𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗧𝗡𝗔𝗠 - The Pros And Cons Of Living Or Retiring In Vietnam 

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You Swampzoid Cornholio

Me too! Just another expense that I don't need in my life.

@Swampzoid living in Chiangmai Thailand 🇹🇭 we use our car daily. And enjoy several road trips all over Thailand every year. A car is much safer than a motorcycle.

Thanks so much!

It's fantastic that you qualify for a visa waiver to Vietnam! It must be nice to have such a visa so that you can stay more than 90 days without having to leave and come back. Do you think you will be going back to Vietnam to visit your wife's family anytime soon? Thanks for watching our video!

​@@snailtravelers If you keep leaving/entering after 90 days, is there a possiblility they could deny you entry?

@@ojosazules8828 Yes, it is possible they could deny you re-entry. We have read on a few Facebook groups people reporting being denied entry, but others have done visa runs without a problem. It seems to be more successful leaving and re-entering by air instead of land, and also if you leave for a longer period instead of coming back the same day. This type of situation can change quickly.

@@snailtravelers I also qualify for the 5 year Visa Waiver but my understanding is it's still only a 3 month stay for any 1 time. I guess we could just cross the border to Laos or Cambodia quickly to renew it so you could stay in SE Asia for a longer time. Edit - from a quick check of the Embassy website, it's a 6 month stay at any 1 time.

You can easily get a 3-year TRC or, with more effort, a so-called PRC. I've done both. The so-called "Permanent Resident Visa" is not really permanent -- it's good for 10 years. There is no way a "foreigner" can become permanent, even if you marry a citizen and own property.

Yes, absolutely agree with you about the spirit of the people, it's one of the best things about Vietnam! Thanks for watching!

Thank you very much for sharing this information and for watching our video!

I do hope you can visit Vietnam sometime. It is a fascinating country. Thank you, as always, for watching our videos!

Glad you loved it, we did too! Thanks for watching our video.

It sounds like we both had terrific experiences in Vietnam. Thanks for watching!

Good point, I suppose the traffic in Vietnam looks overwhelming but once you learn it's not that bad. I grew up near Los Angeles and people have asked me how I could possibly learn to drive there, but it was normal to me. Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you very much for thinking of us, that is very kind. We are safe so no worries. Thanks for yor dedication to our channel and for watching our videos!

Thanks for watching!

@@commonmandenver7370 Thank you!

@@2GringosOnTheGulf Thanks for watching!

Thank you Keith for your dedication to our channel and for watching our videos!

@@leonardtownpl4081 Thanks for watching!

Good information, thanks for sharing.

Da Nang has plenty of air pollution.

Thanks for your comment. I think you will enjoy Vietnam if you choose it to be your next destination!

What about visas?

This is terrific information, thanks so much for sharing!

@@sagepirotess6312 How fantastic to be that close to the beach! How long have you been living there?

@@snailtravelers well lived all over Asia since 2008 fc. Taught korea. Taiwan and Vietnam. Lived in Vietnam since 2019. Built house in 2023, so it's new.

Yes indeed. Vietnam's traffic makes driving in Thailand look orderly.

Thanks for watching!

I hope you enjoy your time in Vietnam! Thanks for watching.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for watching our video. Vietnam does indeed have its downsides, but we still think its a fascinating country and we are very glad that we got to visit.

I have a tip: stay away from the big cities (Ha Noi and Sai Gon). Everyone gathering in these two cities, lead to the rise of pollution crisis and scammers there. In other minor/small cities, the situation is better (and the price is cheaper). These small cities usually have a population of just around 200 000 citizens, and usually still surrounded by farming fields and "gardens" (they used that name - vườn - to call these "forests" of fruit trees.). The good news is: that these small cities actually located around just 30-70 km from Saigon or Ha Noi. It just costs you around 1-2 hours to travel back to these big cities. I'm native, and have trouble with chronic sinusitis. That is my tactic. Stay and live in a small cities which locate near Saigon.

@@yevonsama Is the 1-2hrs of travel time expensive? Are there trains or buses? Thank you!

@@pacificH2O to travel between these cities, we usually have several methods: 1/- driving by ourselves: we usually use a motorbike. Some others use car. However, personally, I don't recommend using this method with motorbike. It is tiring to drive by yourself for 70-100 km, and dangerous, because my country's traffic system is still not good enough. It is a mess when huge trucks run along with many motorbikes (accidents usually happen. People usually mock that Vietnamese die by traffic collisions more than these people are killed by murders or terrorists.). We have highway, too. But it is used for cars. In summary, this method is good and safer, if you have a car. 2/- use travel companies: Every city has several companies like that. When you choose the city to live, you should check and prepare a list of them, so you can travel between these cities when you need it. We usually use this method. The trouble is: you need to find them. Vexere.com maybe a good idea to find. Or you should ask the local. Some companies are run by the government, and some others are privately held companies. It isn't really different between them, both of them use bus to travel. Privately held companies usually have better quality. You just need to phone to call them, tell them when you want to travel. And they will drive the car to you house to take you to their port, where their bus stationing. Their port even has a parking lot for these customers who drive to the port by themselves (government companies usually don't have parking lot.). The price is cheap, but maybe depends on different companies. With the companies I usually use, it costs 100k (around 4$) for a customer, and the same price when you buy a ticket to return. However, it is because the traffic system isn't good, that traffic jam usually happen follow this way: To travel through 70 km to reach Saigon: When I travel from 4-5.a.m: I costs me just 45 minutes to reach to the center of Saigon. When I travel from 7.a.m-8.pm: It usually takes me 2 hours to reach to the same point. Because of traffic jam. The negative side of this method: + I don't know if these companies know English. That means the first time maybe difficult for you. You and them will need time to get used to each other. + Using this method means, that when you reach another city, you have to depend on Grab to travel. 3/ Train: You just need it when you travel between South - North Vietnam. I don't use it, so I can't tell you about it. However, you can use plane to travel,too. It is faster.

@@pacificH2Ono, not expensive at all. Just take a bus from Saigon to go to other cities around The Mekong Delta like My Tho, Can Tho, Vinh Long and etc… you can also ask a young local person like a student who is comfortable to speak English and he or she can show you exactly which bus number to take. Enjoy your trip visiting Viet Nam 🎉

I do hope you have the chance to visit someday. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for this comment! It's great that you've been to Vietnam multiple times, you must like it since you go back. When do you plan to go back next? Thanks for watching our video.

Terrific price!

you can find a lot for that price @@snailtravelers

You're welcome, and thank you for watching!

The bridge is in Hoi An, but not in the tourist area, it is in a park more in the city center. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the park, sorry. Thanks for watching!

Wow, what a difference in price! Thanks for sharing this information.

Thanks for watching!

Right. It was strange that in the video he used U.S. living expenses of $4000/month as an example

I don't think there would be any animosity or hostility. When we were in Vung Tau I told several people that my dad was stationed there during the war. Nobody responded with anger. Thanks for watching our video!

@@snailtravelers Thank you for your response. I hope to travel there the latter part of this year or early part of 2025. Certainly, I would never mention that I was there during the war BTW.....Thank you for your videos.

I've been there 5 times and I'm your age...No problems of any kind...Most of the people are very young (33yrs old)...And go on the veteran story:Don't ask and don't tell 😊

@@danapolhac6440 Thank you. I feel better. I'm looking forward to going back after all these years. It seems that there is something calling me back. I suppose it may be just for a sense of closure.

Wow, what a terrific experience! I can only imagine how different Nha Trang is now compared to 1955. Thanks for sharing!

@@snailtravelers Based on the videos there is a world of difference in what I called a small city and what it is now.

No, unfortunately Vietnam does not have a retirement visa. Many expats do visa runs every 90 days, or have an investment/business visa. The visa rules seem to change a lot, hopefully there will be a retirement visa in the future.

Good information, thanks for sharing!

Good info, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the comment! I have visited Vietnam twice, about a month each time. We would love to live there longer but the immigration rules make that difficult. Thanks for watching our video!

Foreigners who don't go back are making difficult lives for locals. Changing their beautiful culture.

Thanks for sharing!

We have an international policy through IMGlobal, it's $3,425 per year for both of us, age 52 and 49. I believe it's the silver plan with $5,000 deductible each. We are required to be outside the US for at least 6 months per year to qualify. We have never filed a claim so I can't comment on that.

Da Nang is 70s in winter and 90s in summer. We have a video just about Da Nang you might like, link below. And I love the TV show Quantum Leap! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cBRP8c4ahdY.html

We visited DaNang and Vung Tau, and there was much less pollution in DaNang and more in Vung Tau. Thanks for watching!

This is good information, thanks for sharing!

We met several expats in DaNang who do visa runs every 90 days. One lady we met from Canada said this is getting more difficult to do by land if you come back the same day. She said from now on she will fly out to a neighboring every 90 days, stay out for a week, then come back.

Completely agree, thanks for sharing and for watching our video!

That's true to an extent, however, you can continue to extend your visa repeatedly by doing visa runs. This is the quite common there. I don't have personal experience but everything I've read leads me to believe it would be wise to leave the country for a few days before returning. Please correct me @snailtravelers if you have any add'l insight on this!

@@pacificH2O I've been in Vietnam several times and I lived in Cambodia for about 6 months. I've also worked in Hong Kong for 4 years. I met an English guy in Phnom Penh who had been staying in Saigon and he came to Cambodia on a visa run, like you mentioned. He renewed his Vietnam visa and when travelling back to Vietnam was stopped at the border and refused entry to Vietnam. So I repeat, you can't retire to Vietnam even sort of and every time you do a visa run, it's their chance to refuse you entry. You don't extend your visa by doing a visa run, you go to a government office in Vietnam to extend a visa but you can't do this, not in Vietnam. Every time you exit Vietnam wether on a multiple entry visa or you get a new visa , when you re-enter the Vietnamese can refuse you entry at the border.....and they have form.

@@robertnicholson1409 Clearly, you didn't read my comment. I repeat, you need to leave the country for period of time and then return. AND, one person's experience is NOT indicative of all travelers staying in Vietnam. Also, Chris mentions the possibility of being stopped in his video.

@@pacificH2O I read your comment. You leave the country for a period of time then come back in. Look if they've got you on their stop list for refusing entry, it won't matter how long you stay out, you're on their computer. Vietnam is a Communist country, everyone seems to forget this and it's corrupt. Of course it's a beautiful country, the weather warm, the beer's cold and the girls are hot, none of that is relevant to what I'm saying. If you stay in Vietnam don't buy a motorcycle or lease an apartment or invest in anything, stay in a hotel and check out every time you do your visa run, fine you are prepared in case they refuse entry, you've lost nothing.

@@robertnicholson1409 exactly if for some reason you make one Vietnamese angry at and they report you when you go on a visa run they may have black list you and as for big amounts of money to get back in and they may do it again on your next exit and return. One of my friends is now in Cambodia he over stayed his visa by 6 months he is now on black list & they ask him for $8000 to get back in. Still no guarantee. Immigration at the borders is nothing but a big scam for money. Remember how they got their job they have to pay the government government to get their job.

A website I like to use to get a rough idea of prices is Dot Property Vietnam. There are other similar websites as well. Thanks for watching!

Marry a Vietnamese lady. Rent free.😅

Yes, probably, but it depends on the amount of SS and the lifestyle that you would live in Vietnam. You would also need to factor in visa runs (you would need to leave Vietnam every 90 days because of the visa rules) and visa expenses.

Fair enough

Thank you for sharing this, it is indeed important information and a serious situation. I hope this type of activity diminishes in the future, but fear it will continue as long as there is demand. Thanks again for your comment.

@@snailtravelers thanks for the comment. I am wondering if this difference in culture is something that affected you? If so, I am wondering why you chose to not mention it in your video? Do you live in the southeast Asia and is the different culture something you've learned to just ignore or how do you feel about it? Thanks.

@@sojournern The sex trade isn't something we have observed directly yet we know it exists. I think it depends on the country too; we lived in Malaysia for one year and to the best of my knowledge it isn't as prevelant there, whereas countries like Cambodia or Myanmar are notorious for human trafficking and Thailand is notorious for prostitution. I don't know the official statistics, but we have visited every major country in Southeast Asia and I have no doubt that some areas are better than others.

@@snailtravelers Once again thanks for the response. When I was in Bangkok my boss wanted to laugh at my reaction and took me into the district. The prostitutes would come out and pull on you to come into their house. A coworker showed me ads in the newspaper that parents put to sell their young girls. It's a lucrative trade. In videos I've seen on Vietnam, youtubers, there are often older men who are with young women, much younger women, and the idea of this type of pairing is discussed as normal. Apparently a lot of very poor girls see rich older men as real opportunities to escape their poverty.

Thanks for the comment. I do hope Vietnam decides to offer retirement visas sometime in the future. I think the country could truly benefit from this, as is the case with the neighboring countries that you mentioned.

Yes, it must be hilarious to watch! I don't think I will ever learn how to use chopsticks correctly! 😜

@@snailtravelers I've been living in an Asian country for 30 years and don't use them, even though I have a better idea than most (non Asians).

Great information. Some people say that you get used to the traffic once you've been there long enough, but I'm not sure I'd agree with that and don't think I would ever get used to it. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate information from people like you who are living there long term.

You are very welcome. I'm used to it now but I can't say I like it. What I do like is there is no road rage. They never heard of defensive driving here, but I practice it to stay alive. Not much common sense here on the road either. @@snailtravelers

When we were riding the train there were people standing and smoking in between the train carriages, but nobody was smoking inside the train.

Thanks for sharing and for watching our video!

So sorry you experienced that. We didn't have any problems in Vietnam but had multiple food poisoning episodes in Mexico, and it was pure misery.

9 years here in Vietnam and not sick once. I didn't even get Covid!