Job Discussion Forums

norbdemn · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 128

Previously I have taught in Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan. I have been in the States for the past 3 or so years. That Asian bug keeps biting though!..LOL. and am considering coming back perhaps sometime next year.

So Vietnam is one of the top countries I am considering, so is Laos, and maybe Southern China ( or provinces of China that border SEA countries).
I would appreciate some input on these choices.

My concern with VN is ease of getting a work permit, and of course the red tape. Another less important concern, if I find a pretty VN lady, do you still get hassled by the cops??

I have also considered going back to Thailand but you can not make as much $$$ as VN and nowadays there is a lot more redtape which would be hard to go back to.

Anyway, I would appreciate your input on this.

Thanks

Tanker · Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 72

I would wait until the visa and work permit issue is sorted.

Just, my opinion.

norbdemn · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 128

[quote="Tanker"]I would wait until the visa and work permit issue is sorted.
[/quote]

What is the issue? I would appreciate some more info on this.

Thanks

CThomas · Joined: 21 Oct 2009 Posts: 380 Location: HCMC, Vietnam

norbdemn · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 128

Thanks CThomas

Green Acres · Joined: 06 May 2009 Posts: 260

Laos is nice

norbdemn · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 128

[quote="Green Acres"]Laos is nice[/quote]

Have you taught there?

namdak · Joined: 22 Mar 2005 Posts: 620

IMO, the pollution in cities (thinking mainly of Hanoi) is not worth it besides the other hassles mentioned...

or maybe one likes to wear a facemask everywhere and destroy lung tissue, have a heart attack, grow lung cancer, and die years ahead of what was expected....

blateson · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 144

sigmoid · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 1276

haller_79 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 145

Tanker · Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 72

sigmoid · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 1276

As could be expected with the currency losing value, prices are rising...

Dong slump pushes consumer prices up

http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/?catid=2&newsid=54065

Green Acres · Joined: 06 May 2009 Posts: 260

The thrill is gone! The thriiiilllll is gooo-o-o-o-one.

Vietnam is a well prepared disaster just waiting to happen. It might be interesting, as a researcher, to document the decline and the reasons for it all. This would make coming here worth while.

The dollar is virtually 20,000 dong. It's really great if you have dollars, but if you are earning dong, then inflation will take more of your money than ever before. Relatively, everything in Vietnam is still cheap. The problem however, is that the situation is worsening and will worsen still. This has an adverse effect upon the people -- everyone becomes more bitter. I cannot go anywhere these days without witnessing more outbursts of rage or anger; poor uses of vocal chords and thought; and thievery. Walking the streets downtown with a Vietnamese lady is an invitation to disaster. If you are smart about things, you can navigate the virtual mindfields of impoliteness, but there are disasters waiting nearly everywhere, on every street and outside every restaurant, no matter how well one know's the area.

Why do you think the government is getting weird? They are losing control and can no longer distract everyone with all that money can buy. The money is drying up and so are people's hopes and dreams, which have been funded by the international community...who are not welcome there, and should go back home and stop stealing from the righteous and legitimate! I would not go so far to say that they are all uneducated, but they don't seem to understand the connections and would break their own noses to spite their faces. One must remember that there are only about 500,000 expats in Vietnam -- many of them from Cambodia, Laos and China who speak Vietnamese well. In a country of over 90,000,000 -- this small expat community has them xenophobic and resentful. The government also uses foreigners to deflect blame that should be theirs.

The country has changed a lot too. In the past, everyone could put up with the negativity when it was in small spurts or isolated to some areas. Change has brought an end to many businesses in expat areas, and while there are new ones, the old comforts and associations are fadeing. They have rebuilt the towns to harbor guests, and expats associate in some of these areas, but have mostly resigned themselves to a few enclaves. The communities are much more separate than they were in the past, and this polarization will continue. I looked through my phone list the other day and counted over 100 numbers of people who no longer live in Vietnam.

New blood, new times, new horizons...but look out. The pacifiers are out and the great equalization is in. I think anyone can come to Vietnam and find a great time and work environment. I think there are lots of great things about Vietnam, though I feel sorry for all my Vietnamese friends and colleagues who are not able to leave the country and are powerless to make it better (though these are things they truly wish). The fact is that most people leave... and they leave as soon as they can by any means necessary. I could work in China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for little to no money; but not in Vietnam. It's hard to explain why, so try and read between the lines.

If you are coming to Vietnam, then get a decent job with an employer who takes care of all your needs. Take taxis and other forms of public transport everywhere. Do not use xe oms or any type of bicycle. Buy a good safe and keep all valuables in it every night when you sleep. Put your money in dollars as soon as you get it (or Euros or gold, or whatever solid). Travel outside the cities whenever free and get a glimpse of what Vietnam was 10 years ago. Don't listen to anyone, and believe nothing of what you hear, until you start to hear it many times, then give it a smudgeon of thought, but basically go about your life new and free. Most strangers see you as a walking ATM, so don't reinforce this view by giving them money or believing somehow that you can help them. Have no more belongings than a suitcase and keep one foot out the door at all times, and don't be afraid to just leave. That's what most people do, anyway.

doublea71 · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 23 Location: The 'Nam

It's (HCMC) definitely not an easy place to adjust to and there are day-to-day annoyances that boggle the mind. However, if you haven't yet been beaten into a mindset of unyielding cynicism by life, you'll probably enjoy it. If you're stuck in a mindset of doom and gloom/life isn't fair/i want everything my way than you're better off somewhere else. A sunnier disposition will yield a much richer experience imo (isn't that the case everywhere?).