½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

I lived in Thailand for over 25 years and moved to Vietnam a year ago, so might be able to give some advice, if you could be a little more specific in regard to  what you are looking for, interested in etc.

Hi Cyclist!

Thanks for your reply.

Generally speaking, I am looking forward to stay longer but not really sure if it's gonna be in Thailand or Vietnam.

Work wise?
Food wise?
Transportation wise?
Locals perception to expats?

Food :Thai food is hard to beat although a little more expensive than Vietnamese food
WWork :what work do you do where in Vn?
Transport Thailand way ahead
Attitude :Vietnam much better, the Thais are extremely racist

Yeah, been to Thailand and food was awesome.
Thanks for your opinion. Will keep that in mind.

btw, I am in sales and marketing but not sure if it's easy to find here.
Do you have any suggestions?

Sorry, no idea about sales and marketing.
The absolutely best website for all things Thai is:  thaivisa.com
CCheck it out they probably have a forum on sales, or at least people that can help you.

thecyclist wrote:

Attitude :Vietnam much better, the Thais are extremely racist

I've had the opposite experience.

Do you speak Thai and  know what they say about us 'farangs'. Look behind the Thai smile.
That is not to say that there are  some genuinely friendly Thais, and plenty of Vietnamese jerks(especially in Hoi An)

Thanks for those info.

haha! nope, I don't speak Thai.
And yeah, I've experienced those kind of "friendly look" NOT! hahaha

But I just ignore them.
They talk behind my back, it's their problem.. =P

Just don't dare to touch me and I'll punch them (just kidding).. lols

Farangs?

.

You're lucky then..

thecyclist wrote:

Do you speak Thai and  know what they say about us 'farangs'. Look behind the Thai smile.
That is not to say that there are  some genuinely friendly Thais, and plenty of Vietnamese jerks(especially in Hoi An)

I know what the Thai's say about the Farangs.  I've had a long relationship with a Thai woman in the past.  She's translated everything people say about us.

But it's no different here in Vietnam.

ReignBarcelona wrote:

Farangs?

That's what white male men are called in Thailand.

Can you tell me more about it?

Oh, I see..

White women are farangs too
Do the Vietnamese really say these things [swear words I can't even mention on this forum or I would get banned] about US?
The Vietnamese of 20/30 years ago probably did, but the new generation, I doubt it, although can't say anything definite as I am doing my first baby steps with this very difficult language.

thecyclist wrote:

White women are farangs too
Do the Vietnamese really say these things [swear words I can't even mention on this forum or I would get banned] about US?
The Vietnamese of 20/30 years ago probably did, but the new generation, I doubt it, although can't say anything definite as I am doing my first baby steps with this very difficult language.

Not so sure what you mean.. let me ask around. haha

It was in answer to Andy passenger's post in which he said that the Thai word  farang means white men, Caucasian women are also called farang in Thailand.And a third meaning of farang is guava.

thecyclist wrote:

White women are farangs too
Do the Vietnamese really say these things [swear words I can't even mention on this forum or I would get banned] about US?
The Vietnamese of 20/30 years ago probably did, but the new generation, I doubt it, although can't say anything definite as I am doing my first baby steps with this very difficult language.

You were talking about racism.
I thought you meant racism because of the color of the skin or other religious views and not because of "racism" relating to the politics.

My wife is often verbal attacked or affronted here in HCMC just because she is with a white man. We have even been physically attacked in D1 by a silly drunken Vietnamese just because we ignored his affronted words (that was the reason why we leaved D1).

As I heard, the Thais just deride about the stupid Farangs who let themselves be bleeded dry by hot Thai women.
And a false smile can be easily recognized and is also practiced in public in the West.

But here in HCMC I see so many frustrated, annoyed and arrogant faces every day.
Even my wife said that the Thais are much friendlier and happier than the most Vietnamese in HCMC.

Probably after staying some years in Vietnam and after I visited other places I will meet a lot of kind Vietnamese.

thecyclist wrote:

Do the Vietnamese really say these things [swear words I can't even mention on this forum or I would get banned] about US?
The Vietnamese of 20/30 years ago probably did, but the new generation, I doubt it, although can't say anything definite as I am doing my first baby steps with this very difficult language.

Can't tell you whether the Vietnamese say the swear words bout the US when I don't know what those words are.  Haven't heard any negative things being said about US as a nation.  And I would understand everything because I'm a Vietnamese-American who speaks Vietnamese fluently.  My long-time spouse is American (Canadian-American actually).  We're attached at the hip, so there are plenty of opportunities for people to bad mouth US and Americans in general, or us in particular, if they wish.

I lived in Bangkok and suburbs for more than a decade and first moved to HCMC in 2004. I wasn't very impressed and ended up back in Thailand until I returned to VN about 6 months following the military coup d'etat in Oct 2006. This event made me realize that Thailand would be politically unstable and economically challenged for years to come.

Life in VN still didn't appeal to me much but after sampling Phnom Penh and a number of years in Vientiane, Laos, as well as researching other countries in the region such as Myanmar and China, I came to the conclusion that VN is really the best option.

The reasons for this conclusion are: stable government, growing economy and strong development, better opportunities for work, ease of maintaining a valid visa, and the low cost of living. I also enjoy the tropical weather but that is common throughout the region.

As mentioned above Thai (and Lao) food is really awesome and Thailand is certainly a more fun place to be. So, living and work in VN and holidaying in Thailand may be your best option.

Hi Johnross23,

Thank you for your opinion.
Will keep this in mind.

Cheers!

johnross23 wrote:

As mentioned above Thai (and Lao) food is really awesome and Thailand is certainly a more fun place to be. So, living and work in VN and holidaying in Thailand may be your best option.

Yes, Thai food is really yummy and healthy.
And the non-smoker protection in Thailand is exemplary.

If I wasn't happily married to a Vietnamese woman, I would live in Thailand (or Singapore). 

But a holiday in Thailand from time to time is a good option. 

China, everytime