Relocating to Vietnam ?

[rocketman777]

Can anybody who has visited Nha Trang city , report on their experience

[Mahseer]

19 minutes ago, rocketman777 said:

Can anybody who has visited Nha Trang city , report on their experience

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.

[whaleboneman]

16 hours ago, IraqRon said:

just returned from da nang, hoi an, wei, and sai gon. in d a, did not see any grotty rest., plenty of convenience stores, atms, no motor cycles driving wrong way, just walk and they miss you. never saw one accident, but yes they park on sidewalks, as do thais.  wide streets clean, lots of roundabouts where traffic flows , not like thailand.  hotels cleaner, better fitted and serviced than thai ones in same price range.  in hoi an, of course lots of tourist, many of which were viet and chinese.  in short, i have to think your post is bs to the max.

Sure and you probably think a half empty glass is half full.

My experience in southern Vietnam was similar to yours.

I’ve been twice and I’ll be returning.

[tideout]

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.

[WaveHunter]

RELOCATING TO VIETNAM FROM THAILAND:  BEST OPTION FOR MOVING PERSONAL BELONGINGS (least costly shipping option and customs duty exposure:

 

I am thinking of relocating but wonder what is the best way to move personal belongings.  When I relocated to Thailand from USA, everything I brought fit into two military style duffle bags, plus my bicycle in a cardboard bike box.  I think each duffle was 20kg

 

Now, a year later, I'm guessing I would need 4 duffles, plus bike, and plus a boxed 32 inch computer monitor.   Air Asia has a max baggage limit of 40kg, and I think excess weight charges are outrageous (more than the price of the ticket)

 

So, Im wondering if anybody has experience at just buying a second ticket to get 40kg more of baggage allowance.  Is that possible?  I cant find any info on their website and, as usual their phones are down)

 

My other concern is how customs works upon arrival.  Should I anticipate getting hit with custom duties on my personal items (especially the computer monitor), and if so, what the rates might be?

 

I'm confused on duties because I read that there was a big change last year that eliminated and/or reduced customs based on a new ASEAN trade agreement between Thailand and Vietnam, but I can't find any two sources that agree on this.

 

Any advice or help on moving my personal belongings from Thailand to Vietnam would sure be appreciated.

 

[Destiny1990]

Which coastal city in Vietnam would be most comfortable to live?

I like a city with lots of tourists, malls condos and not extremely polluted. 

[WaveHunter]

1 minute ago, Destiny1990 said:

Which coastal city in Vietnam would be most comfortable to live?

I like a city with lots of tourists, malls condos and not extremely polluted. 

Da Nang

[Destiny1990]

3 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Da Nang

Yes that city name does seem to come up very frequently. Its on top of my list.

Is it correct that vietnam doesn’t have this stray dog problem? How about condo purchase prices in Da Nang?

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, Mahseer said:

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

Vung Tau back beach in the early morning .......

 

[baansgr]

On 4/24/2019 at 2:58 PM, BritManToo said:

In Saigon earlier this month I had nice Indian curries almost every night for around 100,000VND (150bht)

Plenty of Indian restaurants to choose from. Western food available everywhere.

I was right in the centre of town so it was very busy and noisy, but no worse than the middle of Bangkok.

Massage girls appeared more numerous than bar girls, and there were plenty of women looking for LTRs with foreigners, probably more than in Thailand.

 

 

Saigon????????????☺????

[WaveHunter]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

What he meant ........

 

"With many corrupt immigration officers denying legal extension applications within Thailand, and illegally denying entry to foreigners at several land/air entry points"

 

I gave up on extensions in Thailand 4 years back when I couldn't even get an appointment to see immigration for a marriage extension without paying an agent.

Now you've got an assortment of corrupt officers denying applications for assorted bogus reasons.

Lately they've started questioning the source of your 400k bank deposit for marriage extension applicants, even though there is no mentions of source of funding in the rules.

 

Stop being an immigration apologist, it's clear Thailand immigration officers have many problems doing their jobs and are constantly looking for large bribes. Even the head of immigration has been suddenly removed and investigated. The whole department is rotten to the core.

 

The surrounding countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines), all you need to stay is the money to buy the VISA.

No paperwork mountains, no home visits, no local friends, no immigration interview, no financial scrutiny, no 90 day reporting, no address reporting on entry to country.

Thailand has become bogged down with corrupt officials looking for 20k extra to do their jobs.

Thailand no longer provides value for money.

Totally agree!  Dealing with Thai IMM has always been a nightmare, and seems only to get worse as time goes on.  The latest changes regarding funds in the bank that went into effect in March are outrageous and total nonsense. 

 

You'd think that in a country that is so dependent on tourism and expat spending, they'd be a bit more accommodating; a bit more respectful like most other countries in South East Asia in fact are; particularly Vietnam!

 

Just a minor but ridiculous annoyance is all the tiny pieces of paper IMM officials staple haphazardly into my passport almost every time I go into IMM.  It's almost filled up every page now!  It looks like George Costanza's exploding wallet!  Now, when I present it outside of Thailand, officials give me a look like "What the F*** is this?"  It's just an example of red-tape bureaucracy gone amuck in the "land of smiles". 

I, for one, am just sick of it.  No place, no matter how nice it seems, is worth all the aggravation!

[Beggar]

I am thinking too to move away from Thailand after very many years. Has nothing to do with the immigration. I live in Central Pattaya and I am tired of living in the middle of a red light district. More and more often empty but still pretty noisy bars open everywhere. Almost impossible to use my condo because of the noise. I lived some years in Malaysia, some years on the Philippines and some years in Vietnam. All of them have good and bad things of course. Not easy to decide for one. Often I think Malaysia might be the best choice if you want to have a quiet life.

[rumak]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I don't care how easy your VISA is or isn't, and I don't care why either.

I only care about mine, and mine is way easier to get in Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
I spend 40kbht a month, nobody needs to see more of my money than that IMHO.

Boasting how you're better than me just makes you appear mentally ill.

I'm putting you on ignore with all the other 'boasters and gloaters'

 

When I first came to Thailand I just needed 120 pounds for the 1 year VISA.

Now I only need $300 for a 1 year VISA in many nearby countries.

I'll try to respond as you would :   Put me on the ignore list too.  Who cares?   I don't think that people stating that nothing has changed for them is "boasting or gloating".  Most of your posts about your exploits with women seem to be much more in that category.   I know many guys here give you a lot of leniency,

probably because of your bravado tone in posting.   I am mentally ill,  so please ignore me (after your rebuttal ).  

[rumak]

2 minutes ago, Beggar said:

I am thinking too to move away from Thailand after very many years. Has nothing to do with the immigration. I live in Central Pattaya and I am tired of living in the middle of a red light district. More and more often empty but still pretty noisy bars open everywhere. Almost impossible to use my condo because of the noise. I lived some years in Malaysia, some years on the Philippines and some years in Vietnam. All of them have good and bad things of course. Not easy to decide for one. Often I think Malaysia might be the best choice if you want to have a quiet life.

Uh.....ever think of choosing another place besides Pattaya ?   Seems a lot easier than changing countries.

I usually ask posters who "might move"  to let us know if they do,  where to,  and if they like it better where they are.    

[Destiny1990]

2 minutes ago, rumak said:

Uh.....ever think of choosing another place besides Pattaya ?   Seems a lot easier than changing countries.

I usually ask posters who "might move"  to let us know if they do,  where to,  and if they like it better where they are.    

Yes in his situation he could simply move to Cha aam..

[WaveHunter]

18 minutes ago, Beggar said:

I am thinking too to move away from Thailand after very many years. Has nothing to do with the immigration. I live in Central Pattaya and I am tired of living in the middle of a red light district. More and more often empty but still pretty noisy bars open everywhere. Almost impossible to use my condo because of the noise. I lived some years in Malaysia, some years on the Philippines and some years in Vietnam. All of them have good and bad things of course. Not easy to decide for one. Often I think Malaysia might be the best choice if you want to have a quiet life.

I can appreciate your feelings about the central district of Pattaya.  I just moved to Pattaya from Chiang Mai and agree it is horrible when it comes to all the red-light craziness, BUT Pattaya has a lot of different districts and neighborhoods that vary tremendously in those regards. 

 

I live in Pratumnak and love it!  It's about as far removed from that dodgy nonsense as you can get, and it's only a few kilometers away.  Jomtien is also pretty laid back.  If dealing with all the nonsense of IMM isn't a concern for you, maybe you should simply explore different neighborhoods in the area.

[Beggar]

12 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Yes in his situation he could simply move to Cha aam..

Cha Am is a very nice place with an endless beach. But I need a good shopping intrastructure. I have been living in Asia for about 30 years now and I traveled a lot. I stayed on Patong Beach more than a year, on Koh Samui about one year, in Bangkok very long, Hua Hin, etc. In the end you almost everywhere where you have tourists you meet the Hello Sexy Man business. I can't stand it anymore ????

[Isaanbiker]

On 4/24/2019 at 3:02 PM, Jingthing said:

For me as the OP, it's the motorcycles.  I just can't deal with that. 

 It seems that the OP's only reason to move to Vietnam would be cheaper beer! The motorbikes there are of much lower quality and even when you buy a brand new Honda, you couldn't sell if for the half price not long after the purchase.

 

   

[WaveHunter]

18 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

 It seems that the OP's only reason to move to Vietnam would be cheaper beer! The motorbikes there are of much lower quality and even when you buy a brand new Honda, you couldn't sell if for the half price not long after the purchase.

 

   

No offense to any big-bike riders but I don't understand the reason some of them like riding around intentionally making noise in densely populated urban settings that's loud enough to do damage to pedestrian's eardrums! And that is no exaggeration! To say the least it's incredibly offensive and just plain rude!  It should be a criminal offense IMO since it's the very definition of disturbing the peace.

 

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, Cadbury said:

She is about as Vietnamese as I am. Illegal Cambodian hooker jumped the border more like it.

Here are two photos of a Vietnamese woman to help you recognise one when you see one. 

The only point of differentiation of Vietnamese women I was able to detect while there is they seem to have stockier bodies than Thais.

[Pravda]

13 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The only point of differentiation of Vietnamese women I was able to detect while there is they seem to have stockier bodies than Thais.

 

Are bums good? Bums and legs are a major selling point for me.

[Lacessit]

Positives of Vietnam:

 

Much less police/army presence.

French influence breakfasts very good.

Traffic more civilised. It looks chaotic. I hired a scooter in Danang, drove around no problems at all.

Immigration was quick, efficient, none of the Thai BS.

Liked Dalat and Danang. Nice climate in Dalat, good beach at Danang.

Cheap beer.

Excellent coffee.

 

Negatives:

 

Lunch and dinner unexciting. Man cannot live on spring rolls and pho bo alone.

Not many English speakers.

 

 

Can't comment on the women. All the Vietnamese thought my Thai GF was Filipino.

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The only point of differentiation of Vietnamese women I was able to detect while there is they seem to have stockier bodies than Thais.

I like small and slim, I was overwhelmed with choice in Saigon.

And in Phnom Penh, and in Siam Reap ........ if only I wasn't quite so old.

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, Pravda said:

 

Are bums good? Bums and legs are a major selling point for me.

They are not as exposed as in Thailand, so it's difficult to tell. If you are a bum man, I have to say those I saw in Yangon on the Burmese women ( with a fair infusion of Indian genes ) would possibly have you swooning in anticipation. IMHO a fully clothed Burmese bum is much sexier than the somewhat more visible Thai version.

My jaw dropped quite frequently when they were walking away.

[cardinalblue]

On 4/24/2019 at 6:32 PM, Kwasaki said:

How about Laos. ?

Sanemax....

 

75-80% of road fatalities annually in thailand are motorcyclists...

[madmen]

Yes, there are millions of motorbikes but If you walk briskly across the road, do not hesitate once started they are used to it & you will be fine.
Food in Ho Chi very good.
What are the long term resident requirements ?

That theory is scary. Walking directly into the path of danger fully expecting that game of chicken [emoji215] will end in your favor. Since expats there are the same as here wich means zero insurance

No thanks

[Destiny1990]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

$300-$500 a year depending on your nationality, working and marital status.

Americans married to locals can do it cheaper.

How about foodcourts concept in shopping Malls does that exist in Vietnam?

 

[BritManToo]

42 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

How about foodcourts concept in shopping Malls does that exist in Vietnam?

 

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

[elgenon]

[elgenon]

Yes, looks like she's been sitting there all day. Wouldn't touch her.