Posted: October 5th, 2014, 6:27 am
I will have this to say, I went around and visited a majority of the SE Asian countries back in early to mid 2000's. I spend around a month in Vietnam in 2003 as I was debating whether to move there and work. I had a fellow TEFL student where we were in the same class go there and get a job in Danang. I was hanging around in Thailand at the time using that as a base to visit neighboring countries while figuring out my next move. So after visiting Cambodia I secured a visa to Vietnam there since it was quicker and cheaper than doing it in Thailand. I decided to spend roughly 10 days in three of the major cities, Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh. Times have changed of course, since then, but I will give my basic interpretations that I gathered when I was there.
I went to Hanoi first and it was February/March time frame so it was quite chilly, maybe what the weather would be like in October living on the East coast of the states. The city was fairly clean which surprised me in comparison to Bangkok, back then they still had a lot of old French style buildings, not sure if they still exist or not. Hotels were cheap, a decent one being around 15 dollars a night if you were in one of the older French houses. It was chilly though, I can't remember if my room at heat or not. Lots of food options, not too many people bothering you occasionally a tout or two. The nightlife wasn't really that large back then so I would assume it would get boring relatively quickly if you lived there. The people there behaved more like Chinese more serious. I had been pen pals with a girl from there and I met up with her and she showed me around the city on her scooter and took me to her house. Now she and her family were I think middle class from the looks of things and their house was way better than Anything I had seen in Thailand or other Asian countries, even some places in America! I was thinking to myself how it Vietnam considered poor when families can afford a nicer house and stuff more than in America? I wasn't in a rich neighborhood either I just think families there know how to manage their money better and keep it in the family. Anyways, she wasn't really that great looking, but she was smart and spoke average English. She was going to school to learn finance and be a banker or something. Like her face was good, but her body average and her friend she took along had an ugly face but nice body, go figure! I couldn't really tell which girls had hot bodies, as most were wearing jackets and winter type clothing I guess to them fall/spring like weather is super cold to them. Overall, Hanaoi was okay but it's more of a serious city and when I was there not really known for it's nightlife. I suppose if you didn't need entertainment type distractions and just wanted to focus on work or finding a serious girl then this city would be better to hang out in.
Danang was the famous beach city that is often seen in the various Vietnam movies. It was on the front line during the war. It was quite smallish in comparison to Hanaoi when I visited but that also meant it was more personable. My friend had chosen this city to work/live in and he seemed to enjoy the small town vibe. The nightlife again was small but it was a bit more seedy than what I had seen in Hanaoi. Once again I noticed the quality of buildings/houses in comparison to other Asian countries and the states. My friend was renting this decent sized 2 or three bedroom 2 floored house for around 200 dollars a month I believe. Total Western standard living and quality, it was unbelievable at that price. He was working at a local English school making something like 12-14 dollars an hr, so he was practically rich in that city. I stayed at a hotel that was also the residence of the owners on the first floor, I believe I payed around 15 dollars a night again, decent quality and newish. The street food was cheap and tasty but it tended to make you want to shit frequently and very soft shit but not the shits so something in between that. I suppose if you stayed long enough your body would get used to it. I never got sick from eating there just soft stools. Also they use really small chairs or stools for sitting like preschool type plastic ones so they aren't very comfortable for taller people to use. When we went out to the bars and discos I learned it seems a lot of families sell their daughters to businesses to be indentured servants, liek a form of modern slavery. Not sure if it's still goin on but they were being sold in Cambodia as well. I guess if you wanted to live and work in a small city near the beach that didn't have a lot of distractions then this would be an okay place but I felt I'd get bored here too after a while. Girls were kinda a mix between north and south attitudes and looks. the weather here was nice just a little humidity but warm still.
Last was Ho Chi Minh or Saigon. I actually enjoyed this city the most although it appeared the most chaotic and dirtiest of the three, I suppose cause it seemed to have the most economic development going on. I once again stayed in an old French style building converted to a hotel, same price around 15 dollars or so. There was a lot more nightlife here to keep one busy although the official closing hours were still 12AM, although I met an American Vietnamese guy who took me to the underground entertainment places that stay open all night. You have to know people I guess to know where they are and get in. If you're into the pick up girl scene or 'taxi' girls, there were a lot to choose from here, although there is the language barrier and the hotels back then wouldn't let you bring girls to your room, at least that was the official policy. I'm sure there were places that allowed it but you would have to find them over time or have one shown to you. I met a girl in Hanoi that showed me one after I had already paid for my other hotel. It seems the foreign owned ones didn't enforce the law as much as the Vietnamese owned ones. There were more girls who didn't appear as shy to engage foreigners as in the other two cities but the language thing still got in the way although there seemed to be a bit more who could kinda speak and understand English. There were a lot more foreigners visiting this city than the other two, although a lot in Hanaoi as well. Not so many in Danang other than Japanese. Vietnam seems to be a popular place for French tourists, I guess reminiscing the good old colonial days.
At the time I had decided that Vietnam would be a good place to work but I needed to be able to send money back to the states to pay bills and at that time they had all this red tape to deal with so because of logistics I decided to take a job in Korea, which ended up being a regret. After suffering almost a year there I decided to give Vietnam a try again. At that time to get a decent job one had to be there in the country and make the rounds to the different schools before one could get hired. I had saved up a bunch of money from Korea and figured I could hold out in Vietnam for a while before finding a decent paying 15 dollar an hr job in Saigon.
However, I got deterred cause after Korea I decided to have some fun before heading to Thailand then Vietnam again so I flew into the Philippines for what was then only going to be a two week vacation. I ended up not leaving. The lure of a psuedo WEstern Asian country combined with being able to speak English, easy women and the BPO industry booming at the time allowed me to secure an easy job there. Figuring I'd only stay there a year or two to gain experience I ended up getting stuck there for poor choices made on my part.
Overall, I think Vietnam is probably the best value in SE regarding work opportunities, quality of life and available women. The women IMO had the best looking bodies and faces. Very petite looking but with curves. You can find any kind of body style you like there, especially in the southern part of the country. I guess the only down fall would be the language and if you don't like short women cause they are really short there, but shaped nicely. They actually have decent breast size there for women on the small side which I like, although if your an ass man then that might be hard to find. They usually have amazing legs and long black hair, nice eyes and nose. So overall a good catch if you can find a good one. They seem to be really smart too in comparison to neighboring SE Asians. The only downfall I notcied were their morals. Considering their communist and Buddhist ancestor worship background, they had no problem screwing you over if they felt like it. My friends GF was two timing him and she was smart enough to hide it from him before he figured it out. They aren't dumb like Thais or Filipinas where a smart guy will figure out fast enough if they are cheating or not.
I've decided if in the future I were interested in finding an Asian girl again to date and all that I'd put Vietnam on my number one list. I just feel the potential is better there than other Asian countries. However, after being in PI for so long I've had my fill of Asians so I'll explore other racial options when I get the chance. If I don't have any luck there then I'll check out Vietnam.
One other thing, since visiting there the government has changed the foreigner employment laws to make it much more difficult to work there. I believe one has to get all their diploma and school records verified and also have to get a police clearance from the home town/city one used to live in from their country of origin. There might be other stipulations as well that I'm not aware of. These rules were not there when I visited last and were put in place maybe a year or two after I left. However, if you can pass all those requirements I hear the pay is good still in comparison to the cost of living. IF you are a teacher and can secure a position as a university or college there you can make even more money, lots of off time and not many working hrs. I suppose it's much easier to send money from there then ten years ago so it would be easier to live there probably then when I had visited.
The previous post regarding the Vietnam airlines pictures are what would be considered the better looking girls, they aren't necessarily the norm but they are around in the cities. You'll notice in the last picture in the article the girl on the right side is quite stunning and probably has natural breasts to boot. Now that's what I'd like in an Asian girl. If you live in the country and take your time I'm sure you can find girls like that. I don't think there is an age barrier there either like in the West, although with globalism changing things who knows.
Here's the link from the other post again to give one an idea of Vietnamese beauties:
http://saigoneer.com/vietnam-news/2745- ... -firestorm
There are lots of things I experienced in Vietnam but it would be too long to write about. Hopefully, what I mentioned would perk others interest and they can research further info themselves. Also, it was over 10 years ago so I'm sure things have changed since then. I'd probably go back sooner if I didn't have to pay for a visa, I'd rather visit other countries nearby where I don't need one then dealing with the hassle of that.
I went to Hanoi first and it was February/March time frame so it was quite chilly, maybe what the weather would be like in October living on the East coast of the states. The city was fairly clean which surprised me in comparison to Bangkok, back then they still had a lot of old French style buildings, not sure if they still exist or not. Hotels were cheap, a decent one being around 15 dollars a night if you were in one of the older French houses. It was chilly though, I can't remember if my room at heat or not. Lots of food options, not too many people bothering you occasionally a tout or two. The nightlife wasn't really that large back then so I would assume it would get boring relatively quickly if you lived there. The people there behaved more like Chinese more serious. I had been pen pals with a girl from there and I met up with her and she showed me around the city on her scooter and took me to her house. Now she and her family were I think middle class from the looks of things and their house was way better than Anything I had seen in Thailand or other Asian countries, even some places in America! I was thinking to myself how it Vietnam considered poor when families can afford a nicer house and stuff more than in America? I wasn't in a rich neighborhood either I just think families there know how to manage their money better and keep it in the family. Anyways, she wasn't really that great looking, but she was smart and spoke average English. She was going to school to learn finance and be a banker or something. Like her face was good, but her body average and her friend she took along had an ugly face but nice body, go figure! I couldn't really tell which girls had hot bodies, as most were wearing jackets and winter type clothing I guess to them fall/spring like weather is super cold to them. Overall, Hanaoi was okay but it's more of a serious city and when I was there not really known for it's nightlife. I suppose if you didn't need entertainment type distractions and just wanted to focus on work or finding a serious girl then this city would be better to hang out in.
Danang was the famous beach city that is often seen in the various Vietnam movies. It was on the front line during the war. It was quite smallish in comparison to Hanaoi when I visited but that also meant it was more personable. My friend had chosen this city to work/live in and he seemed to enjoy the small town vibe. The nightlife again was small but it was a bit more seedy than what I had seen in Hanaoi. Once again I noticed the quality of buildings/houses in comparison to other Asian countries and the states. My friend was renting this decent sized 2 or three bedroom 2 floored house for around 200 dollars a month I believe. Total Western standard living and quality, it was unbelievable at that price. He was working at a local English school making something like 12-14 dollars an hr, so he was practically rich in that city. I stayed at a hotel that was also the residence of the owners on the first floor, I believe I payed around 15 dollars a night again, decent quality and newish. The street food was cheap and tasty but it tended to make you want to shit frequently and very soft shit but not the shits so something in between that. I suppose if you stayed long enough your body would get used to it. I never got sick from eating there just soft stools. Also they use really small chairs or stools for sitting like preschool type plastic ones so they aren't very comfortable for taller people to use. When we went out to the bars and discos I learned it seems a lot of families sell their daughters to businesses to be indentured servants, liek a form of modern slavery. Not sure if it's still goin on but they were being sold in Cambodia as well. I guess if you wanted to live and work in a small city near the beach that didn't have a lot of distractions then this would be an okay place but I felt I'd get bored here too after a while. Girls were kinda a mix between north and south attitudes and looks. the weather here was nice just a little humidity but warm still.
Last was Ho Chi Minh or Saigon. I actually enjoyed this city the most although it appeared the most chaotic and dirtiest of the three, I suppose cause it seemed to have the most economic development going on. I once again stayed in an old French style building converted to a hotel, same price around 15 dollars or so. There was a lot more nightlife here to keep one busy although the official closing hours were still 12AM, although I met an American Vietnamese guy who took me to the underground entertainment places that stay open all night. You have to know people I guess to know where they are and get in. If you're into the pick up girl scene or 'taxi' girls, there were a lot to choose from here, although there is the language barrier and the hotels back then wouldn't let you bring girls to your room, at least that was the official policy. I'm sure there were places that allowed it but you would have to find them over time or have one shown to you. I met a girl in Hanoi that showed me one after I had already paid for my other hotel. It seems the foreign owned ones didn't enforce the law as much as the Vietnamese owned ones. There were more girls who didn't appear as shy to engage foreigners as in the other two cities but the language thing still got in the way although there seemed to be a bit more who could kinda speak and understand English. There were a lot more foreigners visiting this city than the other two, although a lot in Hanaoi as well. Not so many in Danang other than Japanese. Vietnam seems to be a popular place for French tourists, I guess reminiscing the good old colonial days.
At the time I had decided that Vietnam would be a good place to work but I needed to be able to send money back to the states to pay bills and at that time they had all this red tape to deal with so because of logistics I decided to take a job in Korea, which ended up being a regret. After suffering almost a year there I decided to give Vietnam a try again. At that time to get a decent job one had to be there in the country and make the rounds to the different schools before one could get hired. I had saved up a bunch of money from Korea and figured I could hold out in Vietnam for a while before finding a decent paying 15 dollar an hr job in Saigon.
However, I got deterred cause after Korea I decided to have some fun before heading to Thailand then Vietnam again so I flew into the Philippines for what was then only going to be a two week vacation. I ended up not leaving. The lure of a psuedo WEstern Asian country combined with being able to speak English, easy women and the BPO industry booming at the time allowed me to secure an easy job there. Figuring I'd only stay there a year or two to gain experience I ended up getting stuck there for poor choices made on my part.
Overall, I think Vietnam is probably the best value in SE regarding work opportunities, quality of life and available women. The women IMO had the best looking bodies and faces. Very petite looking but with curves. You can find any kind of body style you like there, especially in the southern part of the country. I guess the only down fall would be the language and if you don't like short women cause they are really short there, but shaped nicely. They actually have decent breast size there for women on the small side which I like, although if your an ass man then that might be hard to find. They usually have amazing legs and long black hair, nice eyes and nose. So overall a good catch if you can find a good one. They seem to be really smart too in comparison to neighboring SE Asians. The only downfall I notcied were their morals. Considering their communist and Buddhist ancestor worship background, they had no problem screwing you over if they felt like it. My friends GF was two timing him and she was smart enough to hide it from him before he figured it out. They aren't dumb like Thais or Filipinas where a smart guy will figure out fast enough if they are cheating or not.
I've decided if in the future I were interested in finding an Asian girl again to date and all that I'd put Vietnam on my number one list. I just feel the potential is better there than other Asian countries. However, after being in PI for so long I've had my fill of Asians so I'll explore other racial options when I get the chance. If I don't have any luck there then I'll check out Vietnam.
One other thing, since visiting there the government has changed the foreigner employment laws to make it much more difficult to work there. I believe one has to get all their diploma and school records verified and also have to get a police clearance from the home town/city one used to live in from their country of origin. There might be other stipulations as well that I'm not aware of. These rules were not there when I visited last and were put in place maybe a year or two after I left. However, if you can pass all those requirements I hear the pay is good still in comparison to the cost of living. IF you are a teacher and can secure a position as a university or college there you can make even more money, lots of off time and not many working hrs. I suppose it's much easier to send money from there then ten years ago so it would be easier to live there probably then when I had visited.
The previous post regarding the Vietnam airlines pictures are what would be considered the better looking girls, they aren't necessarily the norm but they are around in the cities. You'll notice in the last picture in the article the girl on the right side is quite stunning and probably has natural breasts to boot. Now that's what I'd like in an Asian girl. If you live in the country and take your time I'm sure you can find girls like that. I don't think there is an age barrier there either like in the West, although with globalism changing things who knows.
Here's the link from the other post again to give one an idea of Vietnamese beauties:
http://saigoneer.com/vietnam-news/2745- ... -firestorm
There are lots of things I experienced in Vietnam but it would be too long to write about. Hopefully, what I mentioned would perk others interest and they can research further info themselves. Also, it was over 10 years ago so I'm sure things have changed since then. I'd probably go back sooner if I didn't have to pay for a visa, I'd rather visit other countries nearby where I don't need one then dealing with the hassle of that.