Job Discussion Forums

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

I need some information about housing in HCMC.

I will need an apartment or house for two single adults to share. I think 3 bedrooms is a minimum. We need to be in District 7. A pool would be grand. Quiet (as quiet as in possible in Vietnam!) is important.

What is the realistic range of rent? What is the norm for deposits?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

In D7 you can find small and far from luxurious 2 bed apartments with AC and cable for $250 - $400. For 3 bedrooms (quite rare) minimum of $700-$3000. Houses in D7 go from $1500 to $8000. There practically NO private pools in D7/PMH even for the most expensive - there simply isn't the room, very small gardens. For private pools you have to go to D2 and pay at least $4000.
Either you have the wrong idea about rents in HCMC or you're not a teacher. Oh and we're talking per month and with 2/3 months deposit on top which is usually returned but not always.

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

I forgot to mention...welcome to RMIT, I no longer work there but most of the staff live in my block....and nobody earns enough to pay 1k a month (except some management), rent paid is around $250-$500 for English Dept and $500 - $750 for other lecturers. Having said that, we do live within walking distance of RMIT so maybe some savings to be made by not having a bike.... though you are going to lose that straight away by using cabs to go anywhere else! A rough figure for living in PMH, rent, travel and a few beers and meals (say once or twice a week) plus utilities would be 25m VND for two, around $1200 to $1400 a month, then there's holidays, clothing, xmas.......... when you add it all up reckon on $3k for two..before you can contemplate saving. Even on RMIT rates that doesn't leave you with much!

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

Thanks. I was hoping some of the larger apartment blocks would have a pool- certainly not a private pool!

The rents are discouraging. There will be two of us sharing, so that should give us a bit of savings there in rent. We both will be working (just friends!).

$1500 is about what I expected per person. Life isn't very cheap anywhere these days!

I appreciate the info!

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

sorry, thought you meant private pool, Sunday hangover I'm afraid, yes some blocks do have private pools but most are in the $1200 and up range. One exception is Sky Garden with rents around $700 mark but the pool is not free, costs around $100 per month. Out of PMH and on the other side of RMIT are some new developments which are very cheap...around $250-$400 for 2 beds and $400 to $800 for 3, I know at least one of them have a pool but they are not exactly convenient.

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

I just know that people are going to have apoplexy reading that $600-$800 is 'cheap' - most people here take a rather masochistic pleasure in spending as little as possible, then again some don't earn any where near $1500 a month.

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

Vietnam and in particular the big cities are no longer 'cheap', in fact, it's quite a bit more expensive than Thailand, Malaysia et al. In a recent survey Hanoi and HCMC came out as the MOST expensive cities for expats, far surpassing even Tokyo. A house you describe would cost in the region of $1-2,000,000 to buy (not forgetting that it's impossible for us to buy and even Viets cannot 'own' land) and about �4000 to rent. I'm not going to start the old 'white face - pay double' discussion but it often holds true.

surreycouple · Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 40

V Star Apts - D7.... Less than a year old, luxury apartments, pool, gym and 7 mins bike to Phu My Hung.

We have rented a 2 bed for $450 and a 3 bed currently for $600 but they range from $400-$650.

We save 2-3k a month here. PM if you want more info on apartments our friends wife deals with rentals here.

surreycouple · Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 40

Pool and Gym for a couple is $80 for 6 months + tennis courts are $1 an hour.

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

hot_rock · Joined: 16 Apr 2010 Posts: 107

District seven is a wasteland with the occasional high-rise of overly-spacious, way over-priced apartments mainly filled by westerners who wish they'd never left the west. Its far from district one, with a pretty nasty drive to get there.

I stay in District 3, with air-con, sat TV, hot water. I have my own key, and live in a block of about 6 flats, one of which is occupied by my lovely landlady. It costs me $170 a month including all bills, and is near to many big language schools. Its not very big, but I'd rather live in it with all my stuff (pictures etc) on the walls than live in the hotel rooms most people in the tower blocks live in. Cavernous but with no personal effects apart from an air-con unit. Obviosly, this is their choice, but the point I'm maing is that District seven is generally colourless and impersonal. After getting used to the space, one will surely start wondering why he cannot save more money whilst on the staggeringly high salary us ESL teachers earn (those at a decent scholl. YES we DO earn a high wage).

There are other set-ups like mine to be found; just ask local people to put their ears to the ground. With the money I save, I fly to places on Air Asia and jetStar every month.

People who spend $400 a month on accomodation need to get a grip of their life (especially those who then complain about being skint all the time)

people

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

So, if I work in the 7th, it would make sense for me to live in the 3rd, and take the nasty drive to work and back every day?

:shock:

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

Yes, Isabel, just another 'traveller' who thinks that to experience a developing country one has to live in a single room with noise, pollution, overcrowding and spend as little as possible. I've been an expat for 25 years and have seen them come and go in every country I've lived in. They don't stay long in those places - they either go home or finally get a life ie. a family, commitments and belongings and realise they can't live like students their entire lives. And if we want to talk about the Viets, I can guarantee that 99% of HCMC residents aspire to living in D7, where we have clean air, wide sidewalks, trees (yes real trees), parks, sidewalk cafes you can walk to and virtually no crime. I have a family and don't need to prove how 'smart' I am. $400 is NOT a big deal for most expats who are professionals in any field (including ESL) and the only thing stopping us from travelling every month is the fact we have CAREERS, REAL JOBS and/or BUSINESSES - the kid will have this one day too when mum and dad tell hime to go home.

londo · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 107 Location: District 7

just another point, most D7 residents are Korean, Japanese, Chinese and wealthy Vietnamese, 'westerners' make up at most 5%. Why do so many posters imagine all instructors or expats are young and single - in fact many have families, kids and dogs - and we actually LIVE here, why on earth should we live in one room? - and before someone says the Vietnamese live in one room; actually most don't and those that do only do so because they can afford little else and have ZERO respect for foreigners who try to live like poor Vietnamese, they don't want to so why should we? 3 months here and they all become experts .....aaaaaagh!
rant over!