Big Decision: Which Asian country is ideal for foreign retirees?

[Hummin]

33 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

Only if you're Chinese....555

I think that's what I wrote, Chinese Spain! As Spain and Florida is for Europeen and Northern Americans

[2009]

On 2/14/2022 at 2:41 AM, Jingthing said:

Philippines should definitely be on the list. Vietnam shouldn't be. 

Why not Vietnam?

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, 2009 said:

Why not Vietnam?

No visa.

[Berkshire]

23 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I think that's what I wrote, Chinese Spain! As Spain and Florida is for Europeen and Northern Americans

Yes, I get that.  I was just clarifying it for JT.  My understanding of Cambodia is that the corrupt gov has basically sold out the country to the Chinese.  It's interesting that Russia/Ukraine is all over the news, yet, the Chinese have already invaded Cambodia without firing a shot.  They should own Cambodia (well, the parts worth owning) inside of a decade. 

[JohnHans]

On 2/23/2022 at 8:28 AM, jacko45k said:

Darn.... I had a burger yesterday, I am doomed!

You are doomed because of your sarcasm, not the burger. 

[EricTh]

I am surprised why Laos and Philippines are not on the list.

 

Many Americans do like to retire in Philippines

Edited March 2, 2022 by EricTh

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, JohnHans said:

You are doomed because of your sarcasm, not the burger. 

I doubt either!

[Highend Expat]

I think it's safe to say Thailand and Vietnam are big draws because they are in SEA and not Muslim countries. Nothing wrong with Islam, but most of us would not find its restrictions alluring. 

 

Thailand and Vietnam also have some of the most beautiful and available women in Asia. 

 

Food in Thailand and Vietnam is objectively superior to most others in SEA. 

 

No comparison really. 

[Highend Expat]

On 2/14/2022 at 3:33 AM, RubbaJohnny said:

If starting again Japan, Israel or Indonesia

Only truly exceptional expats can cope with Japanese culture. It's the total opposite of virtually everything else in Asia. The social contract is exhausting. Even East Asians find it nearly impossible to assimilate. Japan is not a comfortable place to live, especially for old Farangs.. 

 

[Highend Expat]

On 2/14/2022 at 4:42 AM, asiasurfer said:

Philippines and Laos are missing on that list in my opinion. Cambodia sounds attractive to me. But in 20 years, who knows... 

Agree about Laos. Stunning women, fantastic food, easy going culture. It's like Thailand was 30 years ago. Hmong ladies are also heart stoppingly sexy. 

 

Problem with Laos is 1) too close to China with China buying up huge chunks of the country and 2) the dating scene is not as easy as Laos women tend to be super conservative. 

[Highend Expat]

4 hours ago, EricTh said:

I am surprised why Laos and Philippines are not on the list.

 

Many Americans do like to retire in Philippines

Philippines.... Questionable food. Women are, of average, objectively less attractive. It's also quite dangerous. 

 

Actually, the food is terrible. It's like Indonesia in that regard. 

[Jingthing]

19 minutes ago, Highend Expat said:

Philippines.... Questionable food. Women are, of average, objectively less attractive. It's also quite dangerous. 

 

Actually, the food is terrible. It's like Indonesia in that regard. 

Hmm.

I loved the food in Bali anyway.

But yeah Filipino food is mostly awful.

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, EricTh said:

I am surprised why Laos and Philippines are not on the list.

 

Many Americans do like to retire in Philippines

Philippines is excellent for American.veterans specifically with access to the VA hospital.

[TropicalGuy]

On 2/16/2022 at 2:24 PM, Burma Bill said:

We are all entitled to our opinion but with respect the above is untrue! I live in Siem Reap and I can assure you the local Provincial Police and the National Gendarmerie maintain the law. Currently there are major operations into drug distribution and dealing, illegal on-line gambling, scams and fraud, also human trafficking. As regards pedophiles, yes, but also in Thailand (school directors and teachers being examples) and many other countries! It will be interesting to read other replies to your "summary response".

Personally (these days not 20 years ago when I retired to LOS):-

Thailand: Bureaucratic, complex visa process, pro-military, Medieval "Temperance" establishment - NO 

“ major operations” right, with what outcome ….. nothing done for sure.

“bureaucratic”: yes, Agent used only for my Retirement Visa to bypass that bs; all else direct, a lot of nonsense but enurred to it by now but will NOT be messed around on stay permissions ( too important). 

“ military govt” : couldn’t care less not expat Business & previous civilian govt a disgrace.

” Temperance” ? No impact . Drink little & rarely  in bars. The no alcohol sales in grocery stores 2-5pm rule is just silly but so are many things here; don’t care as not here for Culture ( there is so little of that in SE Asia worthy of the name).

[TropicalGuy]

On 3/2/2022 at 2:40 PM, Jingthing said:

Philippines is excellent for American.veterans specifically with access to the VA hospital.

Phil. a chaotic uncivilized dirt hole.
For expats with family there or don’t know any better. 

VA Hospital not any kind of reason for 99.9% expats …heard VA treat Vets like dirt in USA anyway. 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, TropicalGuy said:

Phil. a chaotic uncivilized dirt hole.
For expats with family there or don’t know any better. 

VA Hospital not any kind of reason for 99.9% expats …heard VA treat Vets like dirt in USA anyway. 

Vets near Manila love it.

Yeah BGC is a dirt hole. Sure thing.

[TropicalGuy]

On 3/2/2022 at 2:17 PM, Highend Expat said:

Philippines.... Questionable food. Women are, of average, objectively less attractive. It's also quite dangerous. 

 

Actually, the food is terrible. It's like Indonesia in that regard. 

Agree. Phil. Just Awful in every respect. Had great Phil gf though but couldn’t stand the dirty uncivilized dangerous place with their pidgin English they believe is “ fluent”. every sentence ending US style with “suirh” ( sir). 
Those uninformed Americans either have family there or just lazy in not checking other places properly. Mexico another popular dirthole with them; because it’s near USA and cheap / warm I suppose ?

[TropicalGuy]

On 2/16/2022 at 9:10 AM, spidermike007 said:

Vietnam has a very tortured history, and many of the people seem to carry that pain on their collective shoulders. Most are not particularly pleasant, from my experience. I like the Cambodian and Thai people much more. Even Malaysians are far more pleasant. I have been to Vietnam several times, and I never need to go back. My Thai wife feels the same way. One guy in a ticket office was so dismissive and rude to us, I nearly decked him. My wife had to hold me back. I did scream at the top of my lungs at him, and it finally got his attention. 

US flattened the entire Urban North for really no good reason. US made murderous Total War on the civilian population there after Viets had ejected Chinese Japs French .
No wonder they hate Americans.

Wouldnt ever go there if American. . Like Chinese hate Japs… for very good reason. Worked there briefly with no problems but our team were known as non- Americans.

[TropicalGuy]

17 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Vets near Manila love it.

Yeah BGC is a dirt hole. Sure thing.

What’s BGC ? Manila a giant slum like Jakarta or Bombay. Not for this guy…..???????? But I wouldn’t live in polluted congested nightmare Bangkok either…..

[spidermike007]

34 minutes ago, TropicalGuy said:

US flattened the entire Urban North for really no good reason. US made murderous Total War on the civilian population there after Viets had ejected Chinese Japs French .
No wonder they hate Americans.

Wouldnt ever go there if American. . Like Chinese hate Japs… for very good reason. Worked there briefly with no problems but our team were known as non- Americans.

Been there 3 times. Once was over 20 years ago, in Hanoi. Got some attitude. The younger folks were OK. Overall, I consider the country over rated. Don't need to ever return. 

 

It is estimated the US ended up killing over 2 million Viet and Cambodian civilians, either intentionally or by accident. They used to drop unused ordinance over rural areas in Cambodia, on their way back to bases in Thailand. 

 

As much as I despise what Putin is doing in Ukraine, (and the man himself), so far the numbers are low by comparison with the American atrocity. We shall see the extent of the death and destruction King Vlad intends to inflict. 

 

With Vietnam, like you say, why? To "stop the spread of communism"? Seems a bit simplistic. 

[StayinThailand2much]

I'd be interested in an overview of visa options for 1 year (renewable), with preference for:

 

- the least deposit requirements for such a visa, and

- the most predictability that I will be able to extend this visa at the same conditions in 1 and 2 years from now.

 

On the medium-term, I am pondering Malaysia or Indonesia. Laos and Vietnam don't seem to have the right long-term visa options, and Cambodia's options seem to be clouded by corruption, so one would probably have to hire an agent for a long-term visa.

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by StayinThailand2much

[StayinThailand2much]

54 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Been there 3 times. Once was over 20 years ago, in Hanoi. Got some attitude. The younger folks were OK. Overall, I consider the country over rated. Don't need to ever return. 

Been to Hanoi and HCMC in recent years. No attitude, but a guy in HCMC said to me that 'someone could rob my phone' (it sounded like a threat the way he said it), which was a bit scary, as it was a tourist area but with no cop within a mile. - I overall like Vietnam, but there don't seem to be viable options for long-term visas.

Edited May 4, 2022 by StayinThailand2much

[TropicalGuy]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Been there 3 times. Once was over 20 years ago, in Hanoi. Got some attitude. The younger folks were OK. Overall, I consider the country over rated. Don't need to ever return. 

 

It is estimated the US ended up killing over 2 million Viet and Cambodian civilians, either intentionally or by accident. They used to drop unused ordinance over rural areas in Cambodia, on their way back to bases in Thailand. 

 

As much as I despise what Putin is doing in Ukraine, (and the man himself), so far the numbers are low by comparison with the American atrocity. We shall see the extent of the death and destruction King Vlad intends to inflict. 

 

With Vietnam, like you say, why? To "stop the spread of communism"? Seems a bit simplistic. 

Completely Discredited “ Domino Theory”. No other substantial ASEAN nations went or stayed truly “ communist”. British wiped it out in Malaysia by 1960. In  Laos & Cambodia it dissipated. 

[WinterGael]

On 2/17/2022 at 7:51 PM, Pinot said:

I think of Cambodia as the wild west. The infrastructure is a big step down from Thailand. Cops are ridiculously corrupt. Siam Reap has few upscale restaurants, lots of poverty, and the place is pretty dirty. It is cheap.  

And the police in Thailand aren't corrupt.  Thailand is very dirty.  Litter literally everywhere you go.  

 

Cambodia is quickly outpacing Thailand and catching up to Thailand.  After the Vietnam War, most of Southeast Asia was pretty much closed to the west. That's not the case anymore. Laos, Vietnam, Cbodua, Myanmar all looked back at Thailand.  The problem is, Thailand's riding the wave of yesterday, while everyone else is looking towards tomorrow and want to put Thailand in their rear view mirror, which they are doing.  

 

Thailand used to have the number 1 economy, now it's Indonesia, and the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia have caught the wave and rising rapidly.

[Mike Teavee]

On 5/4/2022 at 12:50 PM, TropicalGuy said:

What’s BGC ? Manila a giant slum like Jakarta or Bombay. Not for this guy…..???????? But I wouldn’t live in polluted congested nightmare Bangkok either…..

Bonifacio Global City (Taguig) - I looked at moving there for work about 4 years ago & the condos were comparable in terms of  quality & price to Singapore.

 

Very clean/livable area unlike the majority of the rest of Metro Manila (Though Makati isn't too bad). 

 

 

I ended up not making the move as it was overall more expensive for me to live/work there than Singapore due to lower salaries (based on grade maximums working for a US Bank) + higher taxation... Bangkok was exactly the same which is why I laugh when people say it's more expensive to live in Singapore than Bangkok... It's not if you're working. 

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Mike Teavee

[StayinThailand2much]

On 2/23/2022 at 2:44 PM, Jingthing said:

No visa.

I am currently looking at...

 

Malaysia (Sarawak)

Cambodia (Sihanoukville)

Vietnam, and

Indonesia (Bali, etc.)

 

... as alternatives to Thailand. While I like Vietnam, there don't seem to be long-term visa options for me. I haven't really looked into long-term visas for Cambodia and Indonesia yet, but I don't plan to move there until 2024, and a lot can change until then.

Edited June 2, 2022 by StayinThailand2much

[connda]

I hate to say it but over the last 15 years, if I had to do it all over again?
I'd have retired in Southern Europe, Mexico, or points south.  And had the PI had their "New Courtesy SRRV For Veterans" visa in place back when I retired, I'd be living in the PI right now.

I had some very specific reasons to come to Thailand, but being married to a Thai national without having a safety net of a long-term, permanent residency visa based on marriage - well, things change.
Unless you are a woman married to a Thai.  Then the government smooth the path for the foreign woman to remain in Thailand long-term with her Thai husband.  However, the option is not open for foreign men. 

So I probably would have hooked up with a Filipina or Latina. 

But?  Too late now.  I support a Thai family.  My family is my life unless I outlive my wife.  Would'da, should'da, could'da.

[Hummin]

On 2/14/2022 at 12:04 AM, Dustdevil said:

Japan?! Only if you speak fluent Japanese and are not white.

A Japanese Jewish?

[Smoothsailing1]

Vietnam removed all Covid restrictions. At least they are in touch with reality in that regard. It is worth considering when more pandemics are on the way and there will be a 2024 pandemic treaty.

 

It is worth widening your search to South America.

[Hummin]

19 minutes ago, Smoothsailing1 said:

Vietnam removed all Covid restrictions. At least they are in touch with reality in that regard. It is worth considering when more pandemics are on the way and there will be a 2024 pandemic treaty.

 

It is worth widening your search to South America.

Do it all again in retrospective, and this is quite a new point of view for me based on the last almost 3 years experiences with COVID and war in Europe.

 

Portugal with short travel back home to Norway, to Spain, the Riviera, the Alps and to South America (Brazil)

 

In Portugal I get all the advantages as an Schengen member, so not really a big brainer. I would not have settled in Thailand today or Phillippines. Vietnam and Cambodia have never been an option for me, but Malaysia have been on my maybe list, but not anymore.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Hummin