Job Discussion Forums

[chopstix]

went to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh for a week and must say I was very disappointed. Having lived in 5 Asian countries and visited a few more I can say Vietnam isn't for me. Hanoi: very cold, wet, noisy, polluted, as a local said 'it is a village supporting a few million people' - very few actual traffic lights, thousands of scooters and saw one woman who was dead from a bicycle/scooter crash and a few more bang-ups. Halong Bay was overcast and a hell ride in a mini bus with a driver who spent most of the time on the horn and in the wrong lane...

Ho Chi Minh- much warmer, crowded, polluted,noisy, thousands of scooters, a true city though. Went on some cool tours and lots of selection for restaurants, entertainment etc-although many clubs are full of working girls. Vietnam won football over Thailand-huge party in the streets thousands and thousands of happy Vietnamese cheering, screaming, ripping around on their scooters-end result 15 DEAD Vietnamese from accidents..

Anyway heard Na Trang and Hoi An are much nicer- maybe next time....

definitely no Thailand for sure

comments? my feeling for new teachers - check the place out before commiting to a contract (don't sign overseas!)

[ajc19810]

Chopstix speaks the truth.

Vietnam is a terrible place. All teachers considering coming here should think again. Salaries are low for the few jobs that are available and the beer is really really expensive.

May I recommend Cambodia...........

[ReeseDog]

[ajc19810]

Reesedog don't even get me started on the grotesquely overweight women and the stingent visa and work permit requirements that are in Vietnam.

[ezronamo]

i have been trying to get a job in Hanoi from here in the states and am getting rejected, I do not have enough experience, though i have been a private tutor to intl students here in New York. Is it really getting competitive for newbie teachers? Or should i just go there to put a face to this name?

[blateson]

Vietnam is indeed a lousy place. I don't know why a few posters were joking around about it. There are more than "a few" schools but most of them are a pass. Salaries aren't the lowest in ESL but still don't remunerate the experience. Yes there are a number of restaurants but good luck trying to get decent service and try real hard not to get angry when you feel the wait staff are constantly trying to get you to order the most expensive items.

The entertainment and clubs are "good" in HCMC? You've gotta be kidding me.

There's friendliness in HCMC but it's blatantly superficial in many instances.

[Galileo]

[haller_79]

Vietnam is a beautiful country but I agree about HCMC and Hanoi, have been dissapointed with both cities. If HCMC is anything to go by then Vietnam is surely going to change for the worse. The most disturbing aspect is that the Vietnamese (my students anyway) seem to have almost no interest in their history, it's all 'make money, get the latest phone, get a good job, learn English so I can work in an international company blah blah blah' - yawn.

[asia0708]

Vietnam -
1. Living here :
I checked out Vietnam for a month before commiting to any sort of contract. Agree with y'all.
Friendliness - least firendly people in South East Asia, they are only interested in getting their hands on your money. Sure this is true for other countries but finding genuine locals is not easy.
..I Cant get no sleep! Every city is a noisy hell hole. Everyone wakes up at 5am and you'll be getting up too in the process. I feel like i'm going crazy with sleep deprivation (but i'm getting out of this hell hole tomorrow - yipee!!). Hotel staff have no respect for sleeping guests and who the hell is that *beep* who comes on the loudspeaker at 7am in Hanoi??
2. Finding a job :
I am a well experienced instructor but had little interest from emailed CVs posted - even though i was in the country. As with all SE asian countries youve got to show your face or at least ring the schools. Was offered 4 jobs recently, ranging from 6-12 months commitment. Apparently there is a shortage at moment - but TET coming up means classes are not starting up.
3. MONEY,MONEY,MONEY :
Only good thing about here is the pay (20 bucks+). Much better than than Cambodia (10-12 bucks) and Thailand (30,000-40,000 bht / month).
I disagree with previous poster. this place is not particularly expensive (some earlier posters talk of rents at 600 bucks but you can find for 300-350). It does have expensive bars that need avoiding - unless you like 3 waiters surrounding you constantly putting ice in your already watered down beer and asking if you'd like to speak 'sign language' with a non-english speaking hostess. Ohh and don't forget the ear piercing Vietnamese lovesongs/band.
Just writing this reminds me how bad its been! MY ADVICE - Stay clear of this place. There are much nicer countries to try first. And if you do come to Hanoi, pay a little more for your hotel and stay away from Hoam Kiem.

[erica63]

I feel obligated to post because I definitely disagree with most of the posters... I feel like this site is populated by the cranky old men who comprise about half of the English teachers in HCMC. Potential teachers--don't be scared off. There is a vibrant expat life here full of cool, young, positive people who genuinely enjoy living in Vietnam and living among Vietnamese people. I often hear the older male teachers at my school complaining in a rather racist way about Vietnam/Vietnamese people but it's less a reflection of Vietnam than it is their own prejudices coming out.

I live in HCMC and while there is a lot of pollution and traffic, there is also a lot to redeem HCMC. Once you find a group of friends, the bar scene is really nice. If you like clubbing then you'll be among the skeezy old men and the prostitutes, but if you prefer having drinks in a group of friends then there are so many nice options of bars and restaurants to hang out at. You can get all sorts of awesome food--Vietnamese food (outside of Pham Ngu Lao there's a ton of street food) and any kind of western food you crave. The English teaching opportunities here are some of the best in Asia, which attracts a lot of interesting people from all over. The city is small and big and the same time--easily navigable, especially by motorbike, the commute times are generally pretty short, yet there are so many different areas to explore and always new restaurants to try, little hidden pagodas to discover, many different forms of recreation (swimming, water parks, roller skating, you name it). You just have to look for it... I didn't find this side of HCMC right away, but after being here for awhile, I'm getting a fuller picture of all that Ho Chi Minh has to offer.

And I don't understand how the posters above can say that you won't get paid well in Vietnam. Even without a degree OR without a TEFL (you should have one or the other, at least) you can make $16/hr without having to argue for it... which goes a really long way here. You can live in a big house, eat out every night, drink every night, and still save $1,000 a month... IF you work 25/hrs a week. If you're interested in more than that, you will save a lot more. If I work 40 hrs/week I can save about $1,500-2,000 a month while living extremely well. The schools here are very reputable, they pay on time, they'll give you as few or as many hours as you want... Financially I think this is by far one of the best places in Asia to come, because the differential between pay and cost of living is astronomical--possibly better than anywhere else. And the schedule is really flexible, you can work any time you want--mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends... it's up to you.

Plus, contracts aren't really binding here, so if you don't want to commit to a year, this is really the best place to come, because you can just give 30 days (or less) notice no matter what kind of contract you're on. And you DON'T need paperwork.... literally everyone works on a tourist visa and you really, really, really don't need the work permit. You never have to leave the country to renew your visa. It's probably the easiest place in Asia to just come and work--if you have a white face, they'll hire you pretty much the second you walk in to a school, and you'll be teaching within a week.

Before I came to Vietnam I heard a lot of bad rumors on the backpacking trail about Vietnamese people but in my experience, encounters have been the same as everywhere else in Asia--some people will try to *beep* you over because you're a foreigner, but most people will be extremely happy to see you and will try to talk to you. English in Vietnam is widely spoken, although their accents are probably the worst in SE Asia... but if you compare to China, the English skills here are phenomenal. It's quite easy to live your whole life in English here, most people don't learn Vietnamese. The students are also very respectful and by and large enthusiastic about learning. And I really would say the rumor that Vietnamese people only care about your money holds absolutely no water... there are fewer beggars in HCMC than almost anywhere else I've been in Asia.

So, really, I would recommend HCMC to anyone looking for a lucrative spot to make money and to live a really comfortable life. If you're into nature, then HCMC is probably not the best place for you, but if you like city life, then I think it's one of the best spots in the world to find work as an English teacher.

I've heard rumors among HCMC expats about English teachers posting negative posts on this site, trying to discourage too many other people from finding out about the golden opportunities that exist here for English teachers. After checking it out, I think it's pretty obviously true. Don't be scared--come check it out for yourself (but get outside of Pham Ngu Lao before you pass judgment on the city as a whole!)

[bje]

[ajc19810]

Well said erica63. I hope my previous post didnt confuse anybody I did put a cool little emoticon winking to note my sarcasm.

Put simply, Vietnam is Disneyland, well....for me anyway.

Hey Erica63 give clubbing another shot. The clubbing scene now in HCMC is huge, but some of the best places are not full of foreigners, old men nor hookers. I was out a couple of weeks ago and I am noticing so many more girls out with their friends. And the Vietnamese are getting right into their dancing now in public. Just 2 weeks ago I was at a concert with Quang Dung, Thanh Thao, Bao Thy, My Tam and various other big name artists in Vietnam. Thats pretty much the Vietnamese equivalent to the Big Day Out. The music scene is unbelievable. Needless to say that wan't anywhere near Pham Ngu lao.

But my favorite place in Saigon is still a reserved table at YOKOS and not clubbing.

On another note, Vietnam has traditionally been a place for males, but in recent years the female expat scene has certainly grown. Still completly outnumbered by the elderly male expats, but the expat scene is more diverse than it ever has been.