Post: #1

So I might have found a great opportunity to do a freelance research and presentation creation role for a company that makes massive oil ships. This is great and is basically the exact sort of location-independent work environment I was looking for.

I am thinking of setting up shop in Southeast Asia somewhere. I am interested in Vietnam because of its massive growth rates (average at 7.4 annually before economic crisis, second fastest growing economy in the world after China).

Also I know that the food will be great. I would probably stay in a large city like Ho Chi Minh City. I am trying to get 2,000 euros a month for this work (it's a 6 month internship sort of deal, kind of complex).

If anyone has any idea, please tell:

1. Vietnam Ease of Getting Laid
2. Weather/Food
3. Rental costs for a one bedroom furnished place

and any other issues you can think of.

Other cities of interest, if anyone here knows about them:
-Bangkok
-Kuala Lumpur
-Hong Kong
-Manila

Post: #2

(01-29-2010 11:53 AM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  So I might have found a great opportunity to do a freelance research and presentation creation role for a company that makes massive oil ships. This is great and is basically the exact sort of location-independent work environment I was looking for.

I am thinking of setting up shop in Southeast Asia somewhere. I am interested in Vietnam because of its massive growth rates (average at 7.4 annually before economic crisis, second fastest growing economy in the world after China).

Also I know that the food will be great. I would probably stay in a large city like Ho Chi Minh City. I am trying to get 2,000 euros a month for this work (it's a 6 month internship sort of deal, kind of complex).

If anyone has any idea, please tell:

1. Vietnam Ease of Getting Laid
2. Weather/Food
3. Rental costs for a one bedroom furnished place

and any other issues you can think of.

Other cities of interest, if anyone here knows about them:
-Bangkok
-Kuala Lumpur
-Hong Kong
-Manila

I can help you out with a few of these....

-KL

1. Ease of Getting Laid - Majority muslim country.... except in KL where i would say its majority chinese and various other SE asian. This city tries to mimic the western world (This D.C) but the few times ive been there have been straight. Id say ease of hookup is very high and you have variety.
2. Weather/Food - Think 80 degrees year round, lots of humidity though. However you will find this in vietnam also. Food is the best part of KL as you can go cheap (malay, thai, chinese, you name it) and you can go expensive (tons of international chains).
3. Rental costs for a one bedroom furnished place - I found 1 bedroom luxury flats for about 700 USD in downtown. Defintly won't be a problem though.

- HK

1. Ease of Getting Laid - I was only here for a week, but its very very international which is good and bad. Great because youll have your pickings of locals, traverlers and also expat's galore. Negative because the novelty of being a foreigner is lessoned then in a KL or Vietnam. The nightlife is awesome here there, better then KL (though not by much, cleaner really).
2. Weather/Food - Weather is a little more stable here, but youll still see majority 60-90 degree days with a bit of humidity. Foodwise is similar to KL but with more choices.
3. Rent - Im not sure about this one, while KL is safe throughout the city, HK is not. From what ive heard is you will pay 1k to 1.5k for a quality flat in a quality area.

In conclusion, im biased towards KL but I would love to spend more time in HK if i had the chance.

Post: #3

youngmobileglobal,

I have never been, but for what its worth, my Dad said Vietnam has the most beautiful beaches he has ever seen.

And he has been almost everywhere.

Post: #4

"If anyone has any idea, please tell:

1. Vietnam Ease of Getting Laid
2. Weather/Food
3. Rental costs for a one bedroom furnished place"

My quick 50 cents: Spent just three weeks in Nam. In most clubs the chicks seem to be p4p. And the small percentage of rich upperclass probably won't socialize with people outside their clique. Lacks a big scoreable middleclass. If you have a daily life and a work however, I think it's easier to find girlfriend material, though they seem to be kinda conservative.

Weather is great if you like it hot. Hanoi was pretty cold in March though, probably around 12 celsius. Nha trang is a pretty cool beach city - not too big, but big enough, magnificent beaches, but not too many tourists like some places in Thailand.

Know nothing about renting a flat, but generally it's an economic place to stay.

Post: #5

I love vietnam

very interesting culture and very sexy women

a good mix

Post: #6

1. 2,000 Euros a month is a SHITLOAD of money in Vietnam, do know what their average income is? It's lower than Thailand if I remember correctly. 2,000 Euros there would be like 8-10,000 Euros in W. Europe.

2. This: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/...633160.ece (read the whole thing, it mentions Vietnam)

Post: #7

I know some about these cities. My opinions are coming from the perspective of a young, fairly tall white guy, which I'm pointing out because it means I get easy mode game with a not insignificant percentage of women out here.

I'm also considering a move to HCM because of some of the reasons you mentioned above. When you're out there, you wonder this is what China was probably like 15 years ago: entrepreneurs sniffing about all over the place, opportunities for English speakers and western professionals galore, etc. It also feels more "China-like" than the other countries in SE Asia, and not just because of the government. I'll add that this was in the south (who sided with us in the American War, which is how they refer to it)- the north feels almost like a different country: much more quiet at night, conservative in general, and the people more likely to try to rip you off.

A side note about Vietnam is that you should be really comfortable with the idea of riding around on a motorbike for all day to day transport; they are EVERYWHERE, especially in HCM. Picture a stadium filling up before a big sporting event- people coming from every which way and walking around/through each other to find their seats or concessions. The streets of the busy districts are like that except the people are on motos. If you wind up in a hospital in Vietnam, this will probably be why.

Thailand (though I've spent more time in Phuket/Krabi than in BKK) is definitely absurdly easy to get laid in, whether with Thai women or with all the tourist women since Bangkok is generally the starting point for trips in SE Asia and in many cases is the only country people visit in the region. During my time in Vietnam, which was only a couple of weeks, I thought that it seemed easy to get with local women, but to be honest I didn't really push it there- too many vibes of "I want to be your girlfriend/wife and get out of here." It's much poorer than Thailand.

I really enjoy what I've seen of KL as a city- clean, very diverse and with excellent food (Thai, Indian, Malay, Chinese). Supposedly a pain in the ass to get a work permit but that may not matter to you. It will be more expensive than everywhere you listed other than Hong Kong (still much cheaper than HK though). I only hooked up with other foreigners when I was there but I remember hibachiwoj posting some pretty good info about the women in a post on Malaysia.

Have you considered Shenzhen? I had a pretty independent opportunity somewhat like the one that you mentioned, and wound up in SZ because it's much cheaper than HK ($300-$400 per month can get you a decent quality furnished single in a good location... not sure of prices in other places but check Craig's List Asia for reference points- the big cities will have at least some listings) but I can still get into HK easily by the metro. The temperature right now is 70-75F during day, 60-65 at night, and those ranges drop 10-15 degrees at the coldest point. Not too bad overall, though the summers are pretty hot. There's about 10 million people in Shenzhen and the average age is 27-28; supposedly women outnumber men by a decent amount and it feels that way. The main hurdle with women for me is not speaking the language (Mandarin, not Cantonese, is the primary dialect in SZ), but I still do pretty well- if you're able to speak Chinese then you'll clean up.

Post: #8

I have been to Vietnam.

Look for French-Vietnamese girls.

I stayed in Saigon. My neighbor Bin Vo is from there and he calls it Saigon not Ho Chi Minh City. It's a big crowded city but it runs well. It's not a giant mess of nonsense with kooks running all over and cars just slamming each other with water main breaks everywhere like Manila.

The food is great, if you like Vietnamese food, which I do. Lots of noodles.

One thing to watch out for is a green soup called hong chet. I asked some Viets from Hawaii about it and they laughed. This is the spiciest stuff you will ever eat. It takes a minute to hit you, that's the problem. After I had a few spoonfuls I thought I had been poisoned. It was so hot I had to lay down for a while.

I've heard several differnet explanations of what's in it from some different folks, but Hong Chet means something like "Death to the Throat"

Watch out.

Aloha!

Post: #9

(02-03-2010 05:52 AM)Kona Wrote:  It's not a giant mess of nonsense with kooks running all over and cars just slamming each other with water main breaks everywhere like Manila.

Yeah, I found Manila to be pretty depressing also.

Post: #10

http://www.chinasmack.com/stories/chines...mese-wife/

Chinese men should start a Chinese Roosh V forum about going abroad to swoop chicks.

Post: #11

I've lived in Saigon for the past 4 years. Love it.

It is easy peasy to get laid here. Girls are very attractive and friendly. Easy to find non-p4p girls everywhere once you learn to sniff out the p4p girls.

Food is good if you like vn food. There are lots of international options too -- you can get great hamburgers or German or Italian food too.

2000 euros is plenty to live well and travel around the region. i'm just guessing, but you could get a good hotel for ~$500/month, easy. Make sure whatever place you get you have the flexibility to bring, ahem, guests back to your room no questions asked.

Check out http://www.livinginvietnam.com/

Post: #12

This is a timely thread as I was currently looking into HCMC for a possible move myself, while I take distance education classes through a uni here.

After browsing through this guys photos http://saigon-today.blogspot.com/ I thought the city spoke to me for some reason better than others in the region. Also, the live work visa situation seems a tad friendlier than Thailand, although Vietnam is tightening its regulations recently as well. The less touristy feel, compared to Thailand, appeals to me. From browsing through this guys many photos, I liked the available amenities and feel of the place (as much as I could get a feel from photos).

In terms of getting laid, you could probably just network with the ladies of the expat english teaching crowd there and never get bored. Remember that the supply of western guys is limited (and likely mostly weak competition) and expat girls tend not to be attracted so much to the native asians of the region. Those girls are probably damned horny. Then theres the Viet girls as well...

On a side note, this site http://www.citydailyphoto.com/portal/ is great for city photos around the world. probably the best single source that I've found. Its the network that the above vietnam pic site that I recommended comes from.

Post: #13

Oooh! French Viet girls are damn fine.

But are they a small minority in Vietnam, are they visible enough and where would you likely meet them?

Post: #14

Bump.

I am increasingly considering doing a Vietnam trip for the 3-4 months when I'm going to be ramping up my business activities before I go to China.

I want to do some active network infiltration and I think Vietnam is going to be a bigger player than all of the coutnries in the region, with the exception of Indonesia, but I don't want to go to Jakarta.

Any word on which city I should live in, getting laid and nightlife, or anything else guys like us would want to know?

Post: #15

Avoid Hanoi.

Its a big no-fun, grey working town. Had the mis-fortune of spending new years eve there once.

Ho Chi Minh City is where its at. Chaotic but fun and lots of hot girls.

If you are in the mood to chill and take the pace down a few notches, go to Hue or Hoi An.

Post: #16

Quote:I would probably stay in a large city like Ho Chi Minh City

Poor you, it's an absolute hell hole. You haven't seen traffic until you've been to Saigon. It's big, it's noisy, it's dirty, it's polluted, it's over crowded, the people aren't very friendly. It lacks in any sort of charm, has no real attractions and is quite a horrible place tbh. Hanoi whilst not much better is certainly an improvment, at least it has some charm to it and is a bit nicer with some lakes and parks dotted round the city.

I couldn't recommend anyone goes to live in Vietnam. I travelled the length of it from North to South and whilst I had a good time I probably wouldn't be in a hurry to go back and certainly wouldn't live anywhere. The big cities lack any real appeal and the nightlife isn't great. Somewhere like Bangkok, Thailand would be a much better bet.

Getting laid is easy, Vietnamese women love white / western men so you'll not struggle to attract females but be aware that in many bars and clubs there are a lot of whores. You'll meet girls everywhere you go, waitresses and girls who work in shops will flirt with you and ask for your number but if you pay attention you'll see they're doing this with most of the male customers in the bar and a lot of the time it doesn't actually come to anything IME.

The girls can be pretty but not as nice as the Thais IMO.

Quote:The less touristy feel, compared to Thailand, appeals to me

Vietnam is massively touristy, they are everywhere. It's one big tourist trail from North to South.

Quote:It's a big crowded city but it runs well.

It really lacks in infrastructure, getting a round is a nightmare and it's always busy day or night, 24/7. Trying to cross the road when you're confronted with 12 lanes of motorbike traffic is crazy.

Food is again not as good as Thai IMO but there is some good dishes to be found. I forget what it's called but the rice porridge type dish with pork balls or little mini hamburgers was excellent, as is the pho (noodle soup basically) and the wantons that seem so prevelant in Hoi An were the tastiest dish I tried, they come served more like natchos than a typical wanton.

Post: #17

(01-29-2010 11:53 AM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  So I might have found a great opportunity to do a freelance research and presentation creation role for a company that makes massive oil ships. This is great and is basically the exact sort of location-independent work environment I was looking for.

I am thinking of setting up shop in Southeast Asia somewhere. I am interested in Vietnam because of its massive growth rates (average at 7.4 annually before economic crisis, second fastest growing economy in the world after China).

Also I know that the food will be great. I would probably stay in a large city like Ho Chi Minh City. I am trying to get 2,000 euros a month for this work (it's a 6 month internship sort of deal, kind of complex).

If anyone has any idea, please tell:

1. Vietnam Ease of Getting Laid
2. Weather/Food
3. Rental costs for a one bedroom furnished place

and any other issues you can think of.

Other cities of interest, if anyone here knows about them:
-Bangkok
-Kuala Lumpur
-Hong Kong
-Manila

Great choice! I moved to Viet just over 3 years ago and spend over a year there. Loved it. Of all the places I've been in Asia, I think its the hardest place to get laid with local girls. In general they are clique-ish and ... well it's a long convo... but stuck up isn't quite the right word-- Viet culture has a lot of depth. Part of the reason this place is so much fun to live in. Get some good local business contacts to help you get plugged in. In general not as accessible as more international places, but the payoff is totally worth it. Don't get me wrong though-- it's not super duper hard to get laid-- but I found sharking after girls here to be the least fun in SA Asia... more effort less payoff. I actually stuck to expats and had a good run of it, lots of NGO crowd.

Weather is sticky hot in south, in Hanoi they have a winter. Food is the best value I've ever experienced and my favorite cuisine.

Rental costs vary widely... and in places like Viet the cost of finding an affordable place can be high because it can take a lot of time to figure out how things work etc.... sometimes can make sense just to throw down on foreign marketed place or hotel of your liking.

Vietnam is a real treat... I'd chose HCMC over Hanoi for the vibrance, food, and fun (easy access to Cambodia too! wooho!!) but for sure visit Hanoi, Nha Trang, and have a romp in Danang.

Bangkok is my favorite city in SE Asia. HK great but too expensive. Still working on getting to KL. Avoid Manila unless your goal is to sleep with a new lady every day (which isn't a bad goal, IMO)

Post: #18

Gringo, if you think Vietnam is touristy then things much have changed a lot since I was last there (1995).

There were only several hundred, maybe a thousand, tourists in the country at most and - when I travelled the country from south to north and back again - I kept running into the same people.

Vietnamese people I found to be super friendly and hard working but, like I said, its been a while so maybe things have changed.

Post: #19

(05-26-2010 08:26 PM)azuzuru Wrote:  I've lived in Saigon for the past 4 years. Love it.

It is easy peasy to get laid here. Girls are very attractive and friendly. Easy to find non-p4p girls everywhere once you learn to sniff out the p4p girls.

Food is good if you like vn food. There are lots of international options too -- you can get great hamburgers or German or Italian food too.

2000 euros is plenty to live well and travel around the region. i'm just guessing, but you could get a good hotel for ~$500/month, easy. Make sure whatever place you get you have the flexibility to bring, ahem, guests back to your room no questions asked.

Check out http://www.livinginvietnam.com/

Those prices seem ridiculous IMO.

Post: #20

That site targets mainly expats and more specifically those who have been sent by their companies to work there. As a rule of thumb, avoid any real estate site with English on it, as it'll be way over priced.

(05-06-2011 01:00 PM)truedat Wrote:  

(05-26-2010 08:26 PM)azuzuru Wrote:  I've lived in Saigon for the past 4 years. Love it.

It is easy peasy to get laid here. Girls are very attractive and friendly. Easy to find non-p4p girls everywhere once you learn to sniff out the p4p girls.

Food is good if you like vn food. There are lots of international options too -- you can get great hamburgers or German or Italian food too.

2000 euros is plenty to live well and travel around the region. i'm just guessing, but you could get a good hotel for ~$500/month, easy. Make sure whatever place you get you have the flexibility to bring, ahem, guests back to your room no questions asked.

Check out http://www.livinginvietnam.com/

Those prices seem ridiculous IMO.

Post: #21

Quote:Gringo, if you think Vietnam is touristy then things much have changed a lot since I was last there (1995).

There were only several hundred, maybe a thousand, tourists in the country at most and - when I travelled the country from south to north and back again - I kept running into the same people.

I was there a couple years back, tourists everywhere.

A quick google brings up this website: http://www.vietnamtravel.org/vietnam-tourism-statistics

Apparently 1.5million tourists in 1995 and up to 4.5million in 2008. You'll definitely run into the same people as everyone tends to be on the same well travelled tourist route and when you've met someone once you tend to remember them. Happaned to me on all my big trips round SE Asia, South America, Aus, Europe.

Post: #22

Forget Manila, go to Cebu instead

Post: #23

some places in Vietnam you can get a good hotel room with wifi for less than 300 US a month

Post: #24

Bump. Which area of Saigon would you suggest a single guy to live in?

I know district 1, but where within district 1 specifically?

Post: #25

(06-22-2011 06:29 AM)cyrilruiz Wrote:  Vietnam is famous country in all over the world. This is 13th most population country. There are many tourist attraction place as well as Its famous for his festival and culture.

Sorry troll.