Job Discussion Forums

rgraham1014 · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 14

Hi everyone! I'm planning on moving to Vietnam sometime in January, and I've got some questions:

1. I'm considering buying a "smart phone" because I don't have a camera, mp3 player or phone. Should I wait until I get to Vietnam or buy one in the US and try to connect to a service there? Is that even possible? Do they have that type of cell phone service in the cities in Vietnam, and if so, is it as crazy expensive as it is here in the US? Also, how is the national cell phone service? I recently lived in Mexico, and it was a complete nightmare. Carlos Slim can suck it...

2. I'm hoping to find a job via Daves before I get there, and am just starting to look. I am 27, have a BA and a CELTA degree along with 6 months experience teaching adults in the US (pre-CELTA) and 6 months in Mexico (post-CELTA)
Is January going to be a hard time to start working? I understand that language schools usually hire year-round, but I'm hoping for something better (meaning more pay, no split shifts). I can always work at a language school until a better time. Smile

Anybody have any ideas about places that are hiring or some good places to work?

3. Anybody have any great tips as far as shared housing with other teachers in HCMC or Hanoi? Or anywhere I guess...

4. What are the things you can't get in Vietnam that you miss? What do you bring back with you or ask people to bring you from home?

LettersAthruZ · Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 466 Location: North Viet Nam

1. Buy one in The States - it's cheaper and newer. It has been my experience that gadgets (smartyphones and computers and the like) are usually one generation BEHIND here compared to what you will get in The States (i.e. - they just VERY recently got Android phones here).

So, what is considered a blazing hot computer here (say, a laptop with 4 gigs of RAM and a quad-core processor) that just literally came out five minutes ago in Viet Nam for 20 Million Dong was released in The States in 2009 and NOW goes for 7 Million Dong in 2011.

Generally, the standard that I've noticed is 12 to 18 months lag time between when it's introduced in Oz/Europa/North America and when you can get it here!

My Yank friend did just what you're proposing! She was with T-Mobile America and she had something called a Motorola Cliq Android phone and there were minor adjustments and such, but once she made the adjustments to her phone and slid in the SIM, it worked great (THINK she is still using it....I am not sure).

I just called her now - she says that the 3G is FAR better in North Viet Nam then T-Mobile America's 3G coverage was in major cities across the USA.

Price...? They go by MONETARY AMOUNTS HERE, NOT TIME! So, it'll say - "Y0u have 135,900VND remaining" NOT "You have 16 minutes off call time remaining." So you buy 200,000 Dong ($10USD??) worth of pre-paid credit and that's good for a month (ROUGHLY) of AVERAGE usage......

I think it's AROUND 2,00Dong per minute to other mobile phones inside Vietnam and, like, 5,000VND per minute to all phones in OZ/Europa/North America.

2. QUOTE -

generalgiap · Joined: 03 Sep 2011 Posts: 95

I will have to disagree with newer computers arriving years later in Vietnam?? Possibly a few months but they are more expensive in vietnam, for example a macbook is around 1200usd in the states and about 1400usd in Vietnam, new ipad 580 in Vietnam, 500 in states. Tet 2012, Year of the Dragon 22 Jan-25 Jan.

A-Z is correct, You wont find any work in January due to Tet. Also, six months experience and getting any job without split shifts, you also want something better than a language school. Excuse me, what kind of teaching jobs were you thinking about? Now that's funny? Or are you serious?

LettersAthruZ · Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 466 Location: North Viet Nam

kurtz · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 518 Location: Phaic Tan

You have a degree in CELTA? That's a new one, they offer a whole degree after a 4 week course!

Seeing as you're pretty much a greenhorn, I suggest lowering your expectations. Language Schools can be a good experience if you get a good one, and as mentioned, Jan is pretty much THE worst time to look for work in Vietnam, or travel due to TET and it's pretty chilly that time up north too.

If you have the money, sure, go around knocking on doors or find out where teachers drink and get a job word of mouth.