Pattaya Versus DaNang and the winner is?

[rodentwarrior]

7 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Any country that experiences a significant uptake in foreign lodgers will review and revise their procedures, just like Thailand.

Interestingly, the Philippines actually extended the period a tourist can stay in Country, without exiting the Country, from 16 months to 3 years.  I think that shows a more progressive and friendly attitude to long term 'tourists' like myself, who choose to live here with relative ease.

 

I personally found Saigon very interesting, and attractive.  Not yet been to Da Nang. Pattaya I found to be devoid of any real Thai Buddhist culture, just the prevailing cultures of drinking and whoring.  Which works fine for some people.  I prefer a little more depth.

[wisperone]

16 hours ago, DrTuner said:

They usually have friends they grew up in same village or have otherwise known since kids. I guess they've learnt the same thing, not to trust any one unless you know them thoroughly (and even then be vigilant 24/7). Not a pretty side of the local culture. 

 

What about the Chinese in Vietnam? They already taking over the businesses? 

Yes, in Danang very much so.  Also Koreans.

[scubascuba3]

Why you suggest here to make such thread if you are not even interested living in these places??
I think if we do a Benidorm versus Pattaya that likely Benidorm easily comes out on top imho.

Because you mentioned it? why aren't you in Benidorm now then if its easily better than Pattaya?

[scubascuba3]

I would have to pay it.

Do you receive a UK pension? get taxed on it?

I'm not old enough to receive one yet but i thought you still pay tax on UK income even if resident in Thailand

[KittenKong]

I dont yet receive a pension. This is one important point that influences where I live. When I do start getting a pension there may be health-care advantages to living in the EU that might make the cost of income tax less important, though Brexit may change all that. I will worry about that nearer the time.

[DrTuner]

4 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

So your main reason living in Thailand is the non income tax ?

Thai taxation model is indeed very good for people with passive foreign income. How's that in Vietnam?

[DrTuner]

4 hours ago, wisperone said:

Yes, in Danang very much so.  Also Koreans.

Koreans? That's a bit of a surprise, what do they do there, apart from tourism?

[Destiny1990]

5 hours ago, KittenKong said:

I would have to pay it.

 

Very high up the list, along with the relative ease of getting a long visa, and the availability of fairly good and fairly cheap accommodation with a nice view, and the fairly good infrastructure, and medical care, the wide variety of restaurants and the general easiness of living here. High prices of imports are a downside of course.

It doesnt actually make much difference to me which country I live in, and everywhere that I live I tend to do exactly the same things.

But one thing I particularly dont like about Thailand is the climate. It is too hot and sticky here for my taste. Nothing new about that, of course, but it has become much more unpleasant over the last few years.

In that respect I think that parts of Vietnam could be a big improvement. Parts of the Philippines would also be fine in that respect, but I spent a lot of time there decades ago and - like many other places - going back now would probably be a big let down.

Agree with most you say just not with the visa ease bit here but thats ok if it works for you.

A cooler climate is getting more important issue for me too however in Phillipines i never noticed its cooler than Thailand. just only in Baguio is much cooler but I didn’t really fancy the place.

Vietnam climate wise might be more beneficial for me for giving it a try.

[KhunHeineken]

21 hours ago, KittenKong said:

So you say. I wonder why all the other money in the world isnt there too?

 

As I mentioned, that 800kB is not an issue to me. I have another 1MB in a current account here earning just 1.3%, and that doesn't bother me either.

Where do you think the Thai bank puts YOUR MONEY to work????

 

You don't have to be a bank to do it. 

 

The small amounts of money don't bother me either.  To lose that amount of money, is not financially devastating, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be bent over by the Thai's just for a little sticker in my passport.   

 

[KhunHeineken]

21 hours ago, KittenKong said:

That's probably true. Better make the most of it because at some point those neighbouring countries will probably become fussier also, and may start asking for the sort of financial commitment that Thailand does now.

Why would neighboring countries follow a poor policy that rejects law abiding people, and their money?  

 

Neighboring countries welcome foreigners.  Thailand only welcomes their money. 

[KhunHeineken]

17 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Good to know but if you weren't married to a local lass, would you:

 

A ) Still qualify for the TR and/or PR, and

 

B ) Want to commit to those options anyway?

 

There are plenty foreigners that have gained Thai PR and even citizenship over the years, all under varying circumstances and with different motivations. With Thailand's ongoing and arguably intensifying state of flux with regard to who they want to live here long-term, I would imagine the desirability of either is much reduced.

 

With regard to the single retiree, beyond lower cost and apparently less bureaucratic rigmarole, what exactly makes Vietnam such a hot deal in this regard?

 

"There are plenty foreigners that have gained Thai PR and even citizenship over the years" : link please.  How many, exactly?  I believe, it's very few.

[KhunHeineken]

17 hours ago, NanLaew said:

It can't be too much over the top if after all these years one can still post endless comments on endless threads about the alternatives to living in LOS... and still put up with it.

 

Thirty years ago, as the perpetual visa-exempt enabled 'resident tourists', the only hardship that was placed upon us was the infamous 'tax certificate' where you apparently would be prevented from leaving if you didn't present one at departure immigration. It cost 200 baht, took a day to get, was absolutely worthless and totally fraudulent but a nice little earner for whoever dreamed it up. Back then, we never considered how arcane and convoluted the long-term stay enabling would become but back then, there was way, way less 'resident tourists'. Any country that experiences a significant uptake in foreign lodgers will review and revise their procedures, just like Thailand.

 

"Any country that experiences a significant uptake in foreign lodgers will review and revise their procedures, just like Thailand." : and if those foreign lodgers do not work, do not commit crime, have health insurance, or pay cash for medical treatment, pay their bills, and contribute via VAT etc, why wouldn't a country welcome such people, and their foreign currency?

 

They put in to the economy, and take nothing out of the economy.  

 

Only Thailand could make it hard for these people.  Other countries don't. 

 

 

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Why would neighboring countries follow a poor policy that rejects law abiding people, and their money?

Neighboring countries welcome foreigners.  Thailand only welcomes their money. 

No, they all just want the money. That's all there is to it. Anyone who thinks otherwise is dreaming.

[Grundy1927]

Just spent a few weeks in DANANG much cooler than what it was in Pattaya only stayed hotel 

So dont know price of private accomodation .

 Beach very clean and very quiet till locals and Chinese start to descend around 4pm .

 Overall very impressed with Danang and will deffo stay there for April next year around 30 degrees

 Hoi An about 30 min down the road great place to visit many tourists there .

Would highly recommend a visit paid around 4000 bhat from Don Meung and my money went a lot further than in Thailand.

 

[KhunHeineken]

7 hours ago, KittenKong said:

No, they all just want the money. That's all there is to it. Anyone who thinks otherwise is dreaming.

Vietnam's boarders were closed after the war until about 1990, so due to this, their tourism industry is quite "fresh." 

 

Even just a little outside of the tourist areas, it's still a novelty to many Vietnamese people to see a foreigner, especially the children.  This is quite evident in their friendliness. 

 

The Vietnamese can't get enough of foreign English teachers.  English is widely taught in schools, and in private classes. 

 

Vietnamese companies are employing foreigners just to learn business acumen from them.  

 

Younger Vietnamese are looking to make friends with foreigners to experience western culture first hand, rather than just see it on TV, and no, I am not talking about bar girls.  

 

Of course, bringing foreign currency into the country is important, but I disagree with you that it is the sole reason Vietnam wants foreigners, because if it was, Vietnam would have a crazy 65k or 800k type policy, which they don't. 

 

I feel welcomed there by friendly locals, and I note that I am not the only one to comment on the friendliness of the Vietnamese people.

 

When comparing the Thailand and Vietnam visa requirements, it's not hard to tell which country is more welcoming of the people, regardless of their wealth.    

[wisperone]

18 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Koreans? That's a bit of a surprise, what do they do there, apart from tourism?

A lot of real estate investment apparently, there is a quite large Koreatown. Also lots of Korean restaurants. How most of them are employed..I have no idea. I only spent two days there and that was one and a half days too long.

[KittenKong]

6 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

I feel welcomed there by friendly locals, and I note that I am not the only one to comment on the friendliness of the Vietnamese people.

I'm not saying that the locals arent friendly: I'm saying that the countries just want tourist cash.

 

But there is no doubt that Thailand has seen too many tourists and there are far too many Thais who think the world owes them a living. Vietnam and other nearby places dont have that problem - yet.

[Rimmer]

Some off topic stuff has been removed

[DrTuner]

5 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Even just a little outside of the tourist areas, it's still a novelty to many Vietnamese people to see a foreigner, especially the children.  This is quite evident in their friendliness. 

That will change when mass tourism churns it all into gray mush. It always does. So I read this as "go before it's too late" - which will of course contribute to the problem. There's no winning.

[KhunHeineken]

On 5/14/2019 at 4:22 PM, DrTuner said:

That will change when mass tourism churns it all into gray mush. It always does. So I read this as "go before it's too late" - which will of course contribute to the problem. There's no winning.

I agree with you, tourism can destroy the nature, but Vietnam's tourism industry is relatively young. 

 

I wouldn't expect to see the gray mush in Vietnam for some years to come, but you are correct, eventually, all tourist areas end up that way, if not managed with sustainability in mind. 

 

 

[Destiny1990]

Kinda hoping for more posts from some Thailand expats retirees who recently moved to Vietnam  and share their experiences here.

[Mahseer]

43 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Kinda hoping for more posts from some Thailand expats retirees who recently moved to Vietnam  and share their experiences here.

Maybe there aren't any? Lots of folks talking about having to leave but maybe a bit too soon for the new rules to have made any significant impact.

[Destiny1990]

5 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

Maybe there aren't any? Lots of folks talking about having to leave but maybe a bit too soon for the new rules to have made any significant impact.

I think you’re correct these things take time but some will go and others might follow and once settled In I’m confident they will continue this forum and logically share their new experiences.

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Kinda hoping for more posts from some Thailand expats retirees who recently moved to Vietnam  and share their experiences here.

It's unlikely, there are other forums for Vietnam and Cambodia.

Met 4 or 5 guys In Phnom Penh that moved there from Thailand, one just walked out on his wife and family and hadn't seen them since, young guy driven out by the tourist VISA crackdown a year or two back (pilot working month on, month off). The rest were old drunks on pensions like me.

If I went I wouldn't post here either, I was back in the UK for 2 years, didn't feel any need to post here when I was there.

Edited May 16, 2019 by BritManToo

[Destiny1990]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

It's unlikely, there are other forums for Vietnam and Cambodia.

Met 4 or 5 guys In Phnom Penh that moved there from Thailand, one just walked out on his wife and family and hadn't seen them since, young guy driven out by the tourist VISA crackdown a year or two back (pilot working month on, month off). The rest were old drunks on pensions like me.

If I went I wouldn't post here either, I was back in the UK for 2 years, didn't feel any need to post here when I was there.

Fyi loads of people are posting from outside of Thailand due too still some sort of a connection. We already having some Phillipino expat guys chipping in on discussions here.

Forumwise TVF still tops it in Asia for foreigners.

[Destiny1990]

On 5/3/2019 at 3:03 PM, marcusarelus said:

They you are doing something wrong. I see Immigration 20 minutes per year. 

Slightly of topic but did you find the guys already who trashed your car?

 

[KhunHeineken]

On 5/14/2019 at 11:28 AM, KittenKong said:

I'm not saying that the locals arent friendly: I'm saying that the countries just want tourist cash.

 

But there is no doubt that Thailand has seen too many tourists and there are far too many Thais who think the world owes them a living. Vietnam and other nearby places dont have that problem - yet.

Are we talking about tourists, or long term expats?

 

All countries want tourists money, but when comparing Thailand to Vietnam, Thailand wants retiree's money, but not the retiree. 

 

On the other hand, Vietnam wants the retiree, and their money is a bonus. 

 

Big difference. 

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Are we talking about tourists, or long term expats?

All countries want tourists money, but when comparing Thailand to Vietnam, Thailand wants retiree's money, but not the retiree.

On the other hand, Vietnam wants the retiree, and their money is a bonus. 

Big difference. 

I see no evidence at all that Vietnam wants retirees more than short-term tourists. Nor do I see any evidence that Vietnam wants anything other than money from either group.

 

If Vietnam wanted retirees it would introduce a proper retirement visa or extension, like Thailand's. Maybe it will one day.

[Small Joke]

On 4/27/2019 at 7:18 AM, Destiny1990 said:

How about aggressive  stray dogs?

Oh they go in the curry pot.

[grifbel]

12 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

On the other hand, Vietnam wants the retiree,

why would they want retirees?  They do not pay income tax, use social infrastructure for free and are a net economic cost to the system.  Would be interested to hear your proof for this outrageous claim.