terryw

Ryanair and Easyjet will survive. The rest have a bleak future.

Vietnam stopped exporting rice two weeks ago so countries are seeking Thai rice as a replacement.

Yesterday, there were traffic jams in Snowdonia. Crazy people!

Vietnam will close all borders from today. The number of confirmed virus cases is 110. The government here is taking a lot of action to stop the virus spreading.

I see that unlike with the UK, the EU are not demanding a level playing field with Vietnam.

Hopefully the EU27 will improve their standards to meet UK standards. Examples that the EU need to improve include Maternity leave, Minimum wage, Carbon footprint reduction etc. When they do this we will be closer to the so called level playing field.

They did not do this last Thursday.

Yesterday on my Thai Airways flight they did not have enough vegetarian meals. Maybe by failing to provide their customers with a meal is their new way of reducing food waste.

What the British want from a Free Trade Deal might be very different than what the Irish want.

Definately do not fly a drone in urban areas. In Hanoi you never see a plane in the sky because since the Vietnam War planes have been banned from doing this.

In rural areas I doubt that anyone cares about a drone.

January 27th is the start of Tet Holiday in Vietnam. Nha Trang will be very busy and prices will go up. Langkwai will definetely be a lot more peaceful.

Major delays. Everything double checked. Post Brexit it is likely to get worse.

A couple of years ago my wife and I flew from Liverpool to Belfast International. We then hired a car and drove around the Republic. There are no border checks.

Another option in Europe is Gibraltar because it is a UK Overseas territory.

If your friend checks the UK immigration regulations he will find that being born in the UK definitely does not give the baby any automatic right to apply for UK citizenship, the parents would have to be married. Also, if his girlfriend has the baby in hospital then whether or not she has to pay depends on the local NHS Trust.

It depends where you want to live in Vietnam. Hanoi and Saigon are overcrowded and polluted. Da Nang is ranked as one of the best developing cities in Asia. There are some great beach resorts in the south although over-development is becoming a problem (Nha Trang for example). Most places in Vietnam are cheaper than Thailand. The country is run by a control freak government, whose behaviour is far worse than what is happening in Thailand. At the end of the day people go to Vietnam either because its different or to make money (especially teachers).

In 2014 the number of tourists visiting Vietnam fell by 12%. This is why they have recently granted a free 15 day entry stamp for visitors from the UK and several European countries. The longer tourist visa for US citizens might be introduced fairly soon to coincide with Obama's planned visit.

Last week I renewed my Visa and Work Permit in Vietnam. The legal requirement is still a University degree in any subject and a CELTA/TEFL Certificate.

Newly qualified teachers in Vietnam earn $2000 a month (less 10% - 15% tax) and more experienced can earn $3000+ a month. There is frequently a shortage of teachers here so the job market is very different than Thailand.

The standard of driving in Vietnam is a lot worse and more dangerous than in Thailand. Driving through red lights, the wrong way down a street and not stopping at junctions are regarded as normal driving. Cars frequently use their size to bully motorbike drivers. The horn is frequently used and at night many vehicles do not switch on their lights. There are three reasons why road deaths are lower than Thailand. Firstly, the bad roads means that traffic frequently has to move slowly, secondly the police in some cities do enforce the wearing of helmets and lastly the number of road deaths is almost certainly underestimated.

I am not an expert on the International level of English in Thailand, but I have worked as a Cambridge English Examiner in both Bangkok and Hanoi. The standard of English is similar in the two cities. The standard of English in smaller cities and rural areas is definitely better in Thailand.

Using a football comparison, Malaysia and Singapore are in the Premier Division with Thailand and Vietnam in Divisions 3 and 4.