Job Discussion Forums

[cmaerun]

Hello All.

I am heading to lovely HCMC soon to teach for awhile. There are a few questions that I haven't found satisfactory answers in the other forums.

The first is whether or not I actually need the Japanese Encephalitis if I will be living in HCMC, but may travel to rural areas throughout the year. Is it possible to get the vaccine there is there is an outbreak?

What about malaria? For those living in the big cities, are you taking daily or weekly pills or none at all?

Finally,... money. Is it possible to get money into a US bank account ? That is, is it reliable and /or affordable?

Any help filling in these gaps would be much appreciated....

Oh,a nd one more thing. Know the name of a good travel broker?

[pigeon]

I'm wondering the same thing. Is there a place in Hanoi where I could wire my pay into an overseas account with the same reliability as an ordinary international wire transfer from anywhere else. And will banks outside vietnam accept a transfer in dong?

[OzBurn]

Malaria -- I wouldn't worry about it if you are in HCMC. That is the advice I have from my doctor here. I've seen about ten mosquitoes here in over three months. Bring some pills with you in case you are spending a week in a malarial area. Malaria medication is hard on the body, so they say, and you can't very well take it for months on end. It is also of limited effectiveness, but a doctor who knows about tropical diseases can tell you more, of course. You need someone who is up to date on the latest developments in research -- malaria medications have mostly worn out their effectiveness. Bring mosquito repellent with DEET, which is not easy to find here. Bring a mosquito net, too, if you are serious about this. Don't wear short sleeves or shorts, and wear a hat. Get a room with AC -- don't leave the windows open. Mosquitoes hate AC and they can't get in through the filter. Those are your best defenses.

Japanese encephalitis -- I'm not a doctor, but I believe that this is a disease that is specific to rural areas. However, vaccinations take a while to take effect, don't they? So if you are really going to be out there in the boonies, I would think you should get immunized in your home country. Don't count on anything here. The Franco-Viet Hospital can probably meet your needs, but there's no guarantee, and from what I've seen, the doctors aren't all that great and who knows about the quality of the vaccines? Western medicine at places other than the FVH is generally more expensive than it is in the West, e.g., eighty-five dollars for a visit, and that's just the starting point.

You might want to look at the recommendations of the American Centers for Disease Control at their web site.

Wiring money -- yes, you can wire money if your school sets up an account for you. You can't wire more than you earned officially. They will do the dollar-dong transfer for you, then wire dollars. That's what my school told me, anyway, but I haven't done it yet.

There is a fixed exchange rate here.

By the way, don't even think about traveller's checks -- they are a big hassle, and there is a high percentage charged on them.

[cmaerun]

Thank you for your reply. I have found out a little more since... I spoke to a travel doctor and she said that the Japanese Enchephalitis is only a problem around pig farms! But I have also read that there are outbreaks from time to time in Hanoi. I can't imagine that there are no vaccines available there if this happens. But here, in the States, the vaccine is in a series of three shots- $100 each! So, it i still a tough call..

As far as the malaria, apparently the Larium pills- the cheaper ones that have a slight change of permanent psychosis- is not good along the Thaiand/Burmese border, and the Vietnamese/Cambodian border. And the new one- Malarone- is $4 a pill- per day.

Does anyone actually know of anyone who has contracted these in the big cities?