禁漫天堂

VN鈥檚 biggest advantage is probably the cost of living; accommodation, food, and transportation seem to be less expensive than other countries. Also, the economy seems to be doing well.

Furthermore, in general, VNese are helpful, and many speak English. Plus, I think most people feel safe in VN, other than motorbike accidents, which seem fairly common.

Of course, the whole region offers a tropical climate that provides an endless summer.

The disadvantages are similar to other places: over-development as opposed to sustainable development due to various factors, and poor waste management. Also, VN is quite densely populated, which contributes to traffic congestion and air, water and noise pollution.

Of course, many will mention the visa regulations that aren鈥檛 as convenient or generous as some neighboring countries.

Anywayz, the topic is quite broad and somewhat overdone. I鈥檓 sure someone is going to mention how 鈥渄elicious鈥� banh mi is soon. Asking specific questions usually results in more discussion.

...I have booked accommodation and n Da Nang resort for one month and will see how things go while I am there.
I am wondering if someone on this forum has had lots of time spent in Vietnam and might shed some pros and cons about his or her time in this beautiful country.
Eileen
-@Eile

A month living in a resort will keep you pretty well insulated against having to deal with the day to day challenges of living outside an expat bubble.

For me, the best part of my life in Vietnam began after I stopped living in various foreigner zones around the country and rented a semi-rural house, surrounded by neighbors who mostly speak only Ti岷縩g Vi峄噒, a significant distance away from any tourist zone.

The daily life of shopping at our local fresh market, doing business at local shops for locals and interacting with our neighbors is a much more fulfilling experience than I was having previously when usually living apart from the local citizens in H脿 N峄檌, 膼脿 N岷祅g, H峄檌 An (An B脿ng), Tam K峄� (Tam Thanh Beach Resort), Quy Nh啤n, V农ng T脿u & Ph煤 Qu峄慶.

I might not have ever extricated myself from the protective cocoons I could easily afford if I hadn't begun living with聽 Vietnamese women; first in 膼脿 N膬ng, then in HCMC D7, and finally after meeting and traveling extensively with the woman who is now my wife.

There are many options for lifestyles in Vietnam; I'm just sharing my experience.

Hopefully you will continue to create the situation that suits you best.

Best of luck!

聽 聽 聽I left Vietnam on April 30, 1975 after almost 6 years here during the war.聽 My wife is Vietnamese and we have returned聽 on 9 different trips beginning in 2000, with the last trip this April when we celebrated my 90th birthday with about 50 relatives.聽 聽Each trip has lasted a month or more and we've stayed with relatives in a small village in the Mekong Delta, Vinh Long Province.

聽 聽 聽Village life has changed dramatically in the last 20 years.聽 Houses have almost all gone from thatch to brick.聽 Bicycles have been replaced聽 by motorcycles and cars.聽 Young people now leave for well paying jobs in factories in the big cities,聽 River passenger boats that docked near the markets are gone; motorbikes are faster.聽 Rice culture has mechanized and the water buffalo is almost gone.聽 Now almost all farmers get 3 rice crops per year.聽 Now that almost everyone has a cell phone, people are so much better informed.聽 The new cell phone apps that can translate and speak languages will soon make everyone a linguist.聽 Life is better for most.

Da Nang is great, but avoid the horrible rainy season.

@williamherron13 Wow, there is so much in those 2 paragraphs that you wrote. 90 years old / 6 years in VN / left on April 30, 1975! I can only imagine your perspective on everything. I鈥檓 a 63 year old American, to young to have participated in the war. Married a Vietnamese woman from way north of Hanoi. Each time I return to Vietnam I look for remnants of the time period you capture in your short comment. High-tech today even amongst the hill tribes. It鈥檚 the people that make Vietnam special. Thanks for your post!

@williamherron13聽 You are right about all the changes. I live in the countryside with my Vietnamese wife and enjoy the isolation save for the local fascination with karaoke. Believe it or not, I miss the bad roads, grass houses and all the rest.

@Eile

hi eileen. i guess i might be able to let you in on dn. dn has of course, the beaches, great seafoods, street food of all kind featuring central vn dishes like m矛 qu岷�ng, c啤m g脿. etc. then there is the expat popular hangout in hoi an, (there is no passenger bus going there like pre-covid., but you could arrange shared ride call here ***. cost was around 150k vn膽) 1 hr south of dn. there is the monkey moutain ( there is actual monkeys hanging out there, it is called s啤n tr脿, official name, also known as china beach during the war. there is ngu h脿nh s啤n or聽 marble mountain about 30 min from my kh锚 beach. by the way m峄� kh锚 beach is where you want to stay, if you are on budget, cheaper but decent and clean hotels is about 400 meters back from the main ocean blvd. enjoy your stay.

@brianAFSER73 Thank you 馃槑

elie. you mentioned you had a blast teaching ESL in ha noi.聽 i am too interested to move to the ha noi area . i do hold a TESOL license to teach, am currently in the U.S. i am also bilingual in english and vietnanese. do you have any school and contact in ha noi that you would recommend. much appreciated.

@Eile The biggest problem is the visa issue. Getting more than 30 days is almost impossible. Many of my friends have left Vietnam permanently for this reason.

Yes - impossible!