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[gameproducer]

Greetings!

I used to be an ESL teacher, yet during my pursuits of exploring the world and educating students I was still on a mission of getting a career within the video game industry. I just recently graduated with my master's degree in Project Management/Game Design and as a result I was offered a position as a producer working for Gameloft here in HCM city.


I noticed many language schools around the area, yet haven't seen too many foreigners in and amongst the copious amount of scooter filled streets. Therefore I'm reaching out to the community to see if they know of any others around.

I was told I'm the only American in the studio, so it would be cool to find fellow Americans or expats in general to meet up and help me get to know the area and find the nooks and crannies within.

Cheers.

[toiyeuthitmeo]

Hey,

In short, there are plenty of American expats around. I'm not sure if it's your intention to roll with the stars and stripes crowd exclusively, but the British, Aussie, Canadian, etc expats all have their share of nice ladies and gents, too! In fact, the average American expat you meet on the town will probably be in a group made up of expats of many nationalities. Try not to be exclusive, especially as an American. It'll really rub people the wrong way.

In my experience here, I find it's rewarding to meet and hang out with locals. So don't shy away from that. Despite what some might say, and with some truth to it to be sure, your Vietnamese pals can be great, loyal, fun friends, and offer loads of help for some of the difficulties we will inevitably face here.

Where to find the expats? I'm sure many will chime in, and I'm actually a bit surprised you're having trouble! Expats are everywhere in this town!

Get your hands on the expat magazines "The Word" and "Asia Life." Arguably of poor journalistic quality, they do highlight monthly events where expats will abound.

There are several expat athletic clubs (softball, soccer, cricket, aussie rules football) that are quite welcoming. Look in the back of the aforementioned magazines to find out how to contact them.

Take a wander to any number of the bars and restaurants in the Dong Khoi area or Hai Ba Trung and the Western clientele is usually more expat than tourist. Generally, the young tourists in town don't stray too far from Pham Ngu Lao on the shoestring, so when you step foot into a Western restaurant out of this area, you'll probably be in the company of some expats.

English teachers (usually of the been-here-a-long-time-variety) congregate at Bread and Butter restaurant in Pham Ngu Lao. Younger and drunker English teachers can be found in the town's dankest, cheapest bar, T&R Bar, also in the PNL area.

More? I'm sure others will have something to add.