Going Back To The Uk

[NamKangMan]

To say it doesn't exist because you own a car is burying your ead in the sand.

If you read my long post, you will see that I don't deny everything exists, but say that the things the OP mention don't bother me, because of where and how I llive. Why is it you refuse to belive that's the truth?

You mention petrol and an extra beer being put on the tab. Are you telling me you don't have the ability to stop those things happening, by checking the pump and checking the bill? And then not using places again that you catch doing it?

Other than those two examples, I would be interested to hear all the other examples, of how on a regular basis you get scammed, interact with dishonest people, are affected by corruption, affected by murders, etc etc. I tell you those things don't affect me, and refuse to believe it, so give me plenty of examples please, of how they affect you.

P.S Where abouts in Phuket do you live NKM?

I live in Patong and I am single. So, no girfriend or wife to wipe my ass.

Of course I am watchful now not to be scammed, but, watching every transaction like a hawk so you are not ripped off isn't a relaxing way to live from day to day.

Once again, you just keep talking about how it effecs, or doesn't effect, YOU. Think of tourists, spare a thought for those that have been scammed here and are on there way home to go back to work when they should be enjoying their retirement. Sure, I know what your reply will be, "It's their own stupid fault" but many people come here to see "The Land of Smiles" and find grief. I have a thick skin and I'll still be here, long after most, but, nothing wrong with sparing a thought for those who have died my misadventure or scammed out of their life savings here.

[grumpyoldman]

Don't know if you guys remember the Monty Python Film "Life of Brian" where the whole movie is based on people mistakenly naming the main character (Eric Idle) "the Messiah", but in the very end as Brian is being crucified he and the others being crucified start up a song "look on the bright side of life, do-do, do-do, do-do-do-do".

It wasn't Eric Idle who played Brian, it was Graham Chapman.

C'mon, get it right Big-Nose.

I stand corrected, my memory failed me.

"I'm not the messiah!"

[starkey_rich]

Don't know if you guys remember the Monty Python Film "Life of Brian" where the whole movie is based on people mistakenly naming the main character (Eric Idle) "the Messiah", but in the very end as Brian is being crucified he and the others being crucified start up a song "look on the bright side of life, do-do, do-do, do-do-do-do".

It wasn't Eric Idle who played Brian, it was Graham Chapman.

C'mon, get it right Big-Nose.

Who you calling Big Nose?

Go on say it one more time and I'll.

Still one of my favourite movies

[robertob]

Apparently you've already decided to go back home. So why are you still trying to announce your intentions to everyone? If I don't like seafood, should I start a topic and tell everyone how distasteful seafood products are? Just go to your lovely England and just be happy. I don't think anyone is trying to change your mind here. We're just waiting for you to leave.

[BangTaoBoy]

lack of basis rights - (as a foreigner we don't really have any in Thailand)

"Don't need them. I can own anything I want in my wifes name." :) :) :)

So, please tell me, at Thai Law, who REALLY does own "YOUR" assets????????

Can't you read? According to Thai law, my assets (in Thailand) are owned by my wife and son. .

[BangTaoBoy]

Apparently you've already decided to go back home. So why are you still trying to announce your intentions to everyone? If I don't like seafood, should I start a topic and tell everyone how distasteful seafood products are? Just go to your lovely England and just be happy. I don't think anyone is trying to change your mind here. We're just waiting for you to leave.

[BangTaoBoy]

P.S Where abouts in Phuket do you live NKM?

I live in Patong and I am single.

:lol: Never would have guessed.

[BangTaoBoy]

Of course I am watchful now not to be scammed, but, watching every transaction like a hawk so you are not ripped off isn't a relaxing way to live from day to day.

Move out of Patong then. saying that, is like living in New York or London, and complaining that everybody is rude and unfriendly. patong is a product of what it is. A very busy crowded tourest town, It's no mystery to anyone but you, wht it is like it is.

Once again, you just keep talking about how it effecs, or doesn't effect, YOU.

That's exactly the point. I'm saying what Phuket is like for ME, and the OP was saying what Phuket was like for HIM. That is a completely different thing to saying what Phuket is like. That's the not so subtle difference, that people like you can never see. As you will see, far more people in this thread love Phuket and DONT have the problems the OP high lighted, than do. So it is just the OP's OPINION, of phuket and not what Phuket is actually LIKE, or what it is actually like to live here.

Unless of course, you are really prepared to say that all the people in this thread, who say they don't have a problem with the things in the OP, are blatently lying? Because if that's the case, I think people will take your posts even less seriously than they do now.

[billythehat]

Of course I am watchful now not to be scammed, but, watching every transaction like a hawk so you are not ripped off isn't a relaxing way to live from day to day.

Move out of Patong then. saying that, is like living in New York or London, and complaining that everybody is rude and unfriendly. patong is a product of what it is. A very busy crowded tourest town, It's no mystery to anyone but you, wht it is like it is.

Once again, you just keep talking about how it effecs, or doesn't effect, YOU.

That's exactly the point. I'm saying what Phuket is like for ME, and the OP was saying what Phuket was like for HIM. That is a completely different thing to saying what Phuket is like. That's the not so subtle difference, that people like you can never see. As you will see, far more people in this thread love Phuket and DONT have the problems the OP high lighted, than do. So it is just the OP's OPINION, of phuket and not what Phuket is actually LIKE, or what it is actually like to live here.

Unless of course, you are really prepared to say that all the people in this thread, who say they don't have a problem with the things in the OP, are blatently lying? Because if that's the case, I think people will take your posts even less seriously than they do now.

Ah, the master of the redundant comma strikes again. Considerably less word salad and conjecture as to how others really think may lend some credibility to the constant uninformed waffle. :jerk:

[BangTaoBoy]

Ah, the master of the redundant comma strikes again. Considerably less word salad and conjecture as to how others really think may lend some credibility to the constant uninformed waffle. :jerk:

If we need any advice from someone who has only spent two week holidays entirely on Soi Bangla, we'll be sure to ask Billy boy.

[chuppachops]

Whatever.... just say that your skint!!!

[BangTaoBoy]

Just as I suspected. Came year years ago on a holiday, loved the place, moved here and never left. Never traveled. You have nothing to compare Phuket to. Many of us have traveled and can compare what Phuket has become, to other places in Thailand, and in SE Asia.

I have travelled extensively around the North East of Thailand, and extensively from BKK south to Hat Yai. I've been to Malaysia umpteen times, Indonesia, and Laos. I am yet to travel to the North of Thailand, or Viatnam, both of which are on the to do list, this or next year.

Your connection between the two still defies logic as far as I can see. If you fall in love with a woman at a young age, do you walk away from her, just in case there's someone better out there? I decided Phuket was where I wanted to live over ten years ago, and haven't changed my mind yet, so what has the amount of traveling, and the places I've been, have to do with that? Apart from being an immature, cheap shot, to try and make me sound less experienced, than your ever so wordly self, some how.

I have no problem with your love of the place, good luck to you. You have found your little "patch" in the world, BUT, for others who constantly evaluate their happiness here, like the OP, why shoot them down in flames?

I haven't shot him down in flames at all. I have simply pointed out, that the things that affect him in Phuket don't affect me. So it isn't Phuket that's to blame for him not wanting to stay, it's the fact that Phuket isn't right for HIM. It would seem that a huge amount of people on this thread feel the same. If Phuket was as bad as he said, wouldn't we all want to leave?

Not to mention, I have issues with the Psychology of people, that feel the need to share the fact that they aren't happy every 5 minutes. If you're using forums for therapy, then your problems run much deeper than where you live.

There is no way I would ever live in England - full stop.

Would you go on a forum, used by people who live in England, to tell them why you would never live in England? Would you get any pleasure or satisfation from that?

I've read your long list that addresses the OP's long list. You talk about yourself. Why don't you start thinking about others and how that list might effect most readers, not just your very insulated self.

So the OP wasn't talking about himself then? Why should I give a monkeys about anyone else? If you're not happy here, move, which is what the OP has done (Finally) The OP, and many other people, try to blame Phuket for their inability to be happy here. They think because the negative aspects of Phuket make them want to leave, that everybody must feel the same. Highly illogical.

The simple fact is, that the things mentioned by the OP, do not affect the vast majority of people who live here, they find ways around them, or accept them and deal with them as they are. The OP couldn't do that, and nor would it seem can you. You can't even comprehend that living in Patong, will give you a vastly different life and experience to living in other parts of the island. For people like you, there is two options. You move off Phuket, or you spend every day moaning about it, or 'just pointing out the bad bits, no harm in that' for the rest of the time you live here. Which one sounds more sensible to you?

[BangTaoBoy]

@NKM

I know this has been done before, and deserves it's own thread, but where exactly in SE Asia, can I live where I have the facilities of Phuket? The international schools, marinas, shopping centres, world class food, long stretches of deserted beaches, etc etc.

People are so quick to critisise Phuket, but never have I heard one person, come up with a like for like alternative. So NKM, this wasn't a rhetorical question, I genuinely would like to know. Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to, that ticks all the boxes I need ticked?

[Shot]

@NKM

I know this has been done before, and deserves it's own thread, but where exactly in SE Asia, can I live where I have the facilities of Phuket? The international schools, marinas, shopping centres, world class food, long stretches of deserted beaches, etc etc.

People are so quick to critisise Phuket, but never have I heard one person, come up with a like for like alternative. So NKM, this wasn't a rhetorical question, I genuinely would like to know. Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to, that ticks all the boxes I need ticked?

PLEASE

[BangTaoBoy]

@NKM

I know this has been done before, and deserves it's own thread, but where exactly in SE Asia, can I live where I have the facilities of Phuket? The international schools, marinas, shopping centres, world class food, long stretches of deserted beaches, etc etc.

People are so quick to critisise Phuket, but never have I heard one person, come up with a like for like alternative. So NKM, this wasn't a rhetorical question, I genuinely would like to know. Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to, that ticks all the boxes I need ticked?

PLEASE

Wouldn't it have been easier, to just answer the question, with a real answer?

Oh that's right, you don't have one.

NEXT!!

[billythehat]

@NKM

I know this has been done before, and deserves it's own thread, but where exactly in SE Asia, can I live where I have the facilities of Phuket? The international schools, marinas, shopping centres, world class food, long stretches of deserted beaches, etc etc.

People are so quick to critisise Phuket, but never have I heard one person, come up with a like for like alternative. So NKM, this wasn't a rhetorical question, I genuinely would like to know. Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to, that ticks all the boxes I need ticked?

"Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to (edited to remove redundant comma) that ticks all the boxes I need ticked? "

Eastbourne in England should suffice your requirements and then some.

The added bonuses will be: The general population there are over 75 and therefore deaf.

You can still feel like you're in LLL because when you order a meal the tasty Pole immigrant won't have a clue what you say.

Spike Milligan once described Hastings as 'A graveyard above ground' but I'm sure he'd never visited Eastbourne. When you enter the town from the north you will see a large road sign 'Welcome to the Sunshine Coast' but don't let such glib sarcasm put your untraveled arse off going there.

[BangTaoBoy]

Most of you Rose Tinters will be happy to see me go. I am finally had enough and leaving Phuket. after 5 1/2 years.

Insinuating every body that likes Thailand , must have rose tinted glasses. Insinuating it's impossible to genuinely like Phuket, without being deluded. Sound like a balanced, unbias opinion? Not to me

Good bye Phuket and Thailand, it was an experience that I would not recommend to anyone

the certainty that there is no future for a foreigner trying to make a life for himself in Thailand.

Again, Phuket and Thailand aren't for him, so he suggests that nobody else could possibly be happy here. (You'll notice that he's not just saying, that it's impossible for anyone to be happy in Phuket, but the whole of Thailand) Does that sound like the words of an unbias, balanced person, or a bitter, unhappy person, who blames a place for his unhappiness?

This is the major difference. This thread has high lighted several people who don't have the same issues as the OP. How many times do you see them starting threads on Thai forums, trying to persuade people to come here? How many times do they start threads, trying to convince people that Phuket doesn't have any issues?

Pointing out that Phuket has some issues, and some things aren't perfect, is completely different to trying to tell people that they can't possibly be happy in Phuket, just because they're not. The latter is highly illogical and inadequate, and high lights a level of unhappiness and bitterness, that goes much deeper. Forum therapy.

[BangTaoBoy]

@NKM

I know this has been done before, and deserves it's own thread, but where exactly in SE Asia, can I live where I have the facilities of Phuket? The international schools, marinas, shopping centres, world class food, long stretches of deserted beaches, etc etc.

People are so quick to critisise Phuket, but never have I heard one person, come up with a like for like alternative. So NKM, this wasn't a rhetorical question, I genuinely would like to know. Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to, that ticks all the boxes I need ticked?

"Where do I need to take my untraveled arse to (edited to remove redundant comma) that ticks all the boxes I need ticked? "

Eastbourne in England should suffice your requirements and then some.

The added bonuses will be: The general population there are over 75 and therefore deaf.

You can still feel like you're in LLL because when you order a meal the tasty Pole immigrant won't have a clue what you say.

Spike Milligan once described Hastings as 'A graveyard above ground' but I'm sure he'd never visited Eastbourne. When you enter the town from the north you will see a large road sign 'Welcome to the Sunshine Coast' but don't let such glib sarcasm put your untraveled arse off going there.

Been to Eastbourne and Hastings, as I have most of Britian and Ireland. Although I believe a bargain can be had in the North, (if you can stomach the monkeys) down in Eastbourne, the cost of living is a tad higher than Thailand, and the water is a bit colder. No comparison.

NEXT!!

[stuandchris]

If you think the food here is world class for farang food you have been to many dodgy places my friend.

At best the 'posh' places are average and over priced.

[BangTaoBoy]

If you think the food here is world class for farang food you have been to many dodgy places my friend.

At best the 'posh' places are average and over priced.

I'm certainly no 'foody', and am very easily pleased. I also don't eat a lot of Farang food in restaurants, and only have it at home now and then.

Would you say places like the Mom Tris, Siam supper club, Ban Rim Pa, Catch Beach club, and all the restaurants in laguna for example are just average?

Perhaps you're right, like I said, when it comes to food I'm easily pleased.

[NamKangMan]

lack of basis rights - (as a foreigner we don't really have any in Thailand)

"Don't need them. I can own anything I want in my wifes name." :) :) :)

So, please tell me, at Thai Law, who REALLY does own "YOUR" assets????????

Can't you read? According to Thai law, my assets (in Thailand) are owned by my wife and son. .

So, you actually own NOTHING here, despite paying for it all. Smart move. :)

[NamKangMan]

P.S Where abouts in Phuket do you live NKM?

I live in Patong and I am single.

:lol: Never would have guessed.

Well, of course Patong only being a short few kilometres from Bang Tao, is a different country, sorry, planet. This forum is only for everywhere on Phuket, except for Patong, because, we do not recognise Patong. It should be it's own seperate province and all who live and work there are unintelligent and/or criminals. :) :)

[NamKangMan]

Of course I am watchful now not to be scammed, but, watching every transaction like a hawk so you are not ripped off isn't a relaxing way to live from day to day.

Move out of Patong then. saying that, is like living in New York or London, and complaining that everybody is rude and unfriendly. patong is a product of what it is. A very busy crowded tourest town, It's no mystery to anyone but you, wht it is like it is.

Once again, you just keep talking about how it effecs, or doesn't effect, YOU.

That's exactly the point. I'm saying what Phuket is like for ME, and the OP was saying what Phuket was like for HIM. That is a completely different thing to saying what Phuket is like. That's the not so subtle difference, that people like you can never see. As you will see, far more people in this thread love Phuket and DONT have the problems the OP high lighted, than do. So it is just the OP's OPINION, of phuket and not what Phuket is actually LIKE, or what it is actually like to live here.

Unless of course, you are really prepared to say that all the people in this thread, who say they don't have a problem with the things in the OP, are blatently lying? Because if that's the case, I think people will take your posts even less seriously than they do now.

Gee, how bout we take a poll of members on TV and ask a question, for example, "Is there a public transport problem on the island?" BTB will say "No. I have a car and/ or a bike." BUT, for the hundreds of other members that simply say, "Yes" well, they are all stupid and should buy a bike or a car, even though they already have one, like myself, but recognise the fact the island has a public transport problem. Oh, and members on TV who are from Patong should not be allowed to vote in the poll because if you are too stupid to live in Patong, you are too stupid to vote. :)

[BangTaoBoy]

lack of basis rights - (as a foreigner we don't really have any in Thailand)

"Don't need them. I can own anything I want in my wifes name." :) :) :)

So, please tell me, at Thai Law, who REALLY does own "YOUR" assets????????

Can't you read? According to Thai law, my assets (in Thailand) are owned by my wife and son. .

So, you actually own NOTHING here, despite paying for it all. Smart move. :)

Why would you assume I paid for it all? My wife has payed her own way since the day I met her, until the day I told her she would never have to work again if she didn't want to (When my son was born) I have always believed that being a full time mum and house wife, is as deserving and equal a role in a marriage as earning the money. There have been times in the UK that I was a kept man, when my wife worked and I didn't.

So, WE pay for anything we own, and it gos in my wifes and sons name.

If we were to divorce, would I put my ex wife son on the streets? Would the money spent be relevant? Would I not have money in UK bank accounts to support myself?

[Chainsaw]

Why would you assume I paid for it all? My wife has payed her own way since the day I met her, until the day I told her she would never have to work again if she didn't want to (When my son was born) I have always believed that being a full time mum and house wife, is as deserving and equal a role in a marriage as earning the money. There have been times in the UK that I was a kept man, when my wife worked and I didn't.

So, WE pay for anything we own, and it gos in my wifes and sons name.

If we were to divorce, would I put my ex wife son on the streets? Would the money spent be relevant? Would I not have money in UK bank accounts to support myself?

I'm on your bus BTB

[BangTaoBoy]

Well, of course Patong only being a short few kilometres from Bang Tao, is a different country, sorry, planet. This forum is only for everywhere on Phuket, except for Patong, because, we do not recognise Patong. It should be it's own seperate province and all who live and work there are unintelligent and/or criminals. :) :)

You are a silly man NKM . What problem do you have with accepting that Patong is a very different kettle of fish to other places on the island? People who live in Patong complain about pollution. Lots of other places on the island DON'T have a pollution problem. People who live in Patong complain about crowded beaches. Over half of the West coast is a deserted, as far as the eye can see beach. People who live in Patong, complain about greedy, violent, money hungry Thai people. Most of the people I meet in Phuket are no different to all the people I have met in rural Issarn, but I don't hang out in Patong that much.

Patong is vastly different to other parts of the island, not being able to acknowledge that, high lights what a skew wiff way of looking at things you have.

NKM, is living in the Bronx different to living in Manhatten? Is living in Peckham different to living in Mayfair? They are both New York and London respectively, so they must be the same right?

[BangTaoBoy]

Unless of course, you are really prepared to say that all the people in this thread, who say they don't have a problem with the things in the OP, are blatently lying? Because if that's the case, I think people will take your posts even less seriously than they do now.

I didn't get a conclusive answer to this question.

Gee, how bout we take a poll of members on TV and ask a question, for example, "Is there a public transport problem on the island?" BTB will say "No. I have a car and/ or a bike." BUT, for the hundreds of other members that simply say, "Yes" well, they are all stupid and should buy a bike or a car, even though they already have one, like myself, but recognise the fact the island has a public transport problem.

That's not true at all. I would say that a lack of transport on the island, doesn't affect me in any way. I would say if it affects you, you need to make a decision as to how badly it affects you, and whether it is big enough of a problem to make you want to leave, as it was in the case of the OP (among other things). I would also say, if you don't like things enough to want to leave, DON'T hold it against Phuket, as if it's Phukets fault you didn't like it there. Don't start saying that NOBODY could be happy there because I wasn't happy there. DON'T say that nobody caould be happy ANYWHERE in Thailand, because you weren't happy in Phuket. All things that the OP said. Defend the logic of those statements, I'm all ears.

Oh, and members on TV who are from Patong should not be allowed to vote in the poll because if you are too stupid to live in Patong, you are too stupid to vote. :)

If the cap fits.

I know of lots of people who are perfectly happy living in Patong. Lots that love it with the passion I love the area I live. They are also smart enough to understand and accept that it is a very different way of life living in Patong, than it is living in other parts of the island.

EDIT: Don't forget NKM, I'm looking for examples of places I can move to that equal Phuket for price, beaches, International schools and western facilities.

[snamos]

Im siding fully 100 percent with bang tao boy, Phuket is unmatched in its over all package, and i have been to a lot of places in asia. BTW dont waste your time in vietnam its a shit hole and the people make the tuk tuk drivers, jetski operators, and phuket touts look like angels.

For the people who crack the shits with Thai people in Patong......

I used to live in kings cross in Sydney, and guess what? I didnt meet any people of substance there. Patong is Thailands equivalent of Kings Cross, I wouldnt be looking to form any lifelong friendships with the expats or locals in Nana Plaza, Orchid towers, Angeles City, EDSA center, LA Cafe, Gaylung, Duxton Rd, Soi Cowboy, Pat Pong or the whole of Chonburi.

[NamKangMan]

@ BTB

Firstly, if your wife paid for you, then stopped working to have a baby and continued not to work whilst raising that child, reading between the lines, I would say you fronted most of the cash in the relationship. Do I have a problem with it - NO. Is it any of my business - CERTAINLY NOT. You raised the topic, not me.

Secondly, Visiting your missus' family in Issan is not what I would call traveling Issan/Thailand extensively. The same with your travels abroad. Visa runs to Malaysia is not counted as traveling SE Asia extensively. I bet your passport shows "Exit Phuket Internation Airport" - "Entry Phuket International Airport" - and very little else. Do I have a problem with that - NO.

Thirdly, when I read the OP it was clear he/she were giving THEIR reasons for moving back to the UK. The reasons they mentioned, in own opinion, exist here (here meaning Patong which is on Phuket which is in Thailand) Now, you are saying if you get out of Patong, but stay on Phuket, you may not experience some of the negative reasons listed, which would cause you to move. I agree with that, BUT, you keep talking about YOURSELF. My point is, I can own 10 cars and 20 motorbikes and employ 5 drivers and live in Bang Tao, BUT, ask me the question, "Does Phuket have a public transport problem with the tuk-tuk cartel?" I would reply, "Yes." Even though it doesn't effect me, I know it exists, on a large scale.

I agree with you that Phuket "ticks all of the boxes." It has a lot of facilities in close proximity that are of reasonable standard, although, does lack some infastructure.

My main "dig" at you BTB is you do not accept anyone else for their individuality. We are all different and we all have "different boxes that we want ticked." For some, Phuket USED to tick all the boxes, now, it doesn't. For others, Phuket, in the past, NEVER ticked all the boxes, now it does. (you mentioned having kids and International Schools - a good example)

So, the reasons you mentioned for loving the place, I all agree with, BUT, the reasons the OP mentioned for moving away, I also agree with. I can see both sides. I can see the positives, and the negatives to Phuket, and I mean the whole island, not just Patong. At the moment, for me, the negatives are not enough to see me move away, however, I don't know about the future. As mentioned, I will continue to evaluate my happiness here. My original reply to the OP was to look around Thailand and SE Asia. There are places where a lot of the negatives he mentioned, don't exist. He/she doesn't have to go back to the UK. The OP obviously would like different "boxes ticked" to what you need/like. Just accept the OP's "boxes" the way he/she would accept your "boxes." I do.

Edited August 12, 2011 by NamKangMan

[NamKangMan]

Im siding fully 100 percent with bang tao boy, Phuket is unmatched in its over all package, and i have been to a lot of places in asia. BTW dont waste your time in vietnam its a shit hole and the people make the tuk tuk drivers, jetski operators, and phuket touts look like angels.

For the people who crack the shits with Thai people in Patong......

I used to live in kings cross in Sydney, and guess what? I didnt meet any people of substance there. Patong is Thailands equivalent of Kings Cross, I wouldnt be looking to form any lifelong friendships with the expats or locals in Nana Plaza, Orchid towers, Angeles City, EDSA center, LA Cafe, Gaylung, Duxton Rd, Soi Cowboy, Pat Pong or the whole of Chonburi.

To use a BTB analegy, it sounds like you went to the equivalent of the Patong of Vietnam. :) Are you saying all Vietnam is like the places where you went???? You can't have the argument both ways. BTB is saying Patong is different to other places on Phuket, and I agree, BUT, as stated, that does not mean certain "issues" don't exist for certain people, in certain places, on the island.

My experiences of Vietnam have been very, very different to yours. I've been there many times. I think the place is great.

The point is, I accept that fo,r whatever reasons, you have a vastly different opinion about Vietnam than mine. That's fine. Can we accept the OP's reasons, in the same way I accept your view on Vietnam, as his reasons for leaving, because, in he/she's eyes, those negatives exist, are real and enough to make them leave. Or, in your case, not go back to Vietnam.

It's all in the eye of the individual and their own particular set of circumstances and their experiences.