Vietnam puts the kibosh on foreigners

[BritManToo]

6 hours ago, Susco said:

Sure but they cost a fortune to restore, because French construction workers don't work for 300 baht a day.

Better solution, plenty of bridges and forests in France, and cost nothing to stay ...........oh and forget of a lady jumping you as soon as you're free in France, or even get a <deleted> on the cheap.

I'm a builder, why would I hire someone else to do the job?

One of the problems with the west, you need planning permission to live anywhere.

A cheap run down farm already has the permissions to live, even if you just live in a yurt, and forget the repairs.

I'm a bit past the stage of wanting a woman, I'm looking forward to death next.

[Destiny1990]

5 hours ago, Number 6 said:

My guess is most of you will end up in the Philippines. You'll come to hate the place, people and your life. The desperate, seedy nature of daily life. The lack of intelligence with everyone you encounter. Shopping and eating in cages. Despite being a nation of islands there is a lack of good beaches. The food is horrible and any ingedients you buy to cook for yourself will go off in days. Your fellow expatriates will be largely drunks and sex mongers. Nothing is of any quality, cheap Chinese junk made for the interior of China. Hotels are 25% more than locals pay, no joke. Incessant power cuts in 21st century, East Asia. The bar/fine system is nothing short of indentured servitude. The violence, oh the violence. Entire cities are nothing but slums but hey enjoy your retirement and the balance of your life.

 

90% of the women are unattractive after they hit 23 or have a baby, whichever comes first. In the RP the baby is at 16. The only thing the people have to do is sleep, fkuc and waste money in karaoke.

 

If you think Thai men have fragile egos, wide berth to Filipinos.

 

The people are dumb as a box of rocks so you'll run into all sorts of problems and tribulations great and small. Ten percent of the country has left for jobs the nation cannot produce. Duarte makes Trump look calm and measured. It's Africa not E Asia.

 

Enjoy hahahaha

 

 

I admit that you write in a comical style but your content about the Phillipines and its citizens is just fabricated nonsense !!

 

[BritManToo]

14 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

I admit that you write in a comical style but your content about the Phillipines and its citizens is just fabricated nonsense !!

 

I'll have to agree with you.

I found more available Filipino ladies in their late 20s and early 30s than I knew what to do with.

Last time I was there I had to impose lower and upper weight limits to help me choose (36Kg and 50Kg)

I'm guessing No. 6 hasn't spent much time in the Philippines.

 

Not to mention .......

The beaches were great, way better than Thailand, maybe not as nice as Vietnam.

Violence, didn't see any from the locals, everyone was very polite no 'farang' or 'you', usually sir or boss.

If I'd found the Philippines first, I'd probably never come to Thailand.

 

[saengd]

18 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

I admit that you write in a comical style but your content about the Phillipines and its citizens is just fabricated nonsense !!

 

Just as it is with Thailand or any other country in this part of the world, no two people have the same experience of a place and frequently see all things almost the opposite to each other...I'm sure that your PI and my PI both live side by side.

[elephant45]

They sure wanted me when I was I helping them develop complex projects.

[AussieBob18]

36 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'll have to agree with you.

I found more available Filipino ladies in their late 20s and early 30s than I knew what to do with.

Last time I was there I had to impose lower and upper weight limits to help me choose (36Kg and 50Kg)

I'm guessing No. 6 hasn't spent much time in the Philippines.

 

Not to mention .......

The beaches were great, way better than Thailand, maybe not as nice as Vietnam.

Violence, didn't see any from the locals, everyone was very polite no 'farang' or 'you', usually sir or boss.

If I'd found the Philippines first, I'd probably never come to Thailand.

 

And they speak more and better English than any other country is SEAsia.

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, AussieBob18 said:

And they speak more and better English than any other country is SEAsia.

Well yes apart from the annoying american accents.

Och aye jimmy thers a moose loose aboot this hoose

????

[mtls2005]

Some indications that Vietnam may allow for in-country extensions of permission to stay (every 30 days, up to 90 days when one has to leave/e-enter) for those with 3 month, 6 month and one year torusit visas, when the new regs/enforcement kicks in 1 July.

[mike787]

13 hours ago, Number 6 said:

My guess is most of you will end up in the Philippines. You'll come to hate the place, people and your life. The desperate, seedy nature of daily life. The lack of intelligence with everyone you encounter. Shopping and eating in cages. Despite being a nation of islands there is a lack of good beaches. The food is horrible and any ingedients you buy to cook for yourself will go off in days. Your fellow expatriates will be largely drunks and sex mongers. Nothing is of any quality, cheap Chinese junk made for the interior of China. Hotels are 25% more than locals pay, no joke. Incessant power cuts in 21st century, East Asia. The bar/fine system is nothing short of indentured servitude. The violence, oh the violence. Entire cities are nothing but slums but hey enjoy your retirement and the balance of your life.

 

90% of the women are unattractive after they hit 23 or have a baby, whichever comes first. In the RP the baby is at 16. The only thing the people have to do is sleep, fkuc and waste money in karaoke.

 

If you think Thai men have fragile egos, wide berth to Filipinos.

 

The people are dumb as a box of rocks so you'll run into all sorts of problems and tribulations great and small. Ten percent of the country has left for jobs the nation cannot produce. Duarte makes Trump look calm and measured. It's Africa not E Asia.

 

Enjoy hahahaha

 

 

I would love to read your description of Vietnam, PM me if you can I'm still trying to digest/wrap my head around Vietnam.  THX

[Number 6]

11 hours ago, mike787 said:

How to did learn all that...i'm serious...i'm impressed.  No sarcasm intended.  Your description is accurate...unfortunately.

I made a few trips, worked there for a few months and lived there for almost five - one night I just decided I was done with it and left the next day not to return.

[Number 6]

1 hour ago, mike787 said:

I would love to read your description of Vietnam, PM me if you can I'm still trying to digest/wrap my head around Vietnam.  THX

I'd made three trips to Vietnam since 1992. I'd never really cottoned on to the place having much preferred Cambodia and the Khmer.

 

The Vietnamese are pleasant enough, I had a Vietnamese girlfriend in States. She was lovely but not outgoing, expressive. Quite a looker for her age.  had a lot of trauma getting to States so I don't hold it against her but couldn't continue the relationship. Many of the women are stunning and look great in their nation costume. If I was Prime Minister of Vietnam I'd make every day national costume day. I'm nuts for the ao zei. The city girls can be quite attractive and I like that they are so tiny and slim, it's very feminine. They can be flirty, friendly but that's usually for business. Viets aren't very warm people. The food is great, almost as good as Thai. I could easily live off the cuisine. Not enough spice. Viets are clever, ambitious and very hard working. They'll catch Thailand in 15 years. Maybe surpass. I dislike the language it's much too difficult for me and I don't like hearing it spoken. I also can't make any sense reading to spoken Vietnamese.

 

I've no experience renting anything but would imagine Asia rules apply. Pay up front, no money returned.

 

I'd just stayed in old Communist hotels in 92, 95 as backpacker. Later some decent hotels in North. A bit overpriced.

 

In 92 I enjoyed quiet HCMC. Drinking beer or coffee watching the few motos putter about. That changed a lot by 95.

 

I wasn't impressed with Hanoi. It was cold too. I know people like it, meh.

 

I much prefer Thai beaches. Far better. Having lived in southern California, 30 years SEA I know beaches.

 

I don't like the Communists and was hassled by them on Phu Quoc. I wouldn't want to live under such a regime.

 

Understand home theft is rife.

 

I don't think Vietnam will allow Pattaya refugees and the like to settle in Vietnam. Govt is big on faux morals front.

 

I'd not ever trust a Viet woman. I'm sure they're some good ones but not me.

 

My suspicion is that you could be there years and you'd still feel farang and you will without doubt always be treated as such.

 

Finally, I think visas will start getting expensive.

 

Don't kid yourself, those commies know where you are and what you're up to. The Stasi trained them.

 

Without the Communists the place would be much, much better. Bunch of hypocrites and thieves.

[moe666]

Did you folks really believe the party would play on. Go home get a job come back to Thailand when you are old enough

[Kaitangsou]

Only two places worth considering, Philippines where I am now...then Southern Africa...several nice places to retire there...

[mike787]

1 hour ago, Number 6 said:

I made a few trips, worked there for a few months and lived there for almost five - one night I just decided I was done with it and left the next day not to return.

I like it your perspective  That would be more than enough to assess and effectively make a decision.  I have arrived at the same conclusion.  I describe life there as akin to Flinstones" very dated.  There are great things about the place, but to each his own.  Living there for me is difficult.   Visiting is fine from time to time but I really don't care for it unless there is a specific plan. Great place to island hop with over 7,500 islands.  Thank you!

[madmen]

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'm a builder, why would I hire someone else to do the job?

One of the problems with the west, you need planning permission to live anywhere.

A cheap run down farm already has the permissions to live, even if you just live in a yurt, and forget the repairs.

I'm a bit past the stage of wanting a woman, I'm looking forward to death next.

For God's sakes just do it already 

Must be your 100th o

Post. Send pics at each stage and info on cost of living. What's wrong the farm house in the jungle where you are now? 

[DaRoadrunner]

17 hours ago, BritManToo said:

the countries full of poor Cambodians and Burmese, and Laotians. 

I do not think they are wanted either... except somebody has to be the maid.

[DaRoadrunner]

17 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'm a builder, why would I hire someone else to do the job?

One of the problems with the west, you need planning permission to live anywhere.

A cheap run down farm already has the permissions to live, even if you just live in a yurt, and forget the repairs.

I'm a bit past the stage of wanting a woman, I'm looking forward to death next.

The prospect of death in a dilapidated French farm house has cheered me up no end. The problem with France is its full of French!

 

13 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Some indications that Vietnam may allow for in-country extensions of permission to stay (every 30 days, up to 90 days when one has to leave/e-enter)

I expect there will be ways to get a Visa without leaving as all those agents are not going to just vanish and go out of business, while immigration earn money from them too.

 

If they really do screw the visa down tight I feel sorry for those who bought a condo they can no longer live in.  Roadrunner recalls he felt unwelcome there. Thanks a lot Vietnam.

 

Plan B remains Bali. Plan C Cambodia. Plan D Da Phils.

 

 

[Traubert]

17 hours ago, elephant45 said:

They sure wanted me when I was I helping them develop complex projects.

I'm sorry, I read that as herpes simplex. ????

[Traubert]

8 hours ago, Number 6 said:

Without the Communists the place would be much, much better. Bunch of hypocrites and thieves.

You could always accuse them of possessing WMD and have another go?

 

First time didn't pan out so well but never say die. ????

[Number 6]

3 hours ago, Traubert said:

You could always accuse them of possessing WMD and have another go?

 

First time didn't pan out so well but never say die. ????

I don't understand your statement.

 

The first time I was there in 92, I liked it. Second time not so much. I was also living in Cambodia and dealt with Vietnamese. Later I lived in a number of cities near Garden Grove and Long Beach CA. Did grocery shopping and eat in those areas on occasion. Then had a Vietnamese girlfriend. Finally, visited wuth my wife to North all this over 30 years. It's not a vote against, just not a vote for.

 

I don't expect a nation to roll out a red carpet for me. People and national character are complicated. I'm not wild about India but still have visited a number of times.

 

When I travel luxury, soft living and prostitutes usually rank pretty low on needs scale. I'm looking for adventure, maybe some danger. You learn and accept shortcomings. Things about soft Thailand I didn't like back in the early 90s as well.

 

I think Vietnam will close its doors to farang settling. Limiting visas to thirty days will do the trick.

[HeijoshinCool]

On 2/4/2020 at 8:40 PM, Jingthing said:

Where specifically were you warned against in Mexico? Yes there are big problems there but my current info says there are still some relatively safer areas to live in. For examples, Merida Yucatan and Queretaro City Queretaro. 

Jalisco and Nayarit. Heavily populated by Americans.

 

Both also heavily populated the drug cartels, as is much of Mexico. Areas in PVR I used to stroll are now no-go zones. I have a lot of Mexican friends I speak with (and do visit by flying into PVR), and they all warn me to be cautious.

 

I had a house a block from the beach in Rincón de Guaybitos. Very pleasant. But now I fly to PVR, and drive to Sayulita or Guayabitos, because driving there from stateside is dangerous.

 

I used to drive from Texas to PV. Great scenery, good, empty highways with the "Green Angels" to help out. Some roads are like driving in Wyoming; don't see more than a few other vehicles in an hour. Then I got chased one day in the mountains outside of Durango by a pickup with guys standing in the back holding the roll bar with one hand, and rifles with the other. Then a second time, months later on the Carretera outside Zacatecas, where a pickup pulled alongside and the passenger rolled down his window and pointed his handgun at me, insisting I pull over. No more driving after that. And no to the folks (not you JT) who assume I must have been driving something flashy. Just an '88 Bronco with faded paint. But it did have Texas plates.

 

Places like Guaybitos and Sayulita are now dicey. I've heard the same from friends who live in San Miguel de Allende that things have dramatically changed there (not to mention prices increasing dramatically). These places are safe, until something goes wrong. A lot of expats are returning stateside from Mexico, just like those in Costa Rica are now doing. Things have changed.

 

When I spent time in Nayarit working at an orphanage, I stayed at a hotel downtown. Had coffee every morning at a cool little coffee shop. Had a lot of local friends there. One day I showed up at 7:30 to find a crowd across the street, traffic stopped, cops everywhere. Shop next to the coffee place had two guys slumped against their front door. Cops didn't try to hide anything like in the States. A warning. Both guys had been skinned from head to waist. Precision work, too. But whoever did it was thoughtful enough to place their vaquero hats back on their heads. There are photos of it on the internet. All those friends had emphatically told me Tepic wasn't safe for me, or any foreigner.

 

All the above info is firsthand experience, or from Mexican friends, or a few expats communicating with me. Nothing from the internet. Except, about a month ago there was a warning about going to Nayarit or Jalisco, among other places, by the State Dept. 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html

 

Seven years in Thailand, I never once felt a serious threat. Well, not from Thais. You have to be an obnoxious a$$, or drunk, to have a problem in LOS with the locals, generally speaking. But in Mexico, my situational awareness is constantly high. Not a peaceful way to live.

 

Not picking on Mexico. I love Mexico and their culture. Would I still live there? Probably. Maybe. I'm now considering a number of places, including Mexico. But everywhere is changing fast.

[gk10002000]

On 2/5/2020 at 7:09 PM, BritManToo said:

I'll have to agree with you.

I found more available Filipino ladies in their late 20s and early 30s than I knew what to do with.

Last time I was there I had to impose lower and upper weight limits to help me choose (36Kg and 50Kg)

I'm guessing No. 6 hasn't spent much time in the Philippines.

 

Not to mention .......

The beaches were great, way better than Thailand, maybe not as nice as Vietnam.

Violence, didn't see any from the locals, everyone was very polite no 'farang' or 'you', usually sir or boss.

If I'd found the Philippines first, I'd probably never come to Thailand.

 

When I was active duty USAF back in 86 I had orders to go from Vandenberg AFB to Clark AFB in the Philippines.  I was 29 at the time and knew nothing.  I was focused on getting back to the Boston area, getting my Masters' degree etc.  I had the darn PI orders in my hand but delayed and fought them, and got a bigger colonel back at Hanscom AFB to pull me in there.  Some of my fellow workers and service guys had been around and been in the PI and told me it was great, in expensive, get housekeepers, etc.  No talk at the time about girls, and partying really came up.  I am pretty sure my life would have been wildly different had I gone to the PI.  Now decades later, I still haven't made it over there.  Many of my co workers have filipina wives, have property over there, or visit regularly.  All of them are quite happy with the place, but I also know they have decent money and are living well above average.  One of my buddies that had been to Thailand more than I had and who used to spend 4 or 5 months every year in Thailand, is really turned off to Thailand now.  He has no interest in buddhism and after one visit to the PI got engaged and shortly after married the girl and she is in the states with him going on 11 years now I think.  He goes over about twice a year, went to Boracay, some other out of the way beach resort, of course bankrolls her family of brothers, half sisters, etc and spends a ton.  I think they are all taking advantage of him, but he seems OK with it. 

[BritManToo]

9 hours ago, DaRoadrunner said:

The prospect of death in a dilapidated French farm house has cheered me up no end. The problem with France is its full of French!

The alternative is a bedsit in Bolton.

[JDGRUEN]

Op - is there a published source for this? 

[Vigilante]

On 1/31/2020 at 4:40 PM, ThomasThBKK said:

its mentioned on a lot of expat vlogs: 

 

 

Here from newssource: https://www.silent-gardens.com/blog/philippines-9a-tourist-visa-stricter-enforcement-of-regulations/

 

 

 

Their visa system gets abused like thailands, obviously they will crack down - this will happen everywhere in the world. 

 

I was warning about vietnam for a while here, got only laughed at ... well, now see yourself.

 

All these SEA countries - except glorious Singapore are super protectionist, because they are braindead. Foreigners have far less rights in PH/VN than in thailand, and it's only going downhill from here... think twice before you go their long term without an SRRV visa.

 

Foreigners in PH/VN have less rights than in Thai?

Is that even possible?

..because I'm not aware of any 'rights' here as a farang.

[Vigilante]

On 2/4/2020 at 2:15 PM, Jingthing said:

But it's not that simple, is it?

A lot of people have left Thailand and will leave in future because of issues with the visa system here, particularly the major changes that occurred in the last year or so.

Of course those changes didn't impact everybody, but they certainly did impact a significant percentage of settled expats here.

So they had to go somewhere, or back home.

I don't think it's always so easy to predict which country is going to do what at any point in time, but personally I have never seen Vietnam as a credible destination for long term retired expats.

Others saw it differently. 

Personally I would predict that the Philippines will continue to allow people to live there indefinitely on in country extensions and visa runs every three years. But I might be wrong about that too, but at least there, there is the SRRV backup option.

With a loose cannon like el Dutertino I wouldn't make any long term plans abt the Philippines

He could wake up in the wrong side of the bed tomorrow and you are out

This just in..

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/end-son-bitch-duterte-moves-terminate-philippines-military-pact-us

Btw...smoking in the street is prohibited now in the Phils...there are even some kind of municipal police patrolling for that purpose

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, Vigilante said:

With a loose cannon like el Dutertino I wouldn't make any long term plans abt the Philippines

He could wake up in the wrong side of the bed tomorrow and you are out

You mean a bit like the Thai health minister?

[BritManToo]

33 minutes ago, Vigilante said:

Foreigners in PH/VN have less rights than in Thai?

Is that even possible?

..because I'm not aware of any 'rights' here as a farang.

I didn't do any 90 day reporting or TM30s in the Philippines, and nobody got fined for not reporting my address to immigration. Nobody official seemed to care where I was, or how long I'd been there either.

 

Once when I was sitting in a roadside cafe with some pals, a police car stopped an American gentleman driving an SUV near us. The policeman came over to us and said in perfect English, "Sorry, this guy is so drunk, he can hardly stand, we can't let him drive", he didn't want us to think he'd picked on a foreigner for no reason. In comparison in Thailand I get stopped at least once a week in Chiang Mai, because they're looking for bribes, and they don't care who sees them do it..

[JDGRUEN]

Okay I ask again - where is there an info link to verify and clarify this change to Vietnam visa rules? I saw the one for Pi. But after scanning 10 pages of this post - no link for the claim made as the OP. 

[Leaver]

28 minutes ago, JDGRUEN said:

Okay I ask again - where is there an info link to verify and clarify this change to Vietnam visa rules? I saw the one for Pi. But after scanning 10 pages of this post - no link for the claim made as the OP. 

Here's a news article about it.

 

https://vietnamnet.vn/en/society/police-profile-foreign-criminals-entering-vietnam-601182.html

 

This is the important sentence:

 

"Accordingly, the amended law stipulates that a foreigner will be allowed to remain for only 30 days in Vietnam when granted a 30-day or longer tourist visa, Du explained."