Job Discussion Forums

tefl peasant · Joined: 09 Oct 2010 Posts: 132

The best way to survive in Vietnam is to not get stuck here. Always has to option to leave, because someday that day will come.

Take like a short-term experience, no matter how long you are here.

Have a plan-b that can always be utilized.

DNK · Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 236 Location: the South

RE: Blateson's post...

People standing close to you or waiters standing next to you for 5 minutes while you pick your food is hardly anything to write about. It's a tightly packed country, such actions are to be expected.

Officials are building a subway system in HCMC, new bridges, and new highways. What do you want them to do about the congestion exactly? I wonder what LA or Chicago would look like if everyone drove on two wheels... and you think the civility here is bad!

I've not noticed any massive incivility here on the roads. People don't pay much attention to their rear, but that's not a politeness thing. Maybe I'm just too busy paying attention to traffic and not spending enough time getting mad about... I'm not even sure what. I mean, the roads are chaotic, just go with the flow, avoid the odd speeder blowing past you on the left, and get around the kids on bikes weaving through the middle of your lane for no good reason.

What is the reality of Vietnamese politeness? This feels like setting the bar really high. If you mean "how Vietnamese really think about you," yeah, okay, how do you suppose most people on Earth feel about most "people"? Compared to my experiences in the States, the outward politeness here is higher, especially given that I'm a rich foreigner in a fairly poor place.

Likewise, the "rip-offs" aren't that bad. An extra 20% on a $1 item/meal is a few seconds of work-income for us, 30+ minutes of work-income for locals. I would not take offense to "foreigner taxes" like that. Now, if you mean selling $5 merch for $25 in the BPD/markets, okay, but who doesn't expect that sort of thing? Shop around, bargain, have fun with it. Places selling anything of real value aren't going to have this problem, and the rest the price is so low as for it to generally not be an issue.

$300/mo for a 1-bedroom in a central location in a major city is "extortionate"?

RE: rest of thread....

I really, really don't get the "pollution" complaints I hear all the time. The air here is better than in Chicago. As is the litter/trash. The rivers stink a bit more, okay. I guess I do smell a lot when I come home due to being in traffic, but again, if I rode a moped through heavy traffic in the States I'd be smelling a whole lot worse!

To be fair, rice and rice and egg and tofu every day gets old. Personally, I eat local maybe 70% of the time, but I need Western/Indian/etc food regularly. I am vegetarian, though, so my options are way more limited on local stuff than most. But I agree that if you hate it here that much, finding new cuisine/locales is a good idea.

snollygoster · Joined: 04 Jun 2009 Posts: 478

Leaving Vietnam soon for "better"? job and place.
I hated it in Vietnam so much I only stayed the short term- Only 9 years.
It has its +and-, but if I stayed 9 years, it must have had a few more + than -.

haller_79 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 145

Vietnam is a great country, heaven for some, hell for others but ALWAYS interesting.

oliver9184 · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 9

I have been in Saigon for two weeks.

Best things are
1. Climate - it's very hot here which suits me well
2. Cheapness of everyday things like food and travel
3. Huge variety of food on offer everywhere you look

Worst things are
1. Not always being able to communicate effectively with locals
2. Difficulty of getting about due to traffic and blocked pavements
3. Sudden very heavy rain can be inconvenient
(4. Living out of a hotel)

As long as I find somewhere ok to live long term, 4. will be erased and the the best things will outweigh the worst.

lulugirl27 · Joined: 23 Nov 2010 Posts: 19

LettersAthruZ · Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 466 Location: North Viet Nam

barkwood · Joined: 15 Dec 2010 Posts: 10

Traffic in Hanoi and HCMC is very bad in both places, but it does not approach Jakarta in its level of absurdity. I would never call Hanoi quaint except for the few blocks in the old quay. If you live in the city center, you can enjoy the daily broadcasts from the community government broadcast for all citizens. I actually didn't mind this too much as it helped me to understand the language better?

grace717135 · Joined: 11 Dec 2010 Posts: 7

Hi Forum, hey i enjoy the negative talk also if you hold back this negative
talk where else are you going to vent your frustrations. With out being to
analytical. Venting is normal. For the positive postings well done and keep
posting your descriptions and experiences are gold.
Razz

VietCanada · Joined: 30 Nov 2010 Posts: 590

I spent a few years in Korea and I am well into doing the same here.

What can I say? If you don't like problem solving and have difficulty adapting then you have a problem that is independent of where you live in this world. But it can much more of a problem when living in a different culture. There is no MacDonald's here that I'm aware of. No Burger King. There is Pizza Hut but you can buy a weeks groceries for the price of a large. Which isn't quite the same large I remember back home.

My starting pay here right off the boat was $1800 a month after tax. I pay $225 for a two story house and under $100 for all utilities as a rule. After a couple years experience I make over $2000 as do most at my school. $2500 isn't rare for people who've been around for awhile. I could do privates or work at other schools in my spare time and add a few hundred a month but I like my weekends and evenings. If you're qualified I know an academic director making $3500 a month.

As for day to day life one has to observe and adapt. It's foolish to think the country will adapt to you. What you see around you is normal. Try to figure out why. Put things in context.

OTOH you can sit around and drink at the bar all day from 10 am and bitch about everything. I've met some guys who enjoy that. After 5 to 10 years here there is lots to bitch about for these guys. It can be cathartic to join them from time to time.

If you're young go to Korea. If you're a bit aged come to Vietnam. If you hate everything about your life in this gig then go home. But be aware you might discover that Asia isn't the problem.

Life is fun if you let it. That includes the bitching.

haller_79 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 145

VietCanada · Joined: 30 Nov 2010 Posts: 590

The Mad Hatter · Joined: 16 May 2010 Posts: 165

In all seriousness the happy times are over. Inflation has really narrowed the profit margin with cost of living driving relentlessly higher . realize we had double digit inflation in Vietnam for many years now here. That has almost never been the case in the USA. Other mitigating factors include the Dong exchange rate weakening. In 2003 it was 1.3 and now its 2.1. That with at least 50% inflation in the same period. As far as employment the schools have just gotten more used to foreigners and now can drive a much harder bargain for hours and conditions. You can't get a one room with electric and laundry for less than $300 a month. That's tiny. You can't cook in your house because none of these rooms have kitchens. By eating street food (noodles with boiled meat) you will be hungry unless you go to the Foreigner backpacker area and buy something filling, which means you will pay more for food so your food budget will be around $300 a month from pizzas and western style restaurant food. throw in motorbike rental, taxi rides, other costs and you will be spending a lot. To get hours you have to drive to several schools. It is not uncommon to hear of teacher working at four schools. And schools feel no sense of responsibility to keep you employed. If you dont take every class they give you they just drop you. Is it better than working at dairy queen at home or burger king ? Yes. but is it really special and going to line your pockets? Not at this time no. come here for the adventure, maybe things will get better while you are here.

Steinmann · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 4:39 am Post subject:

deadlift · Joined: 08 Jun 2010 Posts: 267

Madhatter's post is very confident, but not entirely accurate, at least in my experience. It seems to be describing the backpacker experience, rather than the experience of people with a little more experience/motivation/ability.

1. You can get rooms for less than $300. Sharing a house with friends and living a district removed from Q 1 is a good idea. This way you get a lovely house, you can do your own laundry and cooking, and you have added security and company.

2. A 30k bowl of bun bo is plenty filling for me, and I'm a large male with a healthy appetite. Add some cha gio on the side and I'm very satisfied. The other night I ate at a quan and had ample pork, fish, soup/veges, rice and two beers for well under 100k. I am seldom dissatisfied after a bowl of pho.

The backpacker area is far from being the only option for satisfying Western food. I'm generally not very impressed with the bland and uninspired offerings down there.

3. Not all teachers have to teach at multiple schools. If you apply yourself and work hard to get a good job, you don't need to, because you're paid well (up to $32) and get plenty of hours (20+). If a teacher needs to work at four schools, there's a good reason for that, and it's NOT the economy or job market.

Yeah, currency/inflation/job market blah blah blah. The fact remains that this can be a good place to work, where you can live well and save some money. That is, provided you don't settle for the standard language mill job and make an effort to explore the city and learn what you need to know to find the good deals.