Vietnam retirement

[GypsyT]

I've been in Vietnam for 2 weeks. First in Da Lat, then in Pha Rang/Thap Cham and now in Nha Trang.

 

I like it here! Awesome beach boulevard, nice long beach that looks like mini Ipanema and clean sand without hundreds of ugly sunshade sellers etc like in Jomtien and Pattaya.

This city is way nicer than DaNang.

People are friendly and many speak English. Children want to practice it too. I was amazed to hear some 3-5 yrs old spoke very well and told they learned to speak with Apple App! What ever that is...

 

I also took a train from Thap Cham to Nha Trang and that was interesting. I'll do it again. Ticket was 76000vnd or $ 3.15 for 100km.

 

Come and see youself; Direct flight from DMK to Cam Ranh, then cheap bus to Nha Trang centrum.

Hotels are dirt cheap; I got nice room, 1 block from the beach, in modern apartment hotel $ 16/nite.

 

Russians are still here but they are well off type and educated and nice. I got lost 2 times in dark city and they Googled me home. Every time I get lost in some place I always ask tourists - they know better than locals!

 

Ladies are not easy like in Thailand but you can make great friends which is what I did and I'm 100% happy.

 

Edited February 15 by GypsyT

[GypsyT]

I'm not a "beach person" but can't help liking more and more NhaTrang city beach! Easy to walk from hotel for morning swim, exercise and just sit down to watch blood red sun raising 6am.

https://beachsearcher.com/en/beach/704201134/nha-trang-beach

 

Everything's so clean, no plastic bottles, no trash. Wide walk way for 7km with shade trees.

Plenty of people on the beach already 5am. Young and old. Many dancing groups too.

 

Soon I may to start to ask condo prices... but when clean hotels are only $ 9 to 26/nite for 2 why bother?

 

I planned to check out two or three other beach cities but since this is near perfect I stay here for an other 2-3 weeks.

The only thing that irritates is too many motobikes. Luckily they don't honk much here like in Saigon.

The city is crowing too and noise will be bigger in future. Same with exhaust pollution. I checked one bad day and it was 65, about the same as bad day on Jomtien. They do have quite good transportation service but most use motobike.

The food is best I found in Vietnam but not even close as in Thailand. The price is same or less.

They don't have chicken! It's 90% pork which is good but too heavy for me. If you find chicken it's 2x the price of pork. Fish is plenty but I only eat if I see it alive first...

 

[my friend I]

On 1/12/2024 at 6:48 PM, BE88 said:

Vietnam retirement visa does anyone have any reliable information about this visa?

 

https://internationalliving.com/countries/vietnam/retire-in-vietnam/

 

[gargamon]

On 1/13/2024 at 11:36 AM, charleskerins said:

Good coffee hard to find here

Yes, that Vietnamese civet coffee is wonderful. 

[steven100]

On 1/13/2024 at 6:06 AM, spidermike007 said:

Why even bother? I've been to Vietnam three times and I walked away terribly unimpressed. I find most people in Vietnam to be very distant, some of them as cold as fish. No thanks, I'll stick with Thailand, I like my friends they're fun to be around and they're very light-hearted. 

very strange Mike,  I've been a few times and found the locals fine to chat with,  especially young Vietnamese ....  however, some groups and couples do keep to themselves a bit. 

Thai's are ok sometimes although many cheats & however fake they can be.  If Vietnam had a retirement visa process Thailand would lose out big time imo.

just saying ....

[steven100]

On 2/15/2024 at 8:13 PM, GypsyT said:

I've been in Vietnam for 2 weeks. First in Da Lat, then in Pha Rang/Thap Cham and now in Nha Trang.

 

I like it here! Awesome beach boulevard, nice long beach that looks like mini Ipanema and clean sand without hundreds of ugly sunshade sellers etc like in Jomtien and Pattaya.

This city is way nicer than DaNang.

People are friendly and many speak English. Children want to practice it too. I was amazed to hear some 3-5 yrs old spoke very well and told they learned to speak with Apple App! What ever that is...

 

I also took a train from Thap Cham to Nha Trang and that was interesting. I'll do it again. Ticket was 76000vnd or $ 3.15 for 100km.

 

Come and see youself; Direct flight from DMK to Cam Ranh, then cheap bus to Nha Trang centrum.

Hotels are dirt cheap; I got nice room, 1 block from the beach, in modern apartment hotel $ 16/nite.

 

Russians are still here but they are well off type and educated and nice. I got lost 2 times in dark city and they Googled me home. Every time I get lost in some place I always ask tourists - they know better than locals!

 

Ladies are not easy like in Thailand but you can make great friends which is what I did and I'm 100% happy.

 

cheap enough flights anyway ....   direct to Nha Trang

 

[JimTripper]

I found the emotional honesty of Vietnam quite refreshing after living in Thailand.

 

I don't necessarily want every person smiling at me, kissing arse or too helpful. It's pitiful and not natural. I did not get that vibe in Vietnam.

[steven100]

46 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

I found the emotional honesty of Vietnam quite refreshing after living in Thailand.

 

I don't necessarily want every person smiling at me, kissing arse or too helpful. It's pitiful and not natural. I did not get that vibe in Vietnam.

absolutely agree .....  not as fake.

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

very strange Mike,  I've been a few times and found the locals fine to chat with,  especially young Vietnamese ....  however, some groups and couples do keep to themselves a bit. 

Thai's are ok sometimes although many cheats & however fake they can be.  If Vietnam had a retirement visa process Thailand would lose out big time imo.

just saying ....

Well obviously this is a very subjective topic, I've been there three times over a period of 15 years with and without my woman, and I think they were slightly friendlier when I was traveling solo, but my Thai woman has a Pan Asian look so they would assume she was a local, which didn't help, as they don't seem to like mixed couples. But in general I found them to be a lot less friendly and a lot less hospitable than the majority of Thais. But as I say this is very subjective. My Thai woman felt the same way and I never have any need to go back. 

[Dolf]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

I found the emotional honesty of Vietnam quite refreshing after living in Thailand.

 

I don't necessarily want every person smiling at me, kissing arse or too helpful. It's pitiful and not natural. I did not get that vibe in Vietnam.

Probably need to spend months there to see the full picture. Hard to judge from 2 weeks.

[steven100]

Maybe Vietnam just doesn't want too many retirees living there,  they want to capitalize on the short stays for more cash rather than permanents  ?  and maybe they don't want all the problems that go with it like criminal gangs setting up there ...     maybe they've seen how Thailand is and they don't want that route ... 

 

strange indeed .. but just wondering why ..

Edited February 25 by steven100

[GypsyT]

I put same question to my new Vietnamese friends and they said it was Chinese land buying frenzy that made Vietnam to put brakes on all foreigner transactions. They didn't want to single out Chinese buyers since they are important trading partners.

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/chinese-acquisition-of-prime-land-worries-vietnam-defense-ministry-4101238.html

 

I see many attractive buys here, in Nha Trang, and would be interested in buying something if it was possible.

This is a very nice beach town! I like it here a lot. Just extended my stay second time an other 10 days and if my ticket to the US wasn't non refundable I'd stay longer....

 

Yes, Vietnamese DON'T smile w/o good reason (like Thais) but they are not rude or unfriendly. They stay neutral. They also are shy and 90% of older adults don't speak English.

 

PS. Still not a Paradise; Food sucks, Traffic sucks, Smokers every where sucks.

 

[steven100]

40 minutes ago, GypsyT said:

I put same question to my new Vietnamese friends and they said it was Chinese land buying frenzy that made Vietnam to put brakes on all foreigner transactions. They didn't want to single out Chinese buyers since they are important trading partners.

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/chinese-acquisition-of-prime-land-worries-vietnam-defense-ministry-4101238.html

 

I see many attractive buys here, in Nha Trang, and would be interested in buying something if it was possible.

This is a very nice beach town! I like it here a lot. Just extended my stay second time an other 10 days and if my ticket to the US wasn't non refundable I'd stay longer....

 

Yes, Vietnamese DON'T smile w/o good reason (like Thais) but they are not rude or unfriendly. They stay neutral. They also are shy and 90% of older adults don't speak English.

 

PS. Still not a Paradise; Food sucks, Traffic sucks, Smokers every where sucks.

 

but it's not fake like Thailand

[steven100]

On 2/15/2024 at 8:13 PM, GypsyT said:

I've been in Vietnam for 2 weeks. First in Da Lat, then in Pha Rang/Thap Cham and now in Nha Trang.

 

I like it here! Awesome beach boulevard, nice long beach that looks like mini Ipanema and clean sand without hundreds of ugly sunshade sellers etc like in Jomtien and Pattaya.

This city is way nicer than DaNang.

People are friendly and many speak English. Children want to practice it too. I was amazed to hear some 3-5 yrs old spoke very well and told they learned to speak with Apple App! What ever that is...

 

I also took a train from Thap Cham to Nha Trang and that was interesting. I'll do it again. Ticket was 76000vnd or $ 3.15 for 100km.

 

Come and see youself; Direct flight from DMK to Cam Ranh, then cheap bus to Nha Trang centrum.

Hotels are dirt cheap; I got nice room, 1 block from the beach, in modern apartment hotel $ 16/nite.

 

Russians are still here but they are well off type and educated and nice. I got lost 2 times in dark city and they Googled me home. Every time I get lost in some place I always ask tourists - they know better than locals!

 

Ladies are not easy like in Thailand but you can make great friends which is what I did and I'm 100% happy.

 

a direct flight to Nha Trang is 4,500 rtn

[BE88]

22 hours ago, steven100 said:

cheap enough flights anyway ....   direct to Nha Trang

 

 

Thanks. Two hours flight with the cheap cost, why not go and see and form an opinion directly.

 

 

[GypsyT]

Yes, that's always best.

At Cam Ranh / Nha Trang airport CXR you take a 50min bus to Yersin station;

"Bus/shuttle Bus stop is located in front of the Terminal Entrance.
Bus tickets are available at the Reception Hall. The bus fare is VNĐ 65,000/per person and it takes about 45 minutes to Nha Trang City. Buses are available from 5:30 am untill 11pm.

 

From there you can walk 5-6 blocks, on Yersin, toward the beach. "Palace Hotel" is 1/2 block off the beach. Booking shows 4160000 VND / 6000THB for 6 nites w breakfast for two.

Along the 7 mile beach are maybe 100 or more hotels. A block back 2-300 more, all cheaper.

 

One trick I use; First booking is always cheapest on all agencies. So I switch and use many of them one time.

They want you to join and create account.