Job Discussion Forums

[vabeckele]

Considering the new events of lower wages and poorer working conditions how is Hanoi going to be able to sustain the rental market?

I still see houses going for a thousand bucks. Before, I would put down 10 mill for a nice place, but now with the wages becoming what they are this is not possible. To be fair, the housing market has dropped but when it comes to Tays the same mentality prevails.

I WAS earning around 40 mill on a regular basis with no more than 20 or so hours a week and I found a couple of nice places (apts) for about 6 mill, but they were hard to find and I needed help from people I worked with (and I still had a myriad of issues). Now, and this is why I am leaving, the wages have HALVED. Or close to it with more hours needed. Consider someone fresh off the boat, as they say, to find a nice place for that money - I didn't.

[Ramen]

40 mil for < 20 hours a week is very nice for Vietnam. I could live with that minus the housing problem. I prefer the fully serviced guest house.

[LettersAthruZ]

Ha Noi is a SEVERELY over-priced s---hole! There is really not much to do there, and HOW it can possibly sustain charging 20+ Million VND per month rent for a three-story house is well beyond me!

I remember a few years ago when I resided in Hai Phong and was dropping four million VND on a four-storey house and then, shortly thereafter, moving to Ha Noi and my jaw just dropped through the floor after seeing how much money they wanted to rent a place there!

But, you would THINK that it's like NYC or London, where you are paying a lot more for rent, BUT your salary IS ALSO GOING UP!

NOT the case in Ha Noi - did an informal asking of colleagues in Ha Noi and in Hai Phong.......Ha Noi ESL teachers generally are paid $18USD to $20USD per classroom hour while the average rate in Hai Phong tended to be around $16USD-$17USD per classroom hour.......

....HOWEVER, AGAIAN - when you factor in just HOW expensively over-priced the rents are in Ha Noi.....it's not worth it!

I mean, Hai Phong is easily one of thee worst places on Earth to reside (although I have been told that Vinh is worse - I'm going to have to see for myself someday), it IS cheap to live there (simply because, like being in prison, there is NOTHING to spend your money on)!

[vabeckele]