How is Saigon?

[Crazy chef 1]

Due that I probably have to move over to HCM-city I would like to know how is the life there?is it very different from here?how are the living expenses?what to expect?

If we move we move as family though how fit a Thai into Vietnam?

Any suggestions?

[CharlieH]

Moved to SE Asia forum

[jed2002]

saigon is cool, look like bkk 30 years ago.

It's cheaper than Bkk for many things, the downtown is smaller than bkk as well

A lot of motorbike, but the traffic is not too dense, easy to travel around the city shortly

A lot of foreigner restaurants, few pubs, few night clubs

It's harder to communicate, they don't speak English at all, but overall if I have to choose between bkk and saigon for a job opportunity, i would choose saigon

[phazey]

Saigon is a lovely place to live, I did so for about a year. The missus and son liked it too. I tend to class it as somewhere in-between Thailand and Myanmar..

You'll probably want to look at places around District 7, I lived a little nearer central HCM in District 4. There's a nice big supermarket/shopping centre there.

I paid a grand USD for my place, but it was a nice penthouse with lovely views.

[Crazy chef 1]

saigon is cool, look like bkk 30 years ago.

It's cheaper than Bkk for many things, the downtown is smaller than bkk as well

A lot of motorbike, but the traffic is not too dense, easy to travel around the city shortly

A lot of foreigner restaurants, few pubs, few night clubs

It's harder to communicate, they don't speak English at all, but overall if I have to choose between bkk and saigon for a job opportunity, i would choose saigon

Thanks mate...

[AJBangkok]

Depending on how you live your life HCMC can be far more expensive than Bangkok. The biggest difference will be in housing. If you want to live in what would be the equivalent of lower to mid sukhumvit then you'll be looking at District 1, 3, or An Phu. For family's An Phu is where you want to be. Rents are substantially higher for what you get in Bangkok for similar money.

Unless you shop at fresh markets then your food costs will most likely be slightly higher. Any type of eating out at non Vietnamese restaurants will substantially more expensive than Bangkok. Beer is cheaper everywhere.Cable TV will be cheaper and internet will be the same. If your landlord has registered the dwelling for rent to a foreigner then your electricity will have a 100% foreign surcharge which will put it around 50-60% higher than thai price. Nightlife sucks. There are foreign places and local places. Local places are totally packed out and within a month you'll know all the foreign places and be seeing all the same faces everywhere you go. You're far less likely to get into an altrication with a Vietnamese male than a thai male, but they do get in your face more. If you are have an Asian wife then they will openly hit on her or try to give her their number

If you want to live like a local Vietnamese then you can live very cheaply. You can find a room for $500 a month and eat local food and the cost will be lower than Bangkok.

[HeijoshinCool]

Been there twice. Loved it. If I were to come back to SE Asia, I'd spend time in that neck of the woods.

But watch out for the cabs. Take only Vinasun Taxi.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I have not lived in HCMC but go there a lot. Lots of great bars and restaurants, especially in District 1 ("downtown"). Staff in shops and restaurants often speak English very well. Many cab drivers also speak some English, way better than Thai drivers.

Overall, it's a Vietnamese city with a heavy western look and feel. Lots of parks and shade trees downtown. I love it. But, sadly, rents are high.

Also note, HCMC's first subway is under construction for the downtown route through D1.

[Crazy chef 1]

thanks so far...any more tips???

[rak sa_ngop]

Yes, if you walk the streets, never walk past behind a bus shelter. That's where lots of people go for a dump.

[dirtypierre]

I came here to HCMC in 2009 on the spur of the moment decision after I left BKK in a hurry. My train into BKK from Hua Hin got held up by protesters and after just escaping swampy when they occupied that I said enough is enough and flew out the next day to Cambodia. Hadn't done my research and landed during their Tet holiday and the streets of Phnom Penh were near deserted. Thats when I hopped on a bus to HCMC. First thing I noticed was how much cleaner it was to other cities in SEASIA. Fell in love with the people straight away. I had been eating Vietnamese food since the first boat people arrived in Australia in 1975 so was very familiar with the food. Fitted in nicely. its 2015 and I'm still in love with the place. Took all of 15 mins to open a bank ac and had a visa debit card a week later. Got a Vietnam drivers licence and bought a brand new Honda PCX motorscooter and never looked back.

[Phatbeets]

Its a pulsating city that is currently changing on a weekly basis but it doesnt have nearly the charm and beauty of BKK.

[Phatbeets]

Also I can see why Crazy chef 1 says the traffic is not dense since its essentially motorbikes compared to cars and bus in bkk but living

there I would eventually get nuts quickly because of the uninterrupted horns of those flaccid motorbikes. Basically you fell like it will never stops

whereas I now lots of big streets in bkk where its calm at 10 pm.

Here you have a couple of thousand motorbikes in one shot.

[hanno]

I have lived in Vietnam for 15 years before moving to Cambodia. There are many parts I love but I hate HCMC. Traffic is horrendous with people riding their bikes down sidewalks and traffic lights being largely ignored. The noise levels are terrible, the Vietnamese share that trait with the Chinese.

Having said that, the food is great and if you can stay in one of the more affluent districts, life is good. I do not agree that nobody speaks English but it would be wise to try and learn some Vietnamese quickly.

[JB300]

What are the long(ish) Visa options like for Vietnam?

[hanno]

Vietnam has become fairly tough on visas. Companies can only employ a certain number of foreigners, I believe it is 3 foreigners for as 100 local staff. At the moment I can only get a 3-month multiple entry visa though I do not know if this only applies to Cambodia.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Vietnam has become fairly tough on visas. Companies can only employ a certain number of foreigners, I believe it is 3 foreigners for as 100 local staff. At the moment I can only get a 3-month multiple entry visa though I do not know if this only applies to Cambodia.

How much is the 3-month multiple?

[hanno]

Here in Vietnam I think I paid USD 125. Not sure as my company takes care of it.

[NanLaew]

Vietnam has become fairly tough on visas. Companies can only employ a certain number of foreigners, I believe it is 3 foreigners for as 100 local staff. At the moment I can only get a 3-month multiple entry visa though I do not know if this only applies to Cambodia.

How much is the 3-month multiple?

US$95 at the airport on arrival; which I think is about the same they charge at an Embassy or Consulate.

But make sure you have obtained an official letter from Vietnamese Immigration before you fly here. The airlines won't let you board your flight to Vietnam if you do not have a current visa in your passport OR the aforementioned letter.

[fey]

did not care for hcmc at all, but i dont like bkk either.

prefer chiang mai and hanoi. probably works in reverse as well.

if you the expat pub and food type or need to "pretend your at home" stick with hcmc.

[newarrior]

Just did a month in Saigon---ladies are slower to get intimate--but much more reliable than Thai women..Viets more hard working, honest capitalistic but less friendly more of a hard sale...Prostittion and massage parlours more dicey--can get raided by police..Commie party says foreigner cannot sleep with locals unless he gets a seperate room OR is married...Need to check in advance with hotel before booking to confirm the policy,.,Overall I liked Vietnam--just wish (like Thailand) they could get a strong democracy like Taiwan

[Wrong Turn]

I lived in Saigon for 7 years until a couple years ago.

I still travel and visit friends there.

Feels free to ask.

[MrWorldwide]

I accept that I come from a different culture, but seriously ...

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/26872914/girl-finds-pet-dog-cooked-and-ready-for-sale/

Dog theft seems to be an increasing problem in the West too, but the news editors must have wet themselves when they got that photo. I guess its not much different to mum butchering our pets when we were kids - sheep mainly - but its still a tough photo to look at.

[Tomtomtom69]

saigon is cool, look like bkk 30 years ago.

It's cheaper than Bkk for many things, the downtown is smaller than bkk as well

A lot of motorbike, but the traffic is not too dense, easy to travel around the city shortly

A lot of foreigner restaurants, few pubs, few night clubs

It's harder to communicate, they don't speak English at all, but overall if I have to choose between bkk and saigon for a job opportunity, i would choose saigon

Most places a foreigner is likely to go to, including hotels, the main market such as Ben Thanh market, restaurants, banks, tourist areas in general will have plenty of English speaking staff, who speak English much better than their Thai counterparts.

Elsewhere and amongst the older generation (except those that helped the Americans during the war) the level of English fluency varies from very little to none. But in general it's not hard to get by with just English and I've noticed it's more common for a foreigner to be addressed in English at say a minimart or supermarket in Saigon than it is in Bangkok, where the cashiers will tell you how much to pay in Thai.

[Tomtomtom69]

Vietnam has become fairly tough on visas. Companies can only employ a certain number of foreigners, I believe it is 3 foreigners for as 100 local staff. At the moment I can only get a 3-month multiple entry visa though I do not know if this only applies to Cambodia.

Wow that's crazy. I did work in Vietnam in 2012, but my company didn't want to go through with the hassle of organising official work visas and work permits, so I just got a 3-month multi entry. Didn't know that the restrictions are seemingly much stricter than in Thailand, which I thought was the most restrictive in ASEAN until I read your post.

However, as long as you're not looking to work, I believe 6-month visas are still possible, but very expensive. I heard that in Cambodia (specifically Sihanoukville) they may still issue 12-month visas but indeed most people are going to find themselves going for a 3-month multi entry that is then extendable twice? inside the country.

[Tomtomtom69]

Depending on how you live your life HCMC can be far more expensive than Bangkok. The biggest difference will be in housing. If you want to live in what would be the equivalent of lower to mid sukhumvit then you'll be looking at District 1, 3, or An Phu. For family's An Phu is where you want to be. Rents are substantially higher for what you get in Bangkok for similar money.

Unless you shop at fresh markets then your food costs will most likely be slightly higher. Any type of eating out at non Vietnamese restaurants will substantially more expensive than Bangkok. Beer is cheaper everywhere.Cable TV will be cheaper and internet will be the same. If your landlord has registered the dwelling for rent to a foreigner then your electricity will have a 100% foreign surcharge which will put it around 50-60% higher than thai price. Nightlife sucks. There are foreign places and local places. Local places are totally packed out and within a month you'll know all the foreign places and be seeing all the same faces everywhere you go. You're far less likely to get into an altrication with a Vietnamese male than a thai male, but they do get in your face more. If you are have an Asian wife then they will openly hit on her or try to give her their number

If you want to live like a local Vietnamese then you can live very cheaply. You can find a room for $500 a month and eat local food and the cost will be lower than Bangkok.

I disagree about the eating at non-Vietnamese restaurants part. In my experience, most western restaurants charge substantially LESS than their Thai counterparts. I usually go to a French restaurant when in Saigon, Ga nuong phap it's called. Great place, good food and generally less than 100,000 Dong (that's barely US$5) per dish. Tell me where I can find a French restaurant with US$5 meals in Bangkok. Oh that's right, you can't, because there is none. One of the few French restaurants in Bangkok, Le Vendome (which uses the same name as a restaurant of the same name in Vientiane, who copied who I wonder?) charges about 1000 Baht for dinner, minimum and that's if you go for the dinner special that serves the tiniest amount of food I've ever seen, judging by the pictures on their Facebook page (though the food looks good). Even eating out at a chain restaurant in Thailand is going to be expensive (like 300+ Baht per person), but it's only about half that price in Saigon.

Want a baguette with some filling? How about 29,000 Dong (around 46 Baht) for an excellent one at the coffee shop chain Highlands Coffee. What about at the Thai equivalent Au Bon Pain you may ask? That'll be at least 160 Baht, thanks. And not nearly as good either.