Retirement In Vietnam, good Idea or Bad idea?

[confusedasheck 21]

Will Vietnam still be cheap in the future is probably a better question.

As for the traffic and pollution, the government is trying to construct an MRT (subway) system in HCMC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City_Metro

If that is successful, it would make getting around HCMC a lot easier. Could be finished by the time some of you retire.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Will Vietnam still be cheap in the future is probably a better question.

As for the traffic and pollution, the government is trying to construct an MRT (subway) system in HCMC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City_Metro

If that is successful, it would make getting around HCMC a lot easier. Could be finished by the time some of you retire.

The economy is improving, and that's raising the cost of living, but they have a very long way to go before the cost of living will be anywhere close to what it is in the US. China has seen explosive growth over the past 20 years, but the cost of living there is still about 1/3 what it is in the US, and Vietnam has a ways to go before they catch up with China. Some of you younger folks might live to see Vietnam achieve economic parity with the US (or not - there is more than just the economy standing in their way), but I doubt I will. My biggest concern is travel costs. Four round trips a year for two people will put a big dent in any savings we'd see from living there half the year. We may have to cut back to two round trips a year, and stay for six months at a time. The upside is I'll probably maintain a pretty healthy weight, given my aversion to Vietnamese food.

[ScottThuy 140]

The economy is improving, and that's raising the cost of living, but they have a very long way to go before the cost of living will be anywhere close to what it is in the US. China has seen explosive growth over the past 20 years, but the cost of living there is still about 1/3 what it is in the US, and Vietnam has a ways to go before they catch up with China. Some of you younger folks might live to see Vietnam achieve economic parity with the US (or not - there is more than just the economy standing in their way), but I doubt I will. My biggest concern is travel costs. Four round trips a year for two people will put a big dent in any savings we'd see from living there half the year. We may have to cut back to two round trips a year, and stay for six months at a time. The upside is I'll probably maintain a pretty healthy weight, given my aversion to Vietnamese food.

great point o the cost of the commute. I remember getting flights from the east coast for 700 RT not too long ago and now it runs twice that to 3 times that on average. 500/mo just to cover the cost of travel for 4 of us, if its just two and we dont mind a long trip then the cost can be reduced. I see Roger droppin lbs since he migrated. He may have to change that user name before too long.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Jim,

my wife's sister and her husband, both struggling to make ends meet in San Diego for about 2 years now, are in the process of moving to . . . no, I kid you not, the small city of Sweet Home, Oregon, where they have purchased a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home out of a foreclosure for $68K.

Fresh air, beautiful scenery, 7 parks, and only a few miles away from Lebanon (again, no joke), and if you have paid cash for such a house (which they did), and have a little garden, I'm sure you can live off $2K (or even less) a month with 2 people. The price of that house is probably not more than you'd be for a halfway decent RV, but in contrast to the RV, it will not depreciate.

Just sayin . . .

[BatonRouge Bill 2]

This seems to be a really nice strategy, I would love to Retire in Vietnam, problem for me is Linh is from HCMC and loves it there. It is ok but being a web footed coonass from Louisiana I would feel boxed in. I live in countryside near the city were I work and commute to the city for work and shopping, entertainment ext. I have sports fishing boats, love home gardening and hunting. Trying to reconcile my hobbies to live in vietnam would at least require me to live in the outskirts of HCMC towards the delta somewhere. I love Danang, I think that is paridise on earth. Being a cajun with the reputation that we eat anything (and not always meant as a compliment) the food wasnt exotic at all to me. Infact as I was getting aquainted with her family they were concerned with what to cook for me and Linh told them "don't worry about him, he is normal" hehe. I have to say that made me feel welcome into the family. Linh recently showed me a photo of a louisiana restaurant in the Tan Son Nhat airport, Anyway, for me I would still need a Ranger size PU to pull a boat and a house to live, all of which are taxed to the gills. Those are the three hurdles I think I would have to get over to live there. Hoi an is nice but Hue is a bit far inland for me even with the perfume river there, much like HCMC. Living in South Louisiana I understand a bit about flooding. And would have to live in a house on Piles like here. Nah Trang, is also really nice Muine and Vung Tau is also options. I work for an oil company that is doing some work there and I may consider a transfer as that would cover housing expenses. I also own some rentals which i would turn over to a management co. for rent collection and repairs. My Retirement from oil company as well as rental income would easily cover our living expenses there. I have 59 more months until eligble for retirement so I am hoping for the job transfer. I obviously have a lot to sort thru before a move can be put into motion.

Edited October 16, 2013 by BatonRouge Bill

[T&T&T 31]

if you are thinking about moving to Vietnam you might be interested in the following:

As with all cities, Ho Chi Minh has her own personality. L.A. has her smog; Chicago has her wind and Ho Chi Minh City has her white noise. She is a lady filled with the constant roar from the millions of motorbikes dashing to and fro in a system of what I call organized chaos. Hour after hour, 7 days a week the motorbike traffic reminds me of the activity I see in an ant hill or bee hive where there is constant motion. The air pollution created by this endless stream of motorbikes can be seen by the naked eye, but it is most noticeable when you take your shower at the end of the day and your white, wash cloth is now gray. I venture to guess that more than fifty percent of the population wears some sort of face mask to filter the air they breath.

If I were to rank the cities of the world, I would rank Ho Chi Minh City close to the bottom in most desirable cities to live category.

The streets are narrow and crowded; there are no Central Parks or Hyde Parks here. There are no world class museums, art galleries or Las Vegas style entertainment here, however there are a few cinemas with current English speaking movies.

A walk along any of the rivers here will be accompanied by a foul odor from the pollution.

There are two weather season here. Hot and wet, during the hot season the average temperature can stay in the mid 90s for months with no rain, while during the wet season it can rain day after day for a few months but it seems like much more.

Unlike western governments where officials try to hide their corruption, government officials here are openly corrupt. The police take bribes, office workers take bribes, company workers take bribes, and government inspectors take bribes. Bribes are such a common practice the police are known as a Saigon Uncles. If you want to get anything done here, money talks. Its just the way it is.

The city sidewalks are a story within themselves. Most of them are in need of a major repair, they are uneven, broken and hard to walk on. That is, when you can walk on them. They are cluttered with thousands of small vendors and used to display clothes, shoes, glasses, wallets, belts, toys, bedding, makeup, lottery tickets, okay you get the picture. This is on the part of the sidewalk that is not being used for parking motorbikes or the temporary use for the food vendors. Half the population of this city sells food in front of their homes or drinks from small portable kiosks. Everything is taken in at night or it will not be there the next morning. Theft is a big problem here. Another 35 percent make a living by selling other products on the sidewalks. When I go for my evening walk I spend most of my time walking in the street hoping not to be run down by a motorbike.

If I have painted you a picture of an undesirable place to live let me try and give you another view. What I have described is an inconvenience to me but to the citizens of Ho Chi Minh it is the way they stay alive. I am not sure but this could be the small business capital of the world. There are simple handmade signs displayed everywhere to attract a buyers attention. As I walk I see a mom serving food from her small kiosk while her three year old daughter sleeps on a makeshift bed under the kiosk. Every day I observe hundreds of people walking the sidewalks selling lottery tickets of which they get to keep a small percentage of the sale price. Some are handicapped, some are not handicapped, men, women, young and old (some as young as 3 or 4 years old) but everyone must eat. I walk by a machine shop that has finished a day of work and now has been converted into a small restaurant. The cook is the owners wife. I watch the unloading of a barge of coconuts or melons, one at a time, down a human conveyer to a waiting cart. Bag ladies continually canvass the sidewalks for recyclables to sell. Sometimes I laugh to myself when I see a melting bag of ice being delivered by a man on a bicycle on a 95 degree day. I often wonder how much ice will get to his customer. I am amazed to watch a construction worker move a large pile of sand or gravel with a 5 gallon bucket. No obesity in the construction industry here. What I see is hard working people being self-sufficient in simple but sometimes ingenious ways. I can find many things to complain about here but I would rather dwell on the human spirit and determination to do whatever it takes to provide for their family. After the work day, that can last more than twelve hours, millions of these workers return to their home which can be a simple room shared with three or four other workers. I talked to one hotel worker who would sleep on the floor in the hotel lobby because she had more space there than in her two room apartment that she shared with 5 other young ladies. If you live in a house it is reasonable to assume that your parents or other relatives will live with you. There is a saying here that you dont marry a bride, you marry the family. Since, for the most part, there is no social welfare or government retirement programs here, the younger family members take care of the older family members, but dont fret, someday someone will take care of you. In my conversations about having to care for their mother or father or both there seems to be no resentment. There is more of a feeling of responsibility. But on the other hand, boundaries are established covering food, expenses, territory and many other facets of two or more families living together and are strictly adhered to. Family members crossing any of the boundaries are dealt with quickly and bluntly.

Families here pay directly to the school each month to have their child educated. If you dont pay, the teachers refuse to teach the child. This makes it especially hard for a child in a poor family. Young children are taught at an early age that there is no free ride. Many times I have observed a small child sitting in a corner of a business doing school homework on their own while their mother or father is working. Pre-teens and teens alike, ride bicycles to school, or mom or dad takes them to and from school. This includes at lunch time. There are no school busses or school cafeterias. If you child does not take an interest in learning and does poorly on achievement exams they are prohibited from advancing to the next level. Many students drop out of school at an early age.

Now to sum it up:

Do you remember walking to your neighborhood grocery store? Do you remember buying a pair of eyeglasses and having a limited selections to choose from? Do you remember when your purchase was not covered by a money back guarantee? Do you remember when your child when to a school in the neighborhood? Do you remember when you could get in to see your doctor the same day you felt ill? Can you remember when there was no fire, electrical, plumbing or building inspectors? Do you remember when 90 percent of the food you ate had no artificial coloring or sweeteners and you went to the market every day to buy fresh fruits and vegetables? Do you remember when you could eat a meat, vegetable, soup and a drink for lunch and it would cost less than two dollars. This is everyday life here. Good and bad, lonely and exciting, boring and stimulating, humbling and gratifying. If I have learned anything at all this year living among the people of an Asian culture, I guess it would be that I can do with a lot less and it is enough.

[DreamNHope 9]

TTT, all the negatives yet why millions of VNese can survive living there in Saigon?

Adaptation! You do what you've gotta do. There're tons of Vneses (esp the older folks) constantly desire to move back there once they've achieved the 40 credits to qualify for Social Security monthly checks. They simply think the cheaper and more affordable living cost there will benefit them.

For me personally, there're more things in life than just money to make you happy. And it's hard to explain it here. But in short, the suffocation feeling when surrounded by waves of people everywhere constantly throughout the day just makes me shiver of the thought living there.

I do feel like an ant living in a giant colony!

BTW this will offend some ppl here so please do forgive me. But in such chaos environment, finding someone trully in love with you (and not in the game for something else in their mind) is indeed a challenge!

Edited October 18, 2013 by DreamNHope

[T&T&T 31]

Your point is a very creditable one and should be considered while finding "true love" here, however it has happened here many times and will happen again. The same is true in any country when a "have" is falling in love with a "have not".

[htien88it 0]

Hi, friends

I live in Hanoi , Vietnam and I really love this place. It is a good idea to choose Vietnam be your destination