Comparing Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines as places to live as an expat

[ASEAN NOW News]

Go back a couple of decades, and the top spots for expats to move to in Asia were Hong Kong, Thailand, or Singapore.

 

Many expats were working for top institutions or banks, earning great salaries, and had an incredibly good lifestyle as well.

 

Move forward and those days have long gone, as those countries have become either expensive, polluted, or now also politically unstable.

 

Expats today are looking further afield, and now would include Vietnam, Cambodia, and even the Philippines at the top of their lists.

 

Apart from taking into consideration the issues of obtaining the correct sort of visa, whether, for work or retirement, all three countries have their merits.

 

Firstly, all are a lot cheaper to live, than trying to find decent accommodation in Hong Kong that does not break the bank.

 

Cambodia

 

Phnom Penh

 

Cambodia is a lot more laid back, lacks some of the sophistication of other Asian countries but is catching up.

 

There are some great new golf courses in the capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap which is a quaint small tourist town with the famous Angkor What.

 

The food in Cambodia is not bad either, and is very reasonable.

 

Major airlines now fly in and out and most large Asian cities are just a short flight away, so you can hop over to Bangkok for the weekend.

 

Philippines

 

Cebu City

 

The Philippines with its 7,000 odd islands can offer some great locations, however, the country is as you may know prone to Typhoons.

 

Just look what happened to Cebu when Odette hit the island in December 2021. Destruction and no electricity for weeks!

 

Also, it would be fair to say that although the Philippines may be well known for its pineapples, it is perhaps not up there as a top place to enjoy a first-class meal.

 

That said the people are friendly, and the facilities including shopping malls, golf courses, beaches, and even casinos are top class.

 

It too has many international flights to Asia and Australia is close by too.

 

Vietnam

 

Danang

 

Perhaps slowly becoming a smart choice for work or retirement, the country is keen to attract foreigners.

 

Known for its wonderful beaches, Vietnam also has a variety of mountains, and it has even been known to snow in the North of the country.

 

The Prime Minister is a keen golfer, so you will find many new golf courses with great resorts dotted around the country.

 

Many use local airlines to fly around the country although there are plans to up grade the rail system to high-speed trains.

 

HCMC or Hanoi are the two main cities, however many expats live in Danang or other coastal cities too.

 

Like the Philippines, Vietnam is prone to tropical storms and being low lying too flooding occurs along the coast most years.

 

Food is first class, and the locals are very welcoming too.

 

Vietnam is now also moving rapidly into the 21st century, and there are plans to become one of the first countries in the world to have 6G internet!

 

At the end of the day, it is all down to you own personal preferences whether you choose any of these countries to start a new life experience.

 

To help other AseanNow viewers, it would be extremely useful to hear from other expats who are already enjoying living in these countries?

 

Join our 3 x a week Vietnam News, Travel and Expat information newsletter and keep up to date. https://aseannow.com/newsletter.php