Job Discussion Forums

[rayman]

My family and I will possibly be moving to live and work in District 2 - An Phu in Ho Chi Minh city.

What is your opinion of this district, paticularly for a family with young children? Are there foot paths, parks and malls within walking distance?

Also, as we wouldn't consider placing our children on a motorbike does anyone have experience purchasing a car in Ho Chi Minh? Would this even be recommended or do you find taxis a convenient and cheap enough option?

Thanks for your help

[hot_rock]

get a grip and stick em behind you on a motorbike.

Either that or never have the right to complain about "all the car drivers clogging up the roads".

[deadlift]

@hotrock: What is unreasonable about not wanting to take your children on a motorbike in Saigon traffic? Maybe you should get a grip.

[toiyeuthitmeo]

"footpaths, parks, and malls"

I can't really think of a place in Saigon that it seems you're envisioning. In general, it is a city full of excitement, smells, crowds, traffic, sounds, and people. Footpaths, when present, are used to set up cafes, park motorbikes on, or even to drive on if the main road is flooded or in a traffic jam. There are a few parks, but much fewer than you'd find in any Western city of similar size and population. And these are not the types of parks where you can watch your children frolic on a swing set from a bench. The parks are busy, with lots of street vendors, and are smallish and located right in the frantic pace of the city.

The good news, if this kind of thing is good news for you, is that there are several malls now-- Diamond, Vinacom, etc, with most of the things you'd expect to find in a Western mall, and at Western prices.

Cars are ridiculously expensive in Vietnam. If imported, most carry a tax of 100% of their retail value, sometimes more. It will not be particularly easy to get the proper licensing as a foreigner, either.

Taxis are everywhere, and pretty affordable.

[hot_rock]

lol

Reckon you could get the whole family on a supercub

[rayman]

[snollygoster]

Reality bites when you have witnessed whole families who also thought driving 4 up with kids on one motorbike was fine splattered all over the road with brains on the pavement as the baby twitches in her last moments.
More than once this gruesome scene has played out before my eyes in Vietnam. Makes one get a grip for sure.

Why the "law" doesnt prevent transport like this is a mystery- Such overloaded bikes pass police on duty every day without a second look.

[1st Sgt Welsh]

One thing that Vietnam has taught me is to a have new found respect for what a 'motorbike' [that's what they call them here, but really they are just scooters] can actually do! I have seen people carry loads on a scooter here that back home people would be tempted to borrow or rent a ute (kind of like a pick up truck) to move.

I agree with the above comments that small children and motorbikes/scooters are not a great combination, especially given the lunatic driving that goes on here. For me the below link pretty much says it all:

http://www.dtinews.vn/news/news/blind-man-driving-a-shocking-sight_3848.html

Another things that gets me is that you will often see kids being driven around on bikes and not wearing helmets. I have seen several times (more so in Hanoi than HCMC) families of four, (naturally on the one bike), driving around in rush hour traffic [replete with idiotic drivers and wet roads] with mum and dad wearing helmets, but, the two small kids, who are somehow perched on the ends, having no head protection at all (often they did however have mosquito netting around their faces to prevent them from getting bitten) Apparently many people here believe that helmets are dangerous for small children as the awesome weight of the helmet can do unrepairable damage to the soft bones in the child's neck

[snollygoster]

Its a fact (according to some students) that a baseball cap is safer than a helmet. Just throw each from a great height onto a rock and see which one breaks-The helmet-right? The baseball cap remains intact. The point is proven.

[Oh My God]

[1st Sgt Welsh]

Another option may be to just get a motorbike (as opposed to cars they are cheap to buy/rent here, cheap to run and there are a lot more options when it comes to parking) and whenever it's time to transport the kids take a taxi. Anyway Rayman good luck with whatever you decide.

[snollygoster]

Cars on city roads that are not made for them- Bad idea- contribute to the already chaotic traffic problems? Whilst it is now legal (after endless hoop jumping) for a "tay" to drive a car, it is simply not practical. (How many have you seen?), The very idea that a foreigner would have the knowledge and road sense to be able to drive a car is ludicrous-only Viets are able to drive well.
Personally I have over 40 years driving a bike, and I put my baby on it too- that doesnt mean I'm happy about it-its practical.
So for my baby's safety, its time to leave Vietnam, and move to a place where the locals and the "tay" drive cars.
Call me old fashioned, but living a bit longer seems a good idea to me.

[Oh My God]