Job Discussion Forums

Col. Saoud · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 8

Just a warning to anybody considering living here.Power cuts these days are twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays,in theory from 6am until 7pm.Water is also a problem.Supposedly they have to buy water in so flow-pressure during the day is minimal and as I write, non existent for the past 6 hours.This is despite the big swimming pool and all the water leaking through the basement roof onto the motorbikes beneath.The ceilings and floors are paper thin so expect frequent visits from security whenever you play music or watch the tv.The fittings are cheap Chinese junk of the worst quality.Twice I have had to kick my way out of my bathroom and so far,once from my bedroom as the locks jam and refuse to open,even when stone cold sober.The other glass fittings such as kitchen cupboard doors and shower doors are also made of normal glass and cheap aluminium so they come away in your hand,not a particularly comforting thought as you stand in the shower naked trying to balance a 7ft sheet of normal, extremely fragile glass against the wall as it has come off the door fittings.The toilets are also crappy as, even when there is water,the flow is not strong enough to flush solids at one go.
Luckily I will be leaving here in a month's time.If this was another part of Saigon,Hoc Mon for example,and if one was paying tuppence a month then it would be a case of caveat emptor.However,this is in the District 7 showcase area for foreigners and so the prices are a lot higher than you might pay elsewhere.It's just a terrible place to live.

shanewarne · Joined: 21 Feb 2008 Posts: 146

Hey, welcome to Vietnam man. what do you expect?

Col. Saoud · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 8

Actually it is au revoir as I will be leaving Vietnam for the Middle East in 6 weeks time after having worked here for 5 years in Hanoi and Saigon and getting married in the process.Approaching early middle age with a wife,I would like to be able to live in surroundings which are comfortable and safe,especially if I pay pretty high for it at a relative level to my humble wage.I don't want to live in squalor anymore.

shanewarne · Joined: 21 Feb 2008 Posts: 146

Buffalo Boy · Joined: 02 Oct 2009 Posts: 80

Oman is safe and comfortable. Stable, pro-western government. That's where I'm heading.

Col. Saoud · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 8

Guess anywhere in the Middle East with the exceptions of Iraq and Palestine are a lot safer than Vietnam when one compares the toll of terror victims with that of the motorbike dead and amputees.Theft of personal belongings is also, thankfully, a less frequent issue in the Gulf than is the case here.Oman is also the nicest country among what are perceived as the richer Arab oil states to live in.

Buffalo Boy · Joined: 02 Oct 2009 Posts: 80

So how does your wife feel about moving to the Gulf?

Col. Saoud · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 8

I'm moving to the Gulf but she will do a masters in the UK while I'm away-not much a scummy Tefl teacher can do at home.
When I worked in Kuwait before,several of the teachers brought their Thai wives out after they got their residence but they always seemed so sad and bored.They were also occasionally harassed by the locals who looked on them as prostitutes whenever they went out,especially alone or in the company of other women.I wouldn't fancy subjecting my wife to that sort of ordeal.Being sad and bored on my todd is enough without dragging her into it.

xulagu · Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 16

The police now seem to be in the habit of waiting outside the gates of this complex in the morning and evening,demanding money from motorcyclists as they leave or enter.As fewer people break the one way rule opposite the building,they have moved to the gates of the complex,waving down any potential sources of lucre.Happy I'm leaving this place in 5 days time.