Could I live on USD$20,000 per year in HCMC?

[BinhJerome 14]

agreed with DQ if you're still able to earn an income and work, why would you want to move to vietnam? and unless you have a big 500k mansion secluded somewhere and away from the city living in luxury with multiple helpers(which i wouldn't want anyway)...it's so chaotic and lawless that you may be in constant danger and not even know it.

as a matter of fact before i filed the K1 my SO said why couldn't we just buy a house in saigon and live there instead of moving to the US...i told her are you crazy the opportunity and life is in the USA, not here.

i would love to take a job over there earning a US salary for maybe 6mos-1yr...but i'll eventually get sick of that life and the unbearable heat and would yearn to go back to america with all the things we take for granted. when i'm older maybe i'll retire to a farm away from the city raising cattles and chickens and grow rice (provided there's working toilet, running water, electricity, high speed internet, a/c, flat screen tv, etc etc )

Not to burst your bubble, but everyone is different, there are quite a few of us living here that are of working age, and we make more than we would in America as teachers. Some even own their own shops selling things and they also make more money than they do in the US. I am not going to say I am making over 50K a year in Vietnam, but the cost of living is so much less it is like I am making 75K a year AFTER TAX. Is it like this for everyone, probably not, but I have the big flat screen, the AC, the high speed internet, the running water and many many other things. Of course TB is a risk, that I would not be taking in America as it is very rare there, but when I went to the hospital because of an ear ache and all they did was check my blood pressure look in my ear and write a script, then hand me a $350 bill, paying a few hundred for TB treatment is still way cheaper than anything that would happen in the US. My medication for BP was over $300 for a 3 month supply, I can get the same thing here for $30 for 3 months. In the US you might not have to worry about TB, but you do have to worry about being shot and killed depending on what city you live in, every country has its bad sides, and every country has its good sides, but living in Viet Nam today for many people is much nicer than living in the US, you can live here for $10,000 a year and pay rent doing so, if you buy an apartment (foreigners still cannot buy a house, only an apartment) then you can live very comfortably for $5000 a year if you dont have a house/rent payment, try doing that in the US. Jerome

[utst10 0]

I have only recently travelled to Vietnam in the past 2 years.

I have lived most of my life (since 6) in America.

Saigon is to crowded but Long An is a perfect place to live.

I can deal with the heat and all...in fact, it's not as hot as Houston!

The only thing that gets me is the "toilets"! Why are all the toilet rooms alway wet????

Most of them have hose bibbs???

If you plan correctly, retiring in Vietnam (building a nice house with huge yards) is easily achieved because of the cost of living.

[Dau Que 6]

Not to burst your bubble, but everyone is different, there are quite a few of us living here that are of working age, and we make more than we would in America as teachers. Some even own their own shops selling things and they also make more money than they do in the US. I am not going to say I am making over 50K a year in Vietnam, but the cost of living is so much less it is like I am making 75K a year AFTER TAX. Is it like this for everyone, probably not, but I have the big flat screen, the AC, the high speed internet, the running water and many many other things. Of course TB is a risk, that I would not be taking in America as it is very rare there, but when I went to the hospital because of an ear ache and all they did was check my blood pressure look in my ear and write a script, then hand me a $350 bill, paying a few hundred for TB treatment is still way cheaper than anything that would happen in the US. My medication for BP was over $300 for a 3 month supply, I can get the same thing here for $30 for 3 months. In the US you might not have to worry about TB, but you do have to worry about being shot and killed depending on what city you live in, every country has its bad sides, and every country has its good sides, but living in Viet Nam today for many people is much nicer than living in the US, you can live here for $10,000 a year and pay rent doing so, if you buy an apartment (foreigners still cannot buy a house, only an apartment) then you can live very comfortably for $5000 a year if you dont have a house/rent payment, try doing that in the US. Jerome

There's nothing wrong with working overseas (Aramco in Saudi Arabia). But when you start thinking selling your major assets like house, cars, whatever and move to VN, which is a very very very poor country (translating ppl there will constantly find a scheme to rob your $$$, legally or not), it's NOT the same. You think VNese laws will protect you?

Nevertheless, as I said earlier in this thread, if you gamble and come out as a loser in the end, the result will NOT be pleasant. There're winners and losers in Vegas. Gamble your heart out!

Edited April 27, 2011 by Dau Que

[ongxabaxa 0]

i am an vietnamese american citizen living in can tho at the moment....well ngha bay to be more exact and it is only about 10 mins motor drive from can tho. i have been living here for almost three years now. met a beautiful girl and fell in love. currently working on our timeline and 10 year residency. i work for an insurance company prudential which owns other small insurance companies throughout the world. i am only 31 years old and came to vietnam the first time to visit my grandparents when i was 21 and fell in love with the people. sorry the place is a mess, but getting better. slowly but surely. i earn an american salary of $39,000 per year and paid $ weekly. i have never lived this comfortable in my life. besides the humidity and mosquitos that i can never get use to ever life for me is stable.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Interesting thread. The TB thing is real, but not something to go crazy over. My brother-in-law had TB, fairly bad at one point, but no one else around him has had it and since he finally quit smoking, his health has improved greatly. No one has tested positive in the family either. He caught it from being in the army and it festered because their medical care for the military is #######. The food is #######. It's just #######.

As to the moving to Vietnam thing... Now imagine if you make 60 grand a year in NYC. That doesn't go very far. Imagine if you can transfer to Saigon with that same salary. You no longer have to pay NY and NYC income taxes. Just federal. That is my wife's situation. Add my salary, which won't be anywhere near as much in Vietnam, but it will give us anywhere from 800 to a grand extra a month if I am lucky enough to find something (it would be great if I can find something that pays more, but I am being realistic and worst case scenario in planning).

Should I pull the feature off, I could make a killing. Even if no...

You can live comfortably, people, have a maid or nanny and can do some travelling. All that (in our case) save two grand a month. Should we be disciplined and stay five years, that's 100 grand. None of that is possible for us here in NY. For us it is pay check to pay check without leading a life we can enjoy. I despise it. My wife loves NYC, but wants kids and the ability to travel and actually go out. So we will risk it.

If you own a home and a car, sell them yes, but put most of that money aside, in the USA, where your Vietnamese spouse cannot get to it. Keep your safety net. Don't be stupid. Always protect yourself. But without risk, there is no reward, people. I'm going to go for it.

Edited April 27, 2011 by Matt_Stevens

[Dai. 7]

I lived in Vietnam for almost 3 years making a six figure salary, had a driver with a brand new innova, had my company pay for all my living expenses, including food (i ate good most of the time at highend restaurants) , maid services and lived in a high rise apartment in hcmc. All our healthcare was taken care of by french doctors in that franco french hospital.

I have no desire to ever go back and live in vietnam. The quality of living in the united states is far better. Plus things like a nice sports car or tvs and other elctronics are cheaper in the US than in vietnam. $50k-60k for a freaking civic! Outrageous! No thanks for paying high premiums for higher standards of living.

[Dai. 7]

I lived in Vietnam for almost 3 years making a six figure salary, had a driver with a brand new innova, had my company pay for all my living expenses, including food (i ate good most of the time at highend restaurants) , maid services and lived in a high rise apartment in hcmc. All our healthcare was taken care of by french doctors in that franco french hospital.

I have no desire to ever go back and live in vietnam. The quality of living in the united states is far better. Plus things like a nice sports car or tvs and other elctronics are cheaper in the US than in vietnam. $50k-60k for a freaking civic! Outrageous! No thanks for paying high premiums for higher standards of living.

[Dai. 7]

Whoop lost internet connection

[Matt_Stevens 5]

The high prices for cars is absurd, which is why I told the wife, no car. No way.

It'll suck paying a lot of money for a nice TV, but there are trade-offs.

[tcTTct 37]

TVs are not very expensive in VN, just cars and iphones etc.

[Dai. 7]

If you compare apples to apples tv's in vn cost more.

[BinhJerome 14]

If you compare apples to apples tv's in vn cost more.

Not really, they have TCL which is cheaper than the cheap sets in America, and the Sony and Samsung tv's are very close in price, but regardless if they are a bit more in Vietnam or not, the cost of living and electricity in 1 years time will pay the difference 10 fold. TCL 50" at TET time was 10 million, about $500 usd, can you find a 50" flat screen in the US for $500, maybe on black friday you could find one that cheap, but not every day, currently off tet prices they are 13 million, which is about $600 because of the new Dong rate still once again comparable to us prices

[tcTTct 37]

Sure. My point was that it's not to the same extent as a 60k Civic.

[quann 26]

yea i realize everyone's situation is different. of course if i could pull down a 100k+ usd job in vietnam and have all the nice modern amenities pay for i'll gladly grit my teeth and stay there for 2-3 years. for most (including me) that's not realistic. comparing living in vietnam to the usa and speaking as a VN USC who grew up in vietnam his first 9 years and have lived in the US the past 23+ years i came up with a list:

pro:

*cheapness--yes everything you can get your hands on is cheaper (excluding cars)...

that's about all i got for the pro side.

con:

*weather--the heat is unbearable and inescapable...its presence is omnipresent from 9am-8pm

*dirtiness/diseases--with any 3rd world country if you step outside you're hit with it. if you go to eat you're better off not knowing where they got the food, how they prepared it, how it was cooked. with sub-standard healthcare the general population is in poor health and you're at direct risk.

*lawlessness--i love driving the moped around when i'm in vietnam, everyday i'd see a major moped accident (vs car/bus/other moped etc)...i know the risk and drive willingly. also good luck with the police dept for minor safety issues that we take for granted in america.

those are the 3 major cons...there are other minor ones like you got to be on guard all the time. if you want to buy a banana be prepared to haggle, generally like DQ said 90% of the population is shady and out to scam you somehow. i don't blame them, the living condition is so harsh it's just the way of life to survive.

if you're getting paid 100k with your own driver, cook, assistant...nicely furnished apt with central air and 1st rate living condition...then go for it cuz you're lucky. at the end of the day though sometimes i just want to kick back and watch a ball game, or take my son for a bike ride around the park breathing in fresh air, or go snowboarding...that's not happening in VN.

Edited April 28, 2011 by quann

[Dai. 7]

if you're getting paid 100k with your own driver, cook, assistant...nicely furnished apt with central air and 1st rate living condition...then go for it cuz you're lucky. at the end of the day though sometimes i just want to kick back and watch a ball game, or take my son for a bike ride around the park breathing in fresh air, or go snowboarding...that's not happening in VN.

I couldn't agree more! And screw vn traffic.