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Raf
Joined: 23 Oct 2010
Posts: 6
Location: HANOI
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 Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:46 am Post subject: Hanoi or HCMC? |
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Hey all,
I just completed my CELTA in Hanoi. My girlfriend wants to go to HCMC because it easier for her to find work, she`s a biochemist.
I don`t mind to live in HCMC , but I heard the pay for ESL teacher is not as good as in Hanoi and living costs are higher.
Is it accurate? What `d be the cost of living there? Just want to have an idea.
Thank you |
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tefl peasant
Joined: 09 Oct 2010
Posts: 132
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| Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:44 am Post subject: Re: Hanoi or HCMC? |
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| Raf wrote: |
Hey all,
I just completed my CELTA in Hanoi. My girlfriend wants to go to HCMC because it easier for her to find work, she`s a biochemist.
I don`t mind to live in HCMC , but I heard the pay for ESL teacher is not as good as in Hanoi and living costs are higher.
Is it accurate? What `d be the cost of living there? Just want to have an idea.
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The pay in Saigon is lower for EFL teachers, however in my opinion the pay in both Hanoi and Saigon has peaked to where it is now (in general).
As for cost of living, it depends on your lifestyle.
You have to give us more details: what kind of house/apartment do you want? Eating and entertainment preferences? |
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Raf
Joined: 23 Oct 2010
Posts: 6
Location: HANOI
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| Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:39 am Post subject: |
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Well,
We usually eat local food and we don`t go out much. sometimes we go for a beer which can be in a local or expat place.
Ocasionally,we go out for some western food.
We don`t need a luxurious apartment or house. We`d like to have our own place but we are willing to share ,
I just got my CELTA and I`m a non native English speaker (lived in Canada, Australia and Ireland for more 6 years) and hold a BA in Psychology.
What are my chances of getting work? |
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Kornan DeKobb
Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 242
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| Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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There is another thread on this just s little down the page. Why start a new one?
Anyway, my comments are there. |
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marina33
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
Posts: 43
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:48 am Post subject: research= EFFORT! |
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| edited--had a bad day, sorry mod(s)! |
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VietCanada
Joined: 30 Nov 2010
Posts: 590
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| Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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I believe HCMC is friendlier than Hanoi. But that is hearsay I've picked up since I arrived. Never heard anyone say the opposite yet.
I chose HCMC because of the weather and the fact it showed up on the Mercer report in the top 10 list of the lowest cost of living in the world. Hanoi wasn't on that list. |
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LettersAthruZ
Joined: 25 Apr 2010
Posts: 466
Location: North Viet Nam
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| Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 7:29 am Post subject: |
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GENERALLY speaking, Ha Noi is more expensive than HCMC....ESPECIALLY RENTS!
I can't compare salaries, however, as I don't have first-hand knowledge on what the average ESL teacher salary is in HCMC......but having been down there enough times and having a few friends there, yes, the costs ARE higher in Ha Noi than in HCMC! |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:44 am Post subject: |
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| LettersAthruZ wrote: |
| GENERALLY speaking, Ha Noi is more expensive than HCMC....ESPECIALLY RENTS! |
I'd actually say it's quite the opposite. In Hanoi I was renting a fully-furnished, modern, serviced one bedroom apartment, spacious (around sixty square metres), quiet area, central (Ba Dinh), A/C, free cable TV, free wifi and balcony for $350 a month (not including laundry and power). Also that had been a piece of cake to find so I am sure there are better deals out there. I am now looking for a flat in Saigon and I haven't been able to find anything remotely that good for that price. |
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silvery
Joined: 16 Jul 2010
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:50 am Post subject: |
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Can you give more info about your serviced apartment in Ba Dinh, 1st Sgt Welsh -- either here or by private message?
Thanks. |
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hot_rock
Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 107
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 7:47 am Post subject: |
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sergenant welsh- you think $350 + bills is cheap for a one-bedroom apt?
The same can be found in saigon for $200 certainly. I've heard of a few people (inc. myself) with $150-160 deals, albeit smaller rooms than your Hanoi one I imagine- and one person with just $128. Apparently a great room!
I think a lot of this chat of rent being really expensive, house-finding a total headache etc. is usually by people too lazy to shop around or look anywhere other than craig's rip-off list |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:33 am Post subject: |
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| hot_rock wrote: |
sergenant welsh- you think $350 + bills is cheap for a one-bedroom apt?
The same can be found in saigon for $200 certainly. I've heard of a few people (inc. myself) with $150-160 deals, albeit smaller rooms than your Hanoi one I imagine- and one person with just $128. Apparently a great room!
I think a lot of this chat of rent being really expensive, house-finding a total headache etc. is usually by people too lazy to shop around or look anywhere other than craig's rip-off list |
Hi Hot Rock,
I don't know if there is some confusion here or not. I am not talking about "rooms", I am talking about [as stated in the original post] "apartments". Of course a room in a shared flat/house is cheaper and that's why people do it. Started off by doing that myself when I was 17 till my mid-twenties and have no intention whatsoever of ever doing it ever again. I like having my own private kitchen, bathroom, lounge etc. Don't get me wrong, shared accommodation can be a great option for people who want to save money and I know many people in Hanoi who do it (for around the figures that you mentioned).
Now if you think around $80 a week for a modern, spacious, fully furnished apartment, in a good location, A/C, free cable TV and internet, free water, free parking, maid service, balcony, quiet (to me that was a very important consideration given the incessant noise population that Hanoi is so famous for) with no bond to pay, or lease to sign, is a rip off - well, that's your right. Of course, I could also have saved money by living somewhere noiser, older, more inconvenient etc, but I would rather live somewhere nice and cough up the extra $20, or whatever it is, a week.
Moreover [once again in my original post] I clearly stated that I am sure that there are better bargains out there. Indeed, I have meet other people in Hanoi with some really sweet deals, but they invariably had one thing in common. They had been in Hanoi for years, had stayed in the same place for a long time, and the landlord had not adjusted their rent to keep up properly with the high inflation. Indeed, I had friends who I did my CELTA with in Hanoi and who stayed in the city (i.e. so we all arrived in Hanoi at around the same time and we all went house hunting at around the same time) and their accommodation in terms of location, price and quality was fairly comparable to what I had.
Anyway if you can enlighten us all as to where to find a similar apartment as the one I have described above, for the figures that you have nominated, than I am sure that Silvery, in particular, would love to hear from you. |
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hot_rock
Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 107
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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I was indeed confused by the term one-bedroom appartment. Stupidly i thought that meant "apprtment all in one room" as opposed to "appartment with one bedroom and other rooms".
I would never take the time to post questioning 350 for an actually high-quality place. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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| hot_rock wrote: |
I was indeed confused by the term one-bedroom appartment. Stupidly i thought that meant "apprtment all in one room" as opposed to "appartment with one bedroom and other rooms".
I would never take the time to post questioning 350 for an actually high-quality place. |
Thanks so much for the reply Hot Rock. No problem  |
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VietCanada
Joined: 30 Nov 2010
Posts: 590
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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I have a two story house with two bedrooms and a balcony in a quiet neighbourhood. I pay 4.5 million ~225. I pay another $50 to $75 for all utilities. Water, electricity, cable, Internet.
I've met and know others with comparable arrangements here in HCMC. But it wasn't furnished. I have my own washing machine and furnishings. I'd describe it as pretty modern. Cost me an additional 100 million ~ $500. Twenty five on the 42" TV and 5.1 DVD system  . Adding an additional $40 a month in the first year, $20 a month the second etc.
I also know people paying much more but that is by choice.
Quite frankly I don't think housing is the biggest financial concern here. Lifestyle is. IMHO. |
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deadlift
Joined: 08 Jun 2010
Posts: 267
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| Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 4:44 am Post subject: |
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| VietCanada wrote: |
| I also know people paying much more but that is by choice. |
But on this and other forums, if you're paying more than rock-bottom, you're getting ripped off! You see this on everything from housing to haircuts. It's as if by being prepared to pay more than someone else, you're no longer an adult who can make their own judgements about cost and value for money. |
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