Jacob in Ho Chi Minh City: "Everything is so much cheaper here"

Where are you from, Jacob, and what are you doing nowadays?

I come from the United States, now living in Ho Chi Minh City. Before I moved to Vietnam, I used to work as an engineer in a nuclear power plant. Nowadays, I am a consultant on database design and business process improvement while operating a study abroad business in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.

Why did you choose to move to Vietnam ?

While my wife and I were dating, and for the first couple of years after marriage, I was studying part-time for my MBA and my wife was studying in the medical field. After our baby girl was born, we decided that it would be a good opportunity to take a little break. My wife was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City. So we came here for the cheap cost of living, massive family support, and to help my daughter and I learn Vietnamese.

What were the procedures to follow for a US national to move there?

Most expats seem to be here on visitor visas, which are very easy to get. As I am married to a Vietnamese citizen, I am here on a Visa Exemption which only requires me to check in with the local police and re-stamp my passport once every three months. Other than making sure you are in the country legally, Americans also need to remember that the US government requires you to report your worldwide income and any international bank accounts that you own. That makes taxes a little more complicated, but it is important not to forget those sections. Otherwise, there can be heavy fines.

How long have you been in the country?

I have been in the country for nearly 9 months. My wife, daughter, and I live with my in-laws, which has some benefits and drawbacks. The major benefits are a lower cost of living, and having a group of people living with you who will help you out if you ever need it. Some of the drawbacks are a lack of privacy and personal space, but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh the negatives. It is also great for my daughter to get to play with her cousins everyday. The kids do a good job of keeping themselves entertained.

What has attracted you to Ho Chi Minh City?

The first thing that attracted me was family living in the city. Other than that, it is nice to live in a bigger city that has some of the US comforts and foods. It is nice to know that whenever I get homesick, I can find a restaurant with good beer and BBQ. Ho Chi Minh City is also a major economic center. Thus, you can find a lot of cultures in the city.

What are the features of the local labor market?

When I first moved here, I did some volunteer work and made a little money teaching English. I quickly realized that teaching English is not my calling in life. So my wife and I opened a study-abroad business. My original goal was to find a job in an international company, but it was very difficult to get interviews. Moreover, companies were apprehensive about hiring an expat because they feared that if they hired me, someone else would come up and pay me more money to leave.

It is easy to find accommodation there?

I live with my in-laws, so that accommodation was easy to find. Even if you aren't married it is still pretty easy to find places to live in the city.

How do you find the Vietnamese lifestyle?

Living in Vietnam is pretty laid back. The cost of living is pretty cheap, so most people go out a lot. The drinking culture here is much different than back home. Most Vietnamese drinking parties I attend only last a couple of hours. The goal seems to be to get as drunk as possible while you are there. Whenever I go get a beer with other expats, we tend to go to places that sell dark beer and drink it more slowly to enjoy the taste and the conversation, but that is not the norm for Vietnamese parties.

Have you been able to adapt yourself to the country and to its society?

Once I got into a routine, it was pretty easy to adapt to the country and society. As a foreigner, there are a lot of things that happen that I don't understand, but after a while you just learn to let it roll off your back and go with the flow.

What does your every day life look like in Ho Chi Minh City?

I like to wake up early, drink a cup of coffee while reading the news, then go to the gym, eat breakfast, and then work.

What has surprised you the most at your arrival?

The lack of air conditioning in a country which is this hot is surprising. I have heard that if you grow up here you get used to it, but I am always sweating so much more than my in-laws.

Any particular experience you would like to share with us?

I enjoy Vietnamese wives' tales. My daughter is a half German/Dutch mix and half Vietnamese. When she was born, she had more hair than any baby in her American family tree, and less hair than any baby in her Vietnamese family tree. My family was so happy that she had that much hair, but my wife's family was very concerned about her hair. I came home one day and found they had shaved her hair to try to get it to grow quicker. They will also put a lot of grape fruit juice and other random things on her hair to help it grow. I'm not sure if any of these works or not, but it makes her smell nice.

What is your opinion on the cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City? Is it easy for an expat to live in there?

It is very easy for an expat to live in Saigon. Most expats work part-time and are able to have a decent apartment downtown and go out several times a week.

How do you spend your leisure time?

I spend my leisure time relaxing with the family, traveling, playing music, eating out, and meeting expat friends for coffee or beers.

Your favorite dishes?

In the US, my favorite dish was Bun Bo Hue, but for some reason I don't like it in Vietnam. Now I like the Banh Mi sandwiches because they are tasty, cheap, and you can find them all over the place.

What are the differences between life in Vietnam and in the US?

The biggest difference is that in the US you normally drive cars and follow all posted traffic signs. Vietnam follows more of a "no harm, no foul" style of traffic rules. Moreover, because everything is so much cheaper here, we tend to eat out much more often and do things away from the house.

Do you miss your home country?

I miss the US, but Internet has helped quite a bit as I still keep in touch with many of my friends. There are some great places for American food in Ho Chi Minh City as well, so that helps whenever I get a craving for pizza, BBQ, or burgers.

Would you like to give any advice to soon-to-be expatriates?

When you first move here, you are on a honeymoon with the country. Everything is new and amazing, and you think it's the greatest place on the earth. That feeling will wear down after a while and you will feel like all of the things around you are much more normal. You will also have some bad days, when little things will start to wear you down. When that happens, call up an expat friend and talk about it over some beers. You will know that the feeling is only temporary and it will go away in a day or two. As time goes on, it gets easier to adjust to things.

What are your plans for the future?

I think that we will eventually go back to the US, but we're not sure when. We are currently making enough money to live without any financial issues, but not nearly as much as we would if we moved back to the US. I have a feeling that we will stay until we don't enjoy it anymore, but I'm not sure if that will be a month, a year, or a decade.