Job Discussion Forums

[CallieWho]

Hi Everyone,

I did a search on this topic but couldn't find anything. Checked google and got tourist prices.

I'm coming to Vietnam for a few months, possibly a year. I'm in a graduate program and having a hard time finishing and paying bills and working full time. I want to work part time - I have a CELTA, 2 bachelor degrees, 2 years experience teaching, and am currently working on a master in TESOL.

I am thinking Vietnam. Always wanted to go there so why not? Seems fairly inexpensive. I don't want to live in HCMC. I am hoping for a beach town.

I plan to teach ESL part time, plus I have some savings for extras. What kind of rent can I expect to pay in places like Danang or Vung Tau? I am looking for either a single furnished flat or a furnished room in a community house or Western flatmates.

Any information would be appreciated.

[haller_79]

[LettersAthruZ]

Not much is advertised here. I mean, yeah, sure - you can go ahead and grab a scooter/motorbike off of Craigslist Vietnam....but you'll pay more than four times street value for it!

Naw - ya go to the place down the road that has fifteen freshly-washed motorbikes in front of it and you and your interpreter negotiate the price of a Honda Wave!

Hence, why you could find no houses, apartments, etc. to rent on Google. Now, there ARE a bunch of websites listing places for rent, but they're all in Vietnamese!

Generally, if you type in "cho thu� nh�" plus Da Nang or Vung Tau into Google, you'll get a fair amount of returns. Either have a Vietnamese friend close at hand or cheat and use Google translate to do a quick and dirty search on places to rent.

Here's just one example - http://vungtau.jaovat.com/cho-thue-nha-iid-75557914

In terms of rent....in the good times (two, three or so years ago), you could rent a three-storey/three bedroom/one bath house in Da Nang for three million Dong......

....but with hyper-inflation now ravaging Viet Nam, I'd figure that same description NOW goes for about 5 million today!

Can't really tell you about Vung Tau....I'm not really familiar with The South at all.

Hope this helps!

[CallieWho]

Thank you, LettersAthruZ!

I appreciate the help. I was hoping to get a general idea of what housing costs in the area. I've been doing a lot of research and have settled on Da nang.
I've been living in Turkey for 3 years now. I know about the foreigner prices. I kinda figured it would be the same in Vietnam. That's okay. I've become a tough bargainer In fact, where I live in Turkey I pay local prices. Turkey is great for that. Once they get used to you and you learn some Turkish - you get local discounts! I'm going to miss being a local.
Ahh...well. time for a change.

Thanks again!

[sigmoid]

Rent in Vung Tau about 2 years ago was around what AtoZ mentions, around 5 million VND, a bit less for an apartment and a bit more for a house.

As far as I understand, renting a house isn't much more expensive, but you have to pay a deposit of several months. The apartment you can just move straight into, but are much smaller obviously.

Anyway, I don't live there anymore. It's a nice little city if you can get good work there.

[Shimokitazawa]

[toiyeuthitmeo]

Hello, here are some up-to-date things to consider regarding housing in Vung Tau...

Quick answer, flats or small villas $200-$400 / month, of course easier to find and more pleasantly-appointed and located the more you pay. If you can find some people to live with, it's possible to pay $150-$200 / month for either a house or flat. Want to hear more about it? Read on if so...

I do expect these prices to go up, but for the record, many people I know have been able to pay a more-or-less constant amount over the last 4 years. Of course some have elected to pay more for better options (you can live in a huge modern house with a small swimming pool if you wish) and some have elected to pay less for a simpler place. A few have even been able to pay less in each subsequent year without sacrificing comfort, through cultivating contacts with locals, and having time to search out good deals.

The flats that many teachers live in range from 4-6 million/month ($200-$300). They're not bad, and many have the bonus of power generators for when the power cuts occur, as well as utility bills included in the rent. Many foreigners live together in a building called Binh An, where those prices include electricity, water, etc. Many foreigners also live in a collection of nifty villas called Roy's Place, situated on a slope of one of the seaside mountain/hills on the main beach road. There are a few different options at Roy's, but with the sea views, prices go up. Living alone, you'd expect to pay 6-8 million there. Splitting a villa with a flat mate is possible to cut down the price.

There are some utilitarian flats above the Co-Op Mart building which can be cheaper, around 5 million / month at the lower end. Very standard and smallish.

The above options, you're kind of surrounded by other westerners, which some people dislike.

In Vung Tau, the locals love to set foreigners up with house rentals. Just make some friends, chat with people you do business with at hotels, bars, or your school, and you'll be house-hunting in no time. There are a ton of options and always a handful of houses to see. Many will be located right in the middle of all-Vietnamese neighborhoods, some will be stunning values, some will be frightening and unreasonable, and some will have sea-views. If you can find some people to share a house with, you can get a great situation. I recently found a massive place with a pool with 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, and a pool, for $1000USD/month. On the cheap side, you could very well get 3-4 people in a house, paying as little as $175/each.

The catch with houses, as compared to flats, is that landlords may demand rent in dollars, which can be really aggravating. Furthermore, as some have pointed out, landlords may want 2-3 months rent paid up-front as a deposit. In a house, you will also be responsible for bills, internet, cable, water, etc. That can really add up. My shared-house currently gets about $90/total of bills each month.

Oh and a nice thing about Vung Tau is that nearly all houses and flats will come pre-furnished, although Vietnamese house furniture (lots of wood, not much padding) can be a bit uncomfortable.

Good luck!