Job Discussion Forums

[ChuckECheese]

I just like to know how many of you expat teachers enjoy or hate working in Vietnam.

Why?

[just noel]

Because of the lengthy, difficult, and expensive work permit process I have to vote no.

[ChuckECheese]

[larryB]

The food people and weather are great. Traffic is not the best, but better than Bangkok!

[lizarddoctor]

As for some of the good...
The weather and food selection is a plus.
Coffee is fantastic. I just got back from the states and thanking every cup.
Working here is good if you don't lock yourself up with one school and is pretty prosperous once you get here and get yourself networked a bit.
Contracts signed for 3 months or less removes you from needing a work permit. Just don't let a school own you and your fine.
HCMC is pretty small compared to other cities and getting around really isn't that difficult as long as you aren't in a car.

On the flip side...
The traffic is quite bad. Worse at peak hours.
Some schools are pretty notorious for mistreating teachers. Just avoid them and get on with your own piece of mind.
Corruption does rear it's ugly head from time to time and you have to learn to deal with it in your own way.
Being offended by someone selling you a coconut for 25 cents (4000 VND) when you can get it for 12 1/2 cents (2000 VND) just because your a foriegner does suck in principle. Some people either learn how to speak some Vietnamese or stop being so cheap.

Too many people have too many bad things to say just because they showed up as tourists or just didn't have what it took to make the system work for themselves. It's a shame that a lot of bad posts seem to be present just because someone needed to feel better inside. Every place in the world has it's own ups and downs. Vietnam is no different. It all depends on what you are looking for. I myself love it here and will be living here for a long time to come.

[larryB]

[BedTiger]

I will vote yes.

But I must say that initially I hated living here. Once the initial shock wore off I was ready to head to Thailand again. Only a good heart to heart with a good friend and great job offer at the right time kept me here. The negatives will wear on you and most people reach a point where the corruption, over-charging, open dislike of foreigners, noise, traffic and the traffic will drive you mad. Then if you can over come the BS you start realizing that 99% are great if you give them a chance. Once you make friends with a Vietnamese they will embarrass you with kindness, and being the stranger here, its up to us to make the effort. Once the Vietnamese realize you are not a tourist and you answer "I love it here" when asked many doors will open for you. Remember making contacts here is critical...everything is based on this.

Tips for succeeding in Vietnam.

1. Realize you will be ready to leave after 4-6 month. Stick it through.
2. Move out of a tourist area. Start using the local shops and let the locals get to know you, you will notice the prices dropping over time and sometimes people lending a hand when needed.
3. Get a motorbike and health insurance. Not using a xeom will save you alot of grief (and money) and having the freedom will allow you to look at your surrounding in a different light.
4. Prospect new job opportunities. There are some good jobs out there but you need to know the right person. Do a a good job and people will notice...and you will be approached. Life is a lot easier here when you can be home at 4pm (before the traffic).
5. Stay away from the negative foreigners and start hanging out with Vietnamese more often. Vietnamese people are quite enthusiastic about taking you places and showing you about and introducing you to new people. Everything here is about knowing someone. Just this week a friend offered me a house to rent at a price that most foreigners will never get (200$ a month 5 floors, 4 bathrooms and 3 balconies) and even though I turned it down..too far from my work...they will help me find something in the area I am looking to stay in.
6. When you have the time leave the city and head for the hills. The countryside is gorgeous here and the locals are extremely friendly...also the hassle factor drops significantly outside the city...Also there are some great neighbouring countries that are good for RR. Take advantage of the dffrent cultures and cheap flights available in South Asia.

Well these are just a few off the top of my head. I hope it gives some insight. Yes the work permit is a hassle but can be done if your a qualified teacher, I am working on number 2 and the process is a lot more smooth now I know the procedure.

[sethness]

Thanks for the tips, BedTiger.

What's a "xeom"? Is that a rental scooter, or a taxi...?

The house you were talking about ($200, 5 floors, 4 bathrooms, etc.) sounds a-maaaazing. You turned it down because it was far from your work, but...was it far from EVERYTHING?

Here in Japan, houses in the countryside are practically free, but the closer you get to employment/cities, the more you find you're spending a third of your salary for living in a shoebox.

Is that the case in VN too?

Are there English teachers who live and work in the countryside? What's the trade-off for that lifestyle-- lower wages, or just less access to shops?

Are the locals *generally* genuinely nice to foreigners, or nasty?
How would you compare life there, with life in Thailand or Philippines?

[BedTiger]

xeom is motorbike taxi. Really the scourge of Vietnam and a pain in the ass to deal with.

http://www.saigonesl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=417 (check out this great Vietnam site)

The house deals sounds amazing from a Japan perspective but is really quite normal here. It was not fantastically nice and needed some work, but for 2 or 3 people it would be great. Personally I am looking for an apartment, closer to work so that is why I skipped it.

Japan and Vietnam are very different in many ways, I was living in Tochigi before coming to nam. Currently I pay 200$ for my fully funrnished apartment and my month salary is 2000$...try that in Japan ! And that is literally in the center of town. With a Vietnamese helping me and moving to the outskirts of town near work I can double or triple my space for the same money.

Really not many jobs outside of Hanoi or HCM..and too be honest living in the countryside would be tough...even Hanoi is kinda boring compared to other cities in terms or entertainment.

By the way how is Hiroshima ? That was my first choice for living in Japan but it never panned out

[Mr Wind-up Bird]

I'd say an honest, reliable xe om driver, who doesn't drive like a maniac and either speaks a little English or understands pidgin VNese, is one of the first things you should arrange when you come to live in HCMC. Having a regular xe om saves you having to haggle with the cowboys, and is also a useful way to get into the rhythm of the traffic should you decide to take the plunge and drive your own bike. Your landlord can usually find you one.

Good advice BedTiger, though I'd take issue with your advice to "stick it through". All the long-term foreigners I know, myself included, all did the same thing - left after our first 10-12 months, got back to where we came from, realised we had it much better in VN, came back, & are still here a few years on. Leaving VN, and realising what you're missing, makes you appreciate life here even more.

[Tiger Beer]

[BedTiger]

well sorry guys, but for me once I hit the "I am going to leave" stage..I decided to look at the positives and change me thinking. It was me who had to adapt not the other way around and once I realized this then things got alot better.

[ColinM]

Having read Mr Wind-up Bird and in particular Ben Tiger's post I felt obliged to post my experience. That is to say I agree with everything they have said.

I had a good idea what to expect when I got here in December but I was surprised to find that it was cheaper than I bargined for and there were no deformed street children tuggin my clothes trying to sell me post cards as I strolled around; it can be an really enjoyable place to live.

So far I've only been in the tourist area of the Old Quarter and until only recently most Vietnamese weren't friendly or big into customer service. I moved out of a hotel and into a house and I find the people far nicer. Street prices with a friendly reception. Not a place I can see myself ever settling in long term but a City you can definately enjoy living in.

As an aside: if you are approached by a guy around Hoam Kiem lake and he asks you if you want to go and eat turtle - don't. I humored a guy who wanted to practice his English and the next day he wanted to eat turtle. Having heard a similar story from a Swede who had to pay a million dong (=E60) for eatting turtle I could read the writing on the wall so to speak and could avoid it thanks to him warning me. I hope other can now avoid these dodgy characters. Along with the Xe om drivers aren't worth much of your time as a general rule of thumb.

I've the Thailand itch myself Ben and over Tet I'm thinking about going back to visit and see some friends.

[occidentalist_07]

I am not sure I would go back to Vietnam or HCM for at least ten years as its like stepping into medieval time warp at the moment. Vietnamese will tell you they are friendly and their country is safe which sounds like socialist rhetoric to me.

The truth for me is that you don't have the freedoms like other Asian countries , I have lived in Singapore,Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

HCM is a dirty city that smells of human urine for simple reason they use the streets as a toilet. A word of advice if you go there never never walk behind bus shelters or along the edge of any walls and you maybe walking in the waste product of yesterdays meal.

Whenever you are out and about the only conversations you may have with nationals will be for personal or financial gain of the Vietnamese national. sound harsh its not meant to like that but you have to say it as it is which is not what will get there the best you get is constant abuse of the word "maybe".
Now that the country has joined the WTO hopefully you see some change in attitude but !!! don't hold your breath for instant success.

The police know all about you and you maybe have the occasional 11pm visit to check your visa ,a reminder they know where you are. Well I have been out of there for a little while now and its nice to be in a part of Asia you don't feel suffocated and you can send money home to the people you love ( oh you cant send home from there well there is a challenge for you. )[color=darkblue][/color]

[chipy66]

ive been here for a year and it sounds to me like you never really left the backpacker area when you were here

Yes vietnamese people who deal with foreigners everyday in that area are pushy for money...IT IS THEIR JOB...it is how they feed themselves and their family...

also i have had no problem sending money home on many occasions


but yes it is true about the world being a toilet...but i pretty much drive my motorbike everywhere anyways so i dont notice.

i have been here for a year and absolutly love it and couldnt imagine living anywhere else in the near future.

It is what you make of it.