Job Discussion Forums

kurtz · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 518 Location: Phaic Tan

After a brief trip to Hanoi and a few other places in VN, it got me thinking about living there for a while.

I have a few concerns though RE living in Hanoi

a) the weather, is it terribly humid for most of the year with a cold damp winter?

b) nightlife, it seems to close early at night, are there many expat places to hang out? how do you meet people there? how about the ESL community there? are they bottom feeders like here in Korea?

c) the people, are they friendly and open or just want your money?

d) I'm not concerned about saving much money, but is the lifestyle good in relation to what you are earning? can you eat out all the time?

I'm in Korea, maybe needing to break free but I'm a little wary of giving up my desk warming job where I can save heaps to travel to Hanoi where I'll probably be worked much much harder and to possibly a) "get over" Hanoi quickly, seeing the so called "darker side" of VN where the locals rip Westerners off and locals too all in the name of greed which you don't see as much when you're only a tourist b) realize that after the initial impact of seeing the Old Quarter and tourist sites that ultimately Hanoi is a place to visit only, not live.

Any thought from people who have lived there or are currently living there?

firecracker2180 · Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 12

kurtz · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 518 Location: Phaic Tan

Thanks firecracker for your info.

I guess if you're still around could you throw some more answers my way?
namely to answer is it better getting a job whilst in Hanoi or from abroad?
I was thinking of doing the CELTA in Hanoi then staying maybe 6 months. I'd be cashed up after leaving Korea, which is really getting to me, so as stated, money is not the issue, and I'd love a part time position and really enjoy my time their with manbe the option of getting something more serious.
My concern was/is that I enjoyed VN for the holiday but it's always different living in another country.
Can you get out and about in Hanoi like to go hiking or something? It seemed very crowded and busy, maybe I'd go mad in somewhere like that.
I would like to live in REAL Asia for a while, and not the pseudo concrete nightmare full of terrible fashion, serious faces, and shocking architecture and a culture forgetting it's traditional culture which is Korea.

firecracker2180 · Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 12

kurtz · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 518 Location: Phaic Tan

OK let's go back to the original question.

What's it like living there? fun, boring, OK, easy to get over, interesting?
Are there sporting clubs like tennis clubs?
What's there to do in the evenings and weekends?
Is accomodation easy enough to find?
Do you have to buy a scooter to get around the avoid the evil XeOm's (my trips on the back of those things left me feeling a little shelllshocked and the thought of actually doing the driving is not a nice one)
Any other thoughts?

I read an account from someone who said it's the worst place he's ever lived in, stinking hot weather for most of the year, crowded, polluted, everything shuts early, and the locals just seem to ride around aimlessly on their bikes with no purpose in particular and go to be at 10PM.
I'm just looking for some other opinions but so far it's just the one (thanks firecracker Very Happy

)

firecracker2180 · Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 12

Like everything its going to be a personal experience. I can't tell you what you're going to think of the place.

as for Xeoms... some people have been here months and still use them, others hire a motorbike the moment they hit town.

Nightlife is as you make it. You can go out every night of the week but most places shut around 12.