If Thailand is getting tougher for expats, how about Vietnam?

[Tubulat]

Yes, that frustration happens to me from time to time too.

 

The only thing you can do to avoid that is to contact the seller and ask is it  in stock in Thailand, before you order the item.

[allanos]

8 hours ago, Flink said:

 

 

8 hours ago, Flink said:

I think you misunderstand the OP's point. It's not that he doesn't like foreigners. What, I believe, the OP is getting at is how foreigners arriving in their home country are changing it in ways that are not necessarily for the better. When you live in a foreign country, like Vietnam, you expect not to be able to read the road signs, find shops catering only to people of a different ethnicity/nationality to you. When those things begin to happen in your own country it begins to show you that the foreigners in your own country are getting the upper hand. Case in point, the recent furore over the new signs appearing at Whitechapel Underground station. When a council decides to change the some of the name boards at an international airport or arrivals hub to a foreign language we understand the logic. Lots of foreign tourists so make it easier for them to understand. When it is happening at a local underground station it conveys the notion that the area is no longer an area dominated by the natives. When you fancy a "City Break" with the wife for a weekend but find it hard to book a hotel because they've been block booked by the government to house people who entered the country illegally. When you see churches closing down but more and more mosques being built month after month. When you find yourself being accosted in the street by men in strange costumes calling your wife unspeakable things because she is wearing a sleeveless summer dress on a hot day. THAT is the "too many foreigners" people don't like. It is not a xenophonic thing, more a feeling of losing your own national identity.

Exceptionally well-argued and explained!

[peter zwart]

I really don't understand why this is a topic over and over again. Is it every time someone who has turned sour here and thinks the grass is always greener next door? When you are somewhere longer, the pink cloud disappears and you also see the shortcomings. They are always and everywhere. And by extension, Thailand isn't that bad. For me a great country to live in.
 

[Thingamabob]

After nearly 40 years residing mainly in Thailand it is still the first choice for me compared to all the other countries where I have ived and worked. I am always puzzled by the many people on this forum who find so much to criticise about life here.

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, allanos said:

 

Exceptionally well-argued and explained!

Not really. It wasn't even the OP's post that I had replied to. 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

11 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

I read one of those.  It had "no real retirement visas though" as a kind of afterthought at the end of the section assessing Vietnam as a retirement option.  They'll write anything for clicks.

These silly articles are of course just link bait and often written by folk that never set foot in these countries. One of the enduring memories of being in Hanoi was some Australian family walking past a restaurant I was eating in. They saw the place, and the guy said "hey look, this place must be good, it's in Lonely planet!" (this was back when people still carried guide books made of paper. Remember those?). It was pretty sad. Personally I really like Vietnam. I'd choose HCMC over Hanoi though. I never visited the coast, maybe in the future.

 

 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

17 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

There's too many foreigners in my home Country

Too many Thai falang... ????

[Sparktrader]

Siem Reap Im thinking. Better visa, cheap beer, cheap rooms. 

[Grecian]

14 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Siem Reap Im thinking. Better visa, cheap beer, cheap rooms. 

But the real question should be, where can one make a meaningful life with purpose, not always, where is cheaper?

[BangkokReady]

41 minutes ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

I never visited the coast, maybe in the future.

Da Nang is awesome.  I know everyone goes there, and it's tempting to avoid "touristy areas", but they're super friendly and welcoming to tourists.  It's the first place in Vietnam that seems to have caught on to being nice to tourists meaning they will want to return and word will spread.

 

Get the train from Da Nang to somewhere up north, as the railway goes along the coast and it's amazing.

[jak2002003]

8 minutes ago, Grecian said:

But the real question should be, where can one make a meaningful life with purpose, not always, where is cheaper?

And also where I have have a real home and settle down long term...where my assets will be secure and I can stay there long term without having to leave and return to the country ever few months. 

[Hummin]

12 hours ago, Brian Hull said:

The problem is that Thailand's rules are not simple, nor very logical in many cases.

 

I promise you, making Schengen family reunion was not easy either! Renewing was a hassle and took quite Alot of work, time and patience. Overall doing tourist visa as well, is a pain right there low on the back to!

 

But it is doable and also easy if you meet the requirements both in Schengen and Thailand, just takes some reading, understanding and paperwork.

[Hummin]

12 hours ago, Tubulat said:

Let me guess, you are from Europe.

I have experience with that.

America has Ben flooded by foreigners since 1600 and still 

[cncltd1973]

I'm interested. One problem I have in Thailand is the lack of art, culture and architecture. Sounds like Vietnam might check those boxes... I might be following the French footsteps in the future.

[balo]

Been living for a short while in both Cambodia and VIetnam.  If I had to choose between Hanoi,  HCMC and Phnom Penh I actually think I would stay in PP long term,  not because of the infrastructure, but people are more friendly and the food is great. 

 

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, Hummin said:

America has Ben flooded by foreigners since 1600 and still 

Those pesky foreigners have been milling around the Americas since around 20,000 years ago.

[Hummin]

Just now, BangkokReady said:

Those pesky foreigners have been milling around the US (or what would become the US) since around 20,000 years ago.

I doubt they had to many conflicts with their Neighbours back then.

[BusyB]

19 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Back to Blighty... no bleeding way.

I'd rather retire to a fisher hut on the Tonle Sap ...

[BusyB]

12 hours ago, Pinot said:

I wouldn't consider retiring in Vietnam for many reasons but here are just a few 

- You have to lock your scooter up at night in your house or it will be stolen

- If you think cops in Thailand are corrupt, there is simply no comparison to the pathetic Vietnamese cops

- Table manners for a Vietnamese family dining next to you at a restaurant is horrifying

- Infrastructure within the country is a big step down from Thailand

- Trying to cross the street in a city like Saigon is scary. I try and cross in the middle of a group of children. Horns are used constantly. 

- There is a reason Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles. Vietnam is anything but.  

Yeah I had a difficult time in VT and I'm fairly well travelled, in SEA as well. I'm gonna try and head south-north next time to give myself a bit more time to acclimatize to the place, which is exceptionally lovely and does rival LOS.

I left half way through the trip because I was fed up with the place.

[Mac Mickmanus]

12 hours ago, Pinot said:

I wouldn't consider retiring in Vietnam for many reasons but here are just a few 

- You have to lock your scooter up at night in your house or it will be stolen

- If you think cops in Thailand are corrupt, there is simply no comparison to the pathetic Vietnamese cops

- Table manners for a Vietnamese family dining next to you at a restaurant is horrifying

- Infrastructure within the country is a big step down from Thailand

- Trying to cross the street in a city like Saigon is scary. I try and cross in the middle of a group of children. Horns are used constantly. 

- There is a reason Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles. Vietnam is anything but.  

What I recall about being in Vietnam was the amount on human excrement on the streets and people just pulling their trousers down crouching down and doing a dump on the pavement 

[Sambotte]

Vietnam is very noisy. Millions of scooters, all horning (klaxon) non-stop !!! Day or night.

Same in Philipines, crazy traffic noise, permanently !

Thailand does not have this problem (it's a "can not stay long" problem for me, i do not like to live in massive noise).

 

And there are many, many, other differences.

Personnaly i would rather consider Cambodia or Laos, before Vietnam.

But Thailand is the most "civilised" country (i mean confortable, modern, polite), by far. And if i am not wrong, the only good visa for long stay is the Elite Visa. They just don't want to keep the cheap charlies ????

[farangnomore]

20 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

Are you going to get pulled over and harassed by the police like in China (so I'm told) if you go off the beaten path? Do you need to notify the police if you leave your city for more than 24-hours?

"so you are told?"  There are scores of foreigners living happily in China.  A friend of mine (an American) was living and driving around China (without Chinese driver's license) for years.  I've heard similar stories from other foreigners who live/lived in China. 

 

Keep your hatred towards Chinese to a China-related thread.

[Andycoops]

I live here but am a great fan of Vietnam and first visited 25 years ago.

I go there as often as I can to visit Vietnamese friends I met through a good friends wife, although of course covid has stumped that the last 2 years.

[Caldera]

I enjoy visiting Vietnam, BUT the only realistic long-term visa options are work (which I don't need) and marriage (which I don't want). No retirement visa available. So it isn't a viable long-term option, at least not for me. 

[Don Dunkelblum]

On 4/22/2022 at 3:37 AM, Jingthing said:

It's so stupid that Vietnam is still featured on so many clueless "best countries to retire to" lists. 

In addition: Vietnam is a former eastbloc country controled by statemafia where partymembers have privileged positions in society. 

You do not want to retire in such a place.

[Leaver]

On 4/21/2022 at 8:27 PM, freedomnow said:

Yip - one of my Plan B alternate bases....which may be soon...

 

I tag Viet Nam as a country near Thailand that is going to beat them on economic growth and other metrics...

Going to hose them next 20 years.

 

A lot less than 20 years.  I'll give it 5 to 8 years to overtake Thailand in many sectors.  Vietnam is progressing so quickly (pre covid) that it is making Thailand look like it's standing still, which in 2022, that means Thailand is basically going backwards.    

[Leaver]

48 minutes ago, Don Dunkelblum said:

In addition: Vietnam is a former eastbloc country controled by statemafia where partymembers have privileged positions in society. 

You do not want to retire in such a place.

 

 

Is that a bit like a government that took power during a military coup, and then arranged that they couldn't lose a general election held years later, and are still in power today?   ????

[Leaver]

6 hours ago, Sambotte said:

Vietnam is very noisy. Millions of scooters, all horning (klaxon) non-stop !!! Day or night.

Same in Philipines, crazy traffic noise, permanently !

Thailand does not have this problem (it's a "can not stay long" problem for me, i do not like to live in massive noise).

 

And there are many, many, other differences.

Personnaly i would rather consider Cambodia or Laos, before Vietnam.

But Thailand is the most "civilised" country (i mean confortable, modern, polite), by far. And if i am not wrong, the only good visa for long stay is the Elite Visa. They just don't want to keep the cheap charlies ????

 

Some would say Bangkok is noisy, but I guess you wouldn't think so because Thailand is not noisy.  ????

[gearbox]

5 hours ago, farangnomore said:

"so you are told?"  There are scores of foreigners living happily in China.  A friend of mine (an American) was living and driving around China (without Chinese driver's license) for years.  I've heard similar stories from other foreigners who live/lived in China. 

 

Keep your hatred towards Chinese to a China-related thread.

Driving without local licence is quite possible in Thailand too. In the last 3 years I've driven thousands of kilometres, never stopped by the police... Southern Thailand.

[Leaver]

16 hours ago, peter zwart said:

I really don't understand why this is a topic over and over again. Is it every time someone who has turned sour here and thinks the grass is always greener next door? When you are somewhere longer, the pink cloud disappears and you also see the shortcomings. They are always and everywhere. And by extension, Thailand isn't that bad. For me a great country to live in.
 

 

I guess it's the 28 baht beers in air conditioned hostess bars in Vietnam that sees this topic posted over and over again.  ????