Vietnam has become a popular destination for expats and tourists since it reopened for Western investment and tourism in the late 1980s. The main hotspots for foreign residence are the main cities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon or HCMC), Da Nang, and Nha Trang (the hottest spot for the Russian expat crowd).
Vietnam has come a long way in terms of development in the past thirty years - most especially regarding tourism accommodations - but the day-to-day of living in Vietnam can still be a real clusterstorm sometimes. There's a lot to love about Vietnam, but one should be fully aware of the total package before moving here, so let's have a chat about the day-to-day of living where we and many other expats call home: Thao Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City (now actually Thu Duc City, a sub-city of HCMC, but...whatever).
It's Vietnam
You step outside. Any time of day. The aroma of grilling pork fills your nostrils. Chickens and dogs are everywhere. As you wade through the grill smoke and humidity, what's that tickling your eardrums? A dying giraffe? An emergency broadcast system for whales? No, no...that's...Celine Dion; it's the Titanic theme. *Oooonce more, you open the door...*
6:00 a.m. BBQ and street karaoke? You must be in Vietnam.
Walking around Thao Dien, you'll see bánh mì and phở for sale on every corner; you'll see grandmas helping toddlers pee in the street and Grab drivers helping themselves do the same. You'll see high-stakes Vietnamese checkers, plenty of badminton, and even a little shuttlecock-kicking. Perhaps more than anything you'll see loads of shirts rolled up above well-rounded middle-aged man-bellies, often in preparation for either karaoke, shots of homemade rice wine, or both. The Boss calls this marvel of body temperature regulation Vietnamese air-conditioning.
What else happens in Vietnam?
Gardening! A farmer grew some weed last year to feed his chickens so they wouldn't get sick. Oh for sure.
Sharing! In Hanoi last year, another man was arrested for trafficking human kidneys. Only $12,000 USD a pop - and some of that even goes to the kidney's previous owner!
Recycling! Who says Vietnam doesn't recycle? Look no further than the Binh Duong province for a sweet deal on cleaned, dried, fresh-looking secondhand condoms!
If you move to Vietnam, be ready for noise. Motorbike noise. Megaphones on motorbikes shouting at you to buy bánh mì noise. Karaoke. Perhaps the most endearing trait of the Vietnamese is their unabashed love for karaoke. Nobody holes up in a soundproof booth to do karaoke in Vietnam. The Vietnamese do it in the street at full blast. The pure joy that karaoke brings the Vietnamese melts the heart; there is no shame, no self-consciousness - just plenty of Vietnamese air-conditioning. It's perfect...unless it's a public holiday or weekend and you live below the 20th floor and you want to sleep past 6 a.m. on your day off - then it's just Vietnam.
Covid-19 in HCMC
We've been stuck in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic for about a year-and-a-half as of the initial publication of this article. In Vietnam, pandemic behavior is often strangely relaxed with stretches of confusion, miscommunication, fear, and ineptitude mixed in.
Vietnam largely missed the first vaccination boat and is now scrambling to catch up while simultaneously fighting Delta variant outbreaks. As of the July 2021 update of this article, Ho Chi Minh City continues to struggle through its first wave of serious outbreaks. There is a smidge of sunshine in this forecast: the outbreak has finally redirected some vaccine doses into HCMC.
The worst part of Covid-19 in Vietnam? Not being able to take a break. Those of us contracted to work in Vietnam during this period are virtually forbidden from leaving the country on pain of job loss because of how difficult it is to enter Vietnam legally at this time. Vietnam is welcoming, and the people are charming, but the chaos in the streets wears on a person. You might develop antibodies to the Covid, but nobody is immune to getting Vietnammed.
The best part of Covid-19 in Vietnam? The public contact-tracing 'travel schedules' that offer a detailed play-by-play of local residents' lives. Sadly, the authorities no longer publish these, but sweet Jesus H. Murphy, they were funny.
Read more on Covid-19 in HCMC (especially for American expats) in Hot as Phở, Vol. 6.
Motorbikes
There are too many motorbikes - way, way too many. Locals have too many. Expats have too many. At least half of the people who have them do not need them, and as bad as the crowding is because of all the motorbikes zooming everywhere and parked all over every sidewalk, the pollution they generate is worse. Reports by Nikkei, VnExpress, and many others describe the choking pollution in HCMC and name motorbikes as the primary culprit. Hanoi is worse, but HCMC is not improving. Plans to curb pollution by taking old bikes off the streets and replacing them with electric models have been slow on the uptake. Also, HCMC has purportedly begun a motorbike emissions testing program...yeah, we'll see how that goes.
What the Vietnamese can carry on the back of a motorbike defies physics - we're talking a pick-up truck's payload. A bureau. Twenty 18.5L jugs of water. A family of five and a dog. A knife shop. A dumpling shop. A block of styrofoam boxes three meters cubed. A flat-bed with disturbingly low walls filled with a mountain of broken glass. Grandma, two school-aged children, three dogs, all the ingredients for dinner, and some auto parts. A washer-dryer combo. A rusted two-story-tall spiral staircase. Not kidding. Forget nunchuck skills. Vietnamese motorbike skills are the truth.
Small Money
The cost of living in Vietnam - even in the expat districts in Hanoi and HCMC - is still quite low, especially if you are a couple, if you have a decent housing allowance, or both.
Carry around small bill denominations. The ATMs will almost always give you 500K bills. Thanks a lot, Standard Chartered. Before long, you'll grow tired of people asking if you have smaller bills - ones, fives, tens, and twenties, usually - and even if you don't have a ton of small money, you'd make your life much easier to always try to make clean change: an even 100K or 200K, for example. This is regularly the case even in places where one might normally expect to be able to make change such as grocery stores, convenience stores, and coffee shops.
Flooding
Flooding can get pretty ugly in Thao Dien from late spring through late autumn before the dry season sets in around the end of November. Sometimes it's tides, sometimes it's rain, and sometimes it's both. Be careful where you step because sometimes it's sewage, too.
Vietnam has indeed developed significantly in the last thirty years but not to the extent that some would have you believe. It truly is anyone's guess as to when or whether the flooding problem is ever fixed, and global climate change does not bode well for Vietnam.
A good realtor will know exactly what streets flood. Ask. We have an almost-always-dry path to work because we asked. If you need a good realtor, talk to Hang - her Instagram handle is @hangtranhcm_2017.
Eating
Living in Thao Dien, you will likely do your grocery shopping in several places.
You can find all your staples and most of what you'll ever need at An Phu Supermarket, a well-priced grocery store that carries a mix of local and Western items. Also, all of the ATMs in the world are in the An Phu Supermarket parking lot.
There are three main places to go for anything special, fancy, organic, or otherwise peculiarly Western: Annam Gourmet, Naman Market, and Le Square Epicier Fin. Annam has several locations, one of which is right across the street from An Phu Supermarket. If you need that one laundry detergent, cut of meat, face wash, or bag of organic raisins, this is likely your place. Annam also carries bakery products from Harvest Baking. We snatch up Harvest Baking tortillas whenever we see them, and HB also makes excellent English muffins.
Naman is just down Thao Dien street from An Phu Supermarket and Annam. We typically go to Naman for cheese, quinoa, maple syrup, and actual yellow lemons. Even though one can find a ridiculous assortment of fancy cheeses at Annam and Le Square, The Boss says that the shredded cheddars necessary for quesadillas, grilled cheese, general cheesy bread, etc. are usually easier to find at Naman, and Naman delivers. Le Square also delivers. We typically make an order of smoked salmon, organic jam, and sparkling water from Le Square, and Le Square is also where you want to pick up that big tub of quality ice cream.
There are several small specialty shops that do well in Thao Dien. HB is one, and they deliver. We frequent three others: Voelker Bakery, Café Tartine, and Humbl. foods. We enjoy Voelker's English muffins, apple galettes, Nutella doughnuts, and banana bread. Tartine, which delivers, will satisfy your bread requirements for french toast and sandwiches; Tartine also has good cinnamon and sugar-encrusted doughnuts and bags of shortbread chocolate chip cookies.
We have almond milk delivered in reusable glass jugs every week by Humbl. foods. Yes, that's right. We have a milkman. His name is Tom, and he's friends with our cat. You should help save the planet and buy his milk and granola.
Hey, guess what: There's Vietnamese food in Thao Dien. Your preferred spot probably won't have a name that means much to you if it has a name at all. We call ours 'Lady Noodles.' This is the sort of place where you'll find your USD $1.50 full Vietnamese meal. Aside from phở and bánh mì, the two local staples you'll find at these places are bún thịt ('dry noodles' with grilled pork) and cơm tấm ('broken rice' - again, with grilled pork). Both are delightful. Be careful with street food, however - that's where you'll run into MSG, unwashed vegetables, poor hygiene in general, and the associated gastrointestinal issues. The Vietnamese have stomachs of iron. You do not.
Even a relatively pricey Western-style sit-down meal in HCMC is reasonably-priced for anyone with an expat salary: spending the equivalent of USD $30-$40 will allow two hungry people to stuff themselves with drinks, appetizers, entrées, and dessert at a nice place. Most of your meals will likely cost about $5-$10 per person. It isn't hard to eat well enough for under $10 a day in HCMC in 2021. Not bad.
For more on eating lunch- and dinner-type food, check out Hot as Phở, Vol. 7: Eating HCMC.
As ever, we frequent several breakfast spots. If we feel like stepping out, we have a rotation of Tartine (same as above), Kitchen, and Marcel. By The Boss' decree, we're only allowed to go to Marcel once a month because of the decadent amount of butter and heavy cream they use in absolutely everything. Mmmm. I would eat myself to death without The Boss' benevolent guidance. Make a reservation for Marcel through facebook.
If we stay in for brunch, we typically order from either The Loop or Eddie's. Both have solid breakfast combos, and you also want to try The Loop's 'Panini Benedict' - Eggs Benedict on a grilled cheese sandwich. Mmmm. Use Eddie's facebook page.
There are some pretty nummers treats in HCMC, several of which we've already mentioned. If you want milkshakes, go with Eddie's. There are several ice cream spots around, but one is easily the best: Ralf's Artisan Gelato. Use Ralf's facebook page. The Loop's treats are a solid way to start a lazy weekend, too - try the apple crumble or the salted caramel to go along with your weekend coffee, friends.
Dulce de Saigon makes the best baked treats in town. Summer 2021 update -- Dulce now does same-day delivery! Hamdallah! Cinnamon rolls and super-oreos the same day you crave them! Still order Dulce through facebook.
Finally, if you just need a pile of decadence, order everything from Marou (the one on Xuan Thuy in D2).
You'll probably secure most of your food via delivery. In addition to the places we've already mentioned, we also recommend ordering delivery from: Gringo Tacos, Tippy's Mexican Food, Union Jack's Fish & Chips, Pendolasco (Italian with good wine deals), Bep Vo (Vietnamese), Chickita (Chicken - South African), Gyumeshiya (Gyudon - Japanese), and Jake's BBQ. From Jake's we like to order a little meat and then pretty much every side on the menu - dreams do come true. Several of these places are in District 1 - don't order from that far away during inclement weather unless you don't want to eat for about ninety minutes. Union Jack's, Pendolasco, Chickita, and Bep Vo are in D2.
The food delivery apps in Vietnam are in constant flux, but an increasing list of places have found that what works best is to link to their preferred platforms through an 'Order Now' or 'Start Order' button on their facebook pages. On the purchasing end, we also like the facebook-page-link method. Two of the best new apps to which restaurants link in this way are Andale.vn and foodbooking.com. The food app landscape is still fractured, but we hope it heals into something better than it once was, and let's be honest - nobody needs to deal with GrabFood. Ack.
Bia!
HCMC is Beer City, Asia. Hanoi's not bad, either, but Saigon is home to the best selection of microbreweries in Asia outside of Japan. As we opine in our 2021 Top-Fives, we think Heart of Darkness (HOD) makes the best beer in town; HOD regularly churns out limited batches to complement their stacked everyday lineup, and they collaborate with other breweries more often than any other brewery we've ever seen.
We don't see any holes in HCMC's beer game.
Biacraft has the strongest home lineup next to HOD, and all their beers have fun, naughty names - you'll have to check them out for yourselves; this is a family-friendly site. There are several Biacraft locations, including one on Xuan Thuy in Thao Dien. In addition to Biacraft's own brews, they have the best guest tap selection in town.
Pasteur Street Brewing Co. has a location in Thao Dien and several in D1. We're not crazy about PSBC's overall lineup, but we respect that they take risks with local flavors. Their Jasmine IPA is a very good beer, and the 2019 Pumpkin Ale was an absolute knockout.
East West Brewing (HCMC - not Grand Rapids) is solid but not spectacular with a lineup that spans the beer spectrum. Go with the East West IPA. East West doesn't bring out new concoctions often, but their seasonal Oktoberfest is a good one, and their location in D1 is very nice.
Winking Seal has several good beers and a decent selection of guest taps at their location in D1. Winking Seal also has 'Umbrella Hour' - any time it's raining, they slash their prices at the taproom. They've also had the best prices on deliveries through all this Covid nonsense: 50% off delivery orders with no delivery charge during lockdowns.
The Belgo Brewery and the Tê Tê Taphouse are right across the street from each other in D1. Our Tê Tê go-to is the Electric IPA, and Belgo's Full Moon is an exceptional beer.
Perhaps the best microbrew value in town is Rooster Beers (Bia Gà) whether you head to the D1 taproom or buy their cans. It's good beer and way cheaper than all the rest.
We can't finish a discussion on Vietnam beer without mentioning Tiger. When you hear or partake in a thunderous Môt, Hai, Ba, Dzô! (One, Two, Three, Cheers!), you will do it with Tiger. Or bathtub rice wine. Or both.
You can find beers from all the HCMC breweries, Hanoi breweries, and all the other producers that don't have their own taprooms at Beer Fridge in Thao Dien.
Cà phê
Of course there's coffee - The Boss lives here, and I'm still breathing. We always enjoy a good coconut coffee, and our two favorite places to do that are Thô` Café and Bin's House Coffee - both tiny, local places. At Thô`, the coconut coffee is a cà phê sữa đá with freshly whipped coconut meat on ice. This is my favorite. Bin's coconut coffee is more the standard slushy variety - freshly ground coconut blended into a coffee smoothie. This is The Boss' favorite. Both are delightful.
Check our breakfast spots - except Eddie's - for your standard coffee needs. Eddie's coffee is clinically awful. Kitchen, Tartine, and Marcel are your best coffee bets.
Banking
There are loads of banks in Vietnam, but, as an expat, your best choices boil down to Standard Chartered (SC) and HSBC - if you come to a different conclusion, please let us know. At present, SC has an ever-so-slightly better high-level current account for those with monthly direct deposits over VND 80M but under VND 100M, and HSBC has an ever-so-slightly better current account for those direct-depositing more than 100M per month.
The SC app recently underwent a massive update. It's still not perfect, but it is significantly less clunky than it was before. You can arrange transfers to your home bank and transfers for rent, deliveries, and other services with relative ease, which is key at the moment because of the push for contactless and cashless delivery transactions.
Housing
The range of rents in Thao Dien is vast. If you're on something of a budget, i.e., if you have a teacher-sized housing allowance, there are plenty of options in the USD $800-$1200 range. Cute 2BR bungalows, spacious 3BR and 4BR townhomes, modestly-sized but super-modern high-rise apartments, and slightly older but much larger apartments are all available in that range, and the Covid has kept those prices from rising over the past two years. If you're willing to spend more, you're looking at villas, serviced villas, larger super-modern places, single homes with private pools, etc.
If you end up living with a ground floor - in a house, say - you are far more likely to have to deal with floor grime and creepy-crawlies - fair warning. Our cat is now a well-seasoned cockroach assassin.
You have options regarding size and type. You're less likely to have a clothes dryer, a built-in oven, or a dishwasher - more or less in that order. If this is your first time not living in the English-speaking West, welcome. If it isn't, same same as pretty much anywhere.
Utilities don't cost much in Vietnam. You'll likely be responsible for some combination of electricity, water, and Internet. Your landlord will help you arrange these services, and you'll likely pay them via bill.payoo.vn every month if you live in a house or down at the security desk if you live in an apartment.
Phone
We think Mobifone is the most accessible Vietnamese telecom for Westerners. If your employer doesn't give you your first Mobifone SIM card upon arrival, you can stop by any Mobifone location to pick one up. To keep things simple, you can just keep that number once you acquire your residence card if you go (back) to Mobifone to confirm your legal residence - then, for a small fee, the number becomes permanent to the extent that it concerns you. You can top-up at pretty much any chain convenience store.
There are addresses in Vietnam - regarding mail delivery this is the key difference between here and Abu Dhabi - but mail delivery in Vietnam still isn't great. Anything shipped from the West takes forever; there's no way around that. You can expect to be able to receive mail at home if you live in a large, well-known, named apartment complex with round-the-clock security. If you live in a small building or a house, however, you are better off having your mail sent to your place of work.
Health Care and The Worm Pill
General medical services in HCMC are not bad. In Thao Dien, Family Medical Practice offers general internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency services, non-invasive specialties, and a well-stocked pharmacy. With decent insurance, you won't pay much out-of-pocket for most of what you need.
Having a baby in HCMC isn't bad, either. Expats can find good Ob/Gyn care at the Hanh Phuc Clinics in D1 and D2, and then the miracle happens at Hanh Phuc International Hospital in Bình Dương (Binh Duong), which is about a half-hour ride from Thao Dien.
Orthopaedics and other high-level specialties are not great in Vietnam. Under normal circumstances, expats go to Bangkok for sports injuries and other sensitive or complicated issues. In early 2020, The Boss and I flew to Bangkok several times for treatment and surgery on her torn meniscus at Bumrungrad International Hospital. Boss calls it 'Bum Garden' - of course she does.
We were fortunate that she was able to wrap up her treatment before borders closed. The care she received was excellent, and the entire process cost us significantly less out-of-pocket than her ACL surgery in the United States - we're talking a few hundred vs. a few thousand, and our costs here included multiple flights and hotel stays. The medical care itself cost us almost nothing. Therefore, not only do we recommend Bumrungrad for their level of care; we also recommend surgery outside the United States (if you have decent international health insurance) for your pocketbook.
One is not unlikely to need to knock out gastrointestinal parasites in Vietnam every now and again. Have no fear! The worm pill is here! If you think you might have a run-of-the-mill bug, all you have to do is walk into a pharmacy - any Pharmacity will do - and say "worm." You should receive Fugacar. Make sure what you receive is, in fact, Fugacar; one time before we knew what it was called and what the box looked like we asked for a worm pill and we were actually given a morning-after pill. I'm really glad I didn't take that. Fugacar only costs about a dollar, and it'll knock out most common parasites you're likely to catch - the ones pictured on the box. It's not a bad idea to take one every six months just to be sure. If you think you have giardiasis, though, go to a doctor for treatment. With giardiasis, you'll know by the eggy burps.
Pets
If you've always wanted to adopt a pet in need, HCMC is the place for you. There isn't enough room in all the vets and shelters and volunteers' homes in town for all the dogs and cats. No comprehensive spaying and neutering program exists to take care of the pet overpopulation issue. We've seen more homeless kittens here than we'd care to discuss, and it's a real chore to get them the help they need in HCMC.
If you're relocating to HCMC with your pet, you'll find all the amenities you need at any of the growing list of pet shops in Thao Dien. There are also several veterinary clinics. We strongly recommend using Animal Doctors International. That's where we bring Sir Toby.
If you live in a high-rise, it'll be much like home for your fluffy friend. If, however, you live on the ground floor, your fluffers will have greater access to all the nasty stuff you track into the house from Vietnam's filthy streets, and parasites might be an issue. As long as you're sensitive to any changes in your buddy's stool, weight, or energy level, everything will be fine, but the fluffers will need more frequent deworming: vets here recommend every three-to-four months.
Watch for fleas. We had to boil and launder everything in our house one fine evening because of Toby's first-ever bout with fleas, and then we had to give him flea treatment for months afterwards. Yucky.
For more specific information on shipping your furry friend(s), see our article Moving Your Pet Abroad.
Tet
Vietnamese Lunar New Year - Tet - is the nation's most important holiday. It's virtually identical to Chinese New Year, but don't call it Chinese New Year in Vietnam. Just don't.
You'll have a week or two off of work, and there are tons of festivities in the build-up to the holiday, which will fall between late January and mid-February. You'll see images and statues of whatever the animal is for the upcoming year all over the place. This year, 2021, is the Year of the Ox (or Buffalo).
Once New Year's Day arrives, be ready for most places to be closed or have spotty hours. Most local Vietnamese travel home to visit family, so the cities can be quite pleasantly empty at the beginning of the new year. However, be advised that tourist destinations are packed during Lunar New Year...under non-pandemic circumstances.
Travel within Vietnam
From HCMC, any destination in the south is a relatively quick trip. For quick getaways, we prefer Mui Ne, Da Lat, and Con Dao. Other popular beach destinations nearby include Ho Tram, Vung Tau, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc. Lots of beaches in the south. Da Lat is the outlier: inland and mountainous with cooler temps - nice in the summer, but super-crowded.
For destinations farther north, you can fly to Da Nang, Hue, and Hanoi - Hanoi is your home base for most excursions in the north, which, largely, are more active, rugged, and adventurous than trips in the south. See Volume Four: Adventures in Northern Vietnam for more details.
Regional Travel
Vietnam is an ideal home-base for travel around South, East, and Southeast Asia, and Australia and New Zealand aren't too terribly far away, either; unless you move to Indonesia, you'll probably never be closer. Needless to say, we're frustrated by our current inability to travel outside of Vietnam.
In just the last year, we've missed out on at least one visit home, a month in Italy, a leopard safari in Sri Lanka, hiking in Nepal, visiting India for the first time, and seeing Myanmar before it was retaken by the junta. Thanks, Covid. At least we were able to visit Korea, Thailand, and Laos before the pandemic set in. We also wouldn't mind getting back to China, Japan, and Cambodia before we move on. We'll see.
Anyway, enough of that. Things will improve. Maybe the HCMC light rail line that was set to be completed by the end of the year every year since 2017 will finally open.
Maybe not. Just get a Grab.
Light rail or no, Thao Dien is quite the place to call home.
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