tideout

Thanks for your putting your experience on here...sometimes things are quite the task!

On 7/23/2019 at 6:21 PM, CNXexpat said:

No double pricing in Vietnam (Hanoi) at tourist attractions. 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post and if so, no offense intended. I'm also going a bit off your post to save time. Again, no offense.

One of the most common scams here in the Ben Thanh market area is to give a certain colored shopping bag to tourists who've come through and bought something a specifically colored shopping bag. This bag indicates another shop has marked them as suckers for a big up-sell.

Lying and scamming here in Vietnam, not limited to but particularly any tourist area is as second nature as breathing.

I'll repeat a few things from other posts but it may be worth something to a few.

There is no retirement visa.

The previously easy to get "business visa" which lasted for a year and might otherwise be known as the retirement and beer visa, is becoming much, much harder to get. I personally know people who are being denied that visa who are not only well connected but have been here before on that visa. Illegal, "coffee money" versions of everything from drivers licenses to permits are getting second and third looks and are much more likely to a "no" response. 

Don't like waves of Chinese tourists or Indians in your Thai city? I don't have time to go into it but trust me the increase in Africans, Indians and Chinese related deals here is rapidly on the increase.

I could go on about this but there are too many details that one could go into.......

Yeah, definitely!

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/world/asia/thailand-inequality-road-fatalities.html

NYT's article that I thought people would like to read. In the article there are plenty of links to WHO data for those who're interested.

Cheers.

Just now, Mindslider said:

My wife and children are Thai. I am British

I'm guessing a lot of people will not be able to respond as they aren't familiar with UK/British law. In the US you can have your record sealed (usually). You may need to go through this process before leaving the UK - after leaving it could be difficult dealing with courts etc...

Good luck.

Thanks digbeth & others!

20 hours ago, grantbkk said:

Immigration looks at travel history and many other factors besides not carrying cash. These are people taken to secondary and questioned before they are expelled. I personally think they are lazy thinking they will get back in again without any cash on them.  

It may be due to my having a temporary residency card in a neighboring country but I've never gotten anything more than a nod at immigration - never think to carry more than $150 or even less as I assume I'll be using a credit card for purchases or just stop by an ATM. I've entered and left on Air Asia via Don Muang 6-8 times in the last 4 years.

Re: Baht outside of Thailand - always get some baht in HCM before the trip.

38 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Yes, as long as the office you apply at accepts a combo application.

That hit or miss?

27 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes but not sure what you mean by scale it up or down.

The amount needed in the bank is your annual income subtracted from 800k baht. You have to estimate your annual income whey you put the money in the bank 2 months before you apply.

That's what I meant, except I didn't say it! ???? That's good news then as I'd feel quite a bit better with a 400K on hold and then just add in my retirement amount....to hit the 800K....much appreciated!

And it's possible to put 500,000 in a Thai account and then add a slightly smaller pension - say just a government pension to hit the 800,000? You can scale it up or down so to speak?

Thanks guys, I'll check these out.

Yeah, I've been to Fortune Town. Didn't know if there was a better place in BKK.

I'm looking for the "Best Buy" of Bangkok. Big box store where you can reliably go in and get a decent product at a decent price without haggling and questionable products.

I'm not looking for anything super special but in my next visit I'd like to pick up an

1 - External ssd external storage drive (250-500gb) with type C and USB 3.0 connectors. Solid brand like sandisk, etc....

2 - Small portable computer display Like the Uperfect 7" monitor https://tinyurl.com/yym636vk

What's the go to store for either or both of these?

Thanks,

tideout

On 7/1/2019 at 4:57 PM, BritManToo said:

Just keep extending whatever VISA you have, sometimes 3 months, sometimes 6 months, sometimes 1 year.

It isn't a problem, no more effort than 90 day reports, and the costs end up the same at around $300/year.

This option, the fake business visa stuff etc., is coming to an end here. In general, the government is looking to tighten the controls on all of this and increasingly have the technology to do so. If you're coming here to avoid the Chinese and and hang out on questionable visa reasons I'd come up with an other plan for the mid term future. There are obvious signs that things are changing.

On 7/1/2019 at 11:52 AM, madmen said:

Yep Thats the hard core truth but not a single person will admit it instead jumping on the blame game train with the rest of the losers. I pity long term Vietnam expats for the influx of Thailand's rejects..Im pretty sure the whole of soi Buakhao will end up in Saigon lol...lucky lucky Vietnam

The process is well underway already. There are a few sections of the backpacker district that look like mini slices of BKK -  minus the charm and some other things.

The counter-measure to this may also be in motion as there's a substantial tightening of visas, laws regarding driving and some banking changes.

Thanks for the responses. While I've been a frequent visitor to Thailand I haven't had the time some of you have. Still I was thinking along similar lines - at some point, revenue is revenue and not hard to see if you're losing it or getting more of it. 

I guess the worry would be that the Junta is really terrible at reading much more than whether they have control or they don't.....

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

I've seen a couple of oblique references to changes coming in May, the most likely one being an increase to the 800K.

 

If it does happen, my best guess is that it would be increased to 1 Million & 80k monthly, with the Marriage Visa increasing to 600k & 50k monthly.

 

Pure Speculation - Which I thought was the topic for this thread ????

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the thoughtful speculation. I hope you're not right about an increase at this time. That would certainly feel like a another concrete change that something's sliding off over the edge..... 

3 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

I was musing my years here in Thailand and I realized that those who say that things do not change are correct. Not many things have gotten easier here in my 20 odd years here. 

 

I just dont think theres a political will to reduce the beaurocracy in this specific area, theres no interest from the people to push the government and no wish of the immigration dept to reform itself and reduce jobs or "opportunities" (if you get my drift).

 

Mark my words (guess) that compulsory insurance will be added to the list soon on ret ext of stays. Dont expect anything easier or perks like in the malaysian retirement model. We are simply not economically important to the politicians.

 

 

MRT, Thanks for the thoughtful post. I really appreciate the musing's side to it and take on the history of it. Take care.

Thanks for the responses so far. Appreciated.  I understand there are "workarounds" like the 800K baht and other specifics but I'm wondering more about a system change.....I mean these options were there before but it seems the atmosphere has changed. I see a few here are not optimistic but I'm talking more about the attitude of it in some ways. Maybe the BJ "reassignment" was something of an adjustment by smarter, cooler heads in government (though I see another hundred arrested tonight!).  Has anyone heard a final answer on his transfer? I'm also wondering how long will the guys in uniform delay the election results - the effect on society and obviously immi.

Again, thanks for answers....even if it's just speculation.

I'm curious about the US address but I didn't expect it to come up here.

I've got a few years before I hit even early retirement but I'm wondering if the "US address" is more of a formality than you literally have to show state residency at that address. I've been working overseas for years and barely maintain an address with absentee voting - I've been upfront with the Board of elections but I haven't been at that address for years. Can I just give my sisters address when I apply or do I have to go through a residency deal? I see you can apply online w/o problems.

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Don't know, I don't go to shopping malls.

Not as developed in Vietnam as Thailand. One of the nice features of spending time in Thailand was the food court(s) in malls. Some very good food (and variety for a very reasonable price. You can even find chains or stores that are using chain signs with really mediocre food/beverages. In District 7 there are a couple of large malls but neither of them has what you'd call a food court like in Thai malls.

16 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

It's a full on Chinese and Russians package tourist destination. Was there couple of weeks back and the missus, Thai mid 30, loved it due to plenty of bright lights, restaurant and shopping options but I, older and slower, hated it due to the aforementioned package folks, traffic and ongoing construction.

 

Sunrise hotel is excellent if you want the full on sea front option.

 

If you go make sure you walk on the beach at 0600. Amazing and brilliant to see.

Nha Trang's not bad. beautiful beach in the early evening as you say. Almost gives a feel of what it was like a long time ago....people enjoying and playing in the ocean just as the sun's going down. The locals are quite distressed about the sell out which brought in hordes of Chinese and Russians.

5 minutes ago, Ulic said:

I had a slightly different take. Yes the beer/alcohol is cheap, western type condos being built like crazy and that should bring down the rental prices which were substantially higher than Thailand for western level airconditioned type apartments, food was excellent and more Big C's being built so lots of western type foods available (but not to the same extent as Thailand). The Vietnamese were very friendly but little English is spoken outside tourist areas. I found the driving far more civilized and safer than Thailand. Everyone wearing helmets, driving much, much slower, and using an I see you, you see me, respect approach. Yes, it appears more disorganized but everyone keeps an eye out and respects everyone else. The horns are just quick beeps to alert other drivers to their presence in a blind spot. Not long honks of anger at someone driving like an idiot. I had no trouble crossing the street, just move steadily across making eye contact with traffic. I ride my scooter in Thailand and in Vietnam and it is easier and safer in Vietnam. The nightlife is definitely quieter, more clandestine. I never saw any, but I have been told it is readily available. I have made three trips to Vietnam and enjoyed them all. I think Vietnam is a definite option for retires leaving Thailand unless you enjoy the wall to wall "nightlife" Thailand has on offer. Just my opinion.

The market here is in a bit of a bubble to put it lightly. For those who are thinking of investing, I believe it's more of a crap shoot than you might hear. Those I hear talking about it differently, have a dog in the race, so to speak. As Cadbury mentions there are some great deals on housing, if everything works out right (great looking place btw!). FWIW, I'd include renting. It's only fair to mention though that many of these buildings, apartments and neighborhoods are inundated with construction projects that never end. Some of it happens because of incompetence and some is even tied into corruption (I'll leave it there). Prices in D1, D2 and D7 continue to rise I"m afraid. 

It isn't an English speaking country so I'm not surprised when people don't speak English. Having said that, it is surprising how close to District 1 (Central district for many) you can be and feel totally out of any English. This would include not just conversation but restaurant menu's, shop signs, looser ideas about written contracts etc.... People may be more and more unfamiliar with dealing with a foreigner in the neighborhoods farther away from the city center. I've been in parts of District 7, for example (where a lot of Korean and Japanese live now) and you can feel like you're in the backwaters of the Mekong. The nightlife most people see and experience here is in the tourist zone and not very indicative of what you'd find in even some nearby districts. Many of these districts are largely dead as a door nail after 10-11pm. I'm not sure why most foreigners would go even in the early afternoon.

I always thought Vietnamese were the worst drivers I'd ever seen. I drive about 6 days/week for work in Ho Chi Minh........Thai drivers have the same suicidal tendencies, not looking, multitasking etc....only they really do drive at faster speeds. Crazy. It's also good to know that there is really no traffic enforcement in the HCM I'm familiar with. Let me repeat that....NO Traffic enforcement. Police set up on the road and quite literally do nothing but take bribes all day. The result is the chaos you see on a daily basis here.

Just now, ballpoint said:

I've been travelling to Vietnam for work and pleasure fairly regularly since the late 80's, and did an extended assignment there from 2006 - 2010, where I alternated 4 weeks working in VungTau and 4 weeks home in Thailand for 3 years, followed by the same in HCMC for 2.  Since then I've worked a week or 2 there every 2 - 3 months.  It's a nice place for a holiday, and I enjoyed travelling there for work, but I wouldn't want to live there full time.  The infrastructure is far poorer than Thailand, and these days many Thai provincial cities are better equipped for "western living" than even HCMC is.  Of course, some may find that a benefit, but anyone making a decision on where to relocate to based on a short holiday needs to take a step back and reconsider their decision.  (And that goes for anywhere, not just Vietnam).

This is really true and you can add places like Da Nang, Hoi An etc....really lovely for a couple of days but what are you going to do after that? Most people I know love the break from HCM but realize that the stay in the outer areas is a break and not a great place for many people.