeemakers and the ao-dai, still the most elegant pieces in my wardrobe four years after my visit.)

Although Cambodia can be considered even worse off economically, the reception of visitors is extremely different. Yes, people there are very desperate and they do need your money, but outisde PP at least they make you feel really good about your trade-not-aid. When I was there, it struck me how little grasp of the value of money people had- perhaps residents can confirm or deny this? In Cambodia my annoyances were occasional, whereas in Vietnam I felt constantly violated. Cambodia is a country that touched me very deeply, and it could be a very meaningful place to work.

Your impression of Thailand is one I think many visitors can relate to, and though one can expect to be overcharged, it is not on the scale of the state-enforced two-tier system in Vietnam. People I have met who taught either in the North or South of Thailand were really contented.

As to my personal opinion, I think it is worth considering, if you love to travel, working in a more lucrative Asian country (SKorea, Taiwan etc) and taking a month or more to travel annually. That way you can make some financial progress, too, and be free to travel in a more relaxed way.

Anyone who has lived in Asia can relate to the stress you are under: take heart: there are compensations, but you might have to seek them out.

[Dr Disco]

Where in Vietnam do you live? Is it HCMC, Hanoi, or somewhere else? I've lived in SE Asia (Cambodia) as well as Korea. I've also traveled a bit in asia, and in general I dislike the tourist or expat hangouts.For me, those are the places that I get harassed. I'm hasseled less in the smaller areas. If you can find work I would suggest moving to a smaller province / town. It might help.
Another thing is to try taking as many quick getaways as you can to smaller places in Vietnam on weekends and holidays. Bus tickets are cheap, and you don't have to go far to get away from the nonsense of the city.

I've never had much of a problem with this in Cambodia, but I do try to get out on the weekends to the countryside or beach areas. Also, I've noticed that the more of the local language I speak (in any country), the less I get jacked around...(Notice I say less:)

I've thought about moving to Vietnam or Thailand if I can secure a good gig. Time will tell.

How is FedEx shipping to / from north America in Vietnam? It cost a small fortune in Phnom Pemh.