Is Vietnam a good place for a single 60 year old woman to retire?

I happened to have wondered a similar thing 6 months ago, when my company offered a position in Vietnam,
so I leave few words.

I had a preconceived idea about Vietnam for being less developed country which made me not sure
about coming here over my concerns for my wife like her safety, Language barrier, Cultural difference, etc.

Now, after having stayed around 5~6 months, we are happy for being here.
At least where we stay, the town (Kind of a foreigners town) is surprisingly well developed and managed,
and no need to worry about safety, though things are a bit expensive than you might think that would be in the area .

Anyway, it is definitely worth considering to live in here according to my experiences
with not only Ho chi minh city but other many cities over the world as my job is overseas sales.

By the way, I don't speak a single Vietnamese word but get by with English without too much trouble,
although it is usually my body language that makes them understand me.

Vietnam is an awesome place to live. I recommend Da Nang. It has a very supportive expat community.

Hi Madam,,i am henry 31 years old..i was a tourguide before in 6 years..all vietnam area..i am very professional.
Now Me,my wife working for Singapore international in Phnompenh-Cambodia.
Yes,Viet Nam is good place for retire.But problem is which province?..if my choose i will choose Can Tho Province..170Km from Hochiminh city..Around the city are river..peace,,quiet..good air..Can Tho is 1 of 6 biggest Province in Viet Nam.
And also cheap lanf,,or house..you will very easy to buy a small house overthere..

Moderated by Christine
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It would be an absolutely fabulous place to live. I have spent much time in the nation ---from south to north---and endorse the country and its opportunities with much enthusiasm. I will be returning soon and did not want to leave.
Best regards and good luck with your decision-making. Layne

Thanks to all for responding. Would really like to live at the coast. Nha Trang looks kind of touristy and glitzy and maybe is more humid.than Da Nang. The plan would be to spend about three months travelling around to check things out. How difficult/expensive is it to get around the country?

Trains are very cheap and comfortable offering the opportunity to see the countryside. Domestic flights are cheap. I have traveled all over Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Plenty of nice budget hotels.

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So there are trains that link big and smaller cities? What about car rentals? I have just turned my sites toward Vietnam. French speaking countries would be easiest for me. Kind of thought I might like to go back to Algeria but that looks more  and more unrealistic. But there are such beautiful beaches and  and nice climate. Am actually only 58 but one has to look down the road. Westerners and single aging females are uniquely vulnerable in today's world. I always traveled alone when I was younger. Maybe that is unrealistic as well.

Thanks for your response Mr. Henry. Do you have a website I can look at?

It is fairly safe here. The main thing is to look out for petty crimes such as pickpocketing and scamming. By scamming I mean people over-charging you for products or selling you fake products. Just use common sense and learn to haggle.

As for transportation, the train system is slow and outdated. The buses are okay but are often delayed. However, there are two discount air carriers Vietjet and JetStar which provide decent service to other parts of Vietnam.

I would not rent a car here. Too many motorbikes on the road and too dangerous to try.

Nhatrang and danang are high recommended!

i am in the same position as you - although i am not a 60 year old single woman.   I'm looking for a place for retirement and i am currently in Vietnam looking at both Nha Trang and Da Nang.  Basically, i've come on a scouting and research trip to see which is the best - and also to check out real estate, etc.

I very much liked Nha Trang and i could easily live there.  It is a smallish city that can provide a lazy lifestyle but the key "issue" is that you need to be away from the tourist and glitzy areas to have a good cheap lifestyle.   Another reason for this scouting trip of mine is to see how well a non Vietnamese speaking person can speak and get around in my target areas.   While Nha Trang is a big tourist destination, the majority of tourists seem to be Russian and this is obvious to the high amount of russian signage and russian speaking Vietnamese people.  English is not that well received - from what i saw. 

I did look at some real estate in Nha Trang - both to rent and to buy and there is a huge amount of variance on prices.  The best way to find real estate is to simply jump on a hired scooter and ride around and look for the signs (which are written in Vietnamese).   I did this, as well as get in contact with a local agent and some of the places i looked at were, how i say, interesting.   the locals seem make a figure up in their heads that is not related to market worth and the expect haggling based on their own figure.  You really need to shop around for the real estate - both renting and buying.

If you want to drop out of western society and have a cheap and easy place to live that has good beaches etc then Nha Trang may be good.   There is plenty of development and activity there for you to pick up some pocket money and the large developments being built on the way to the airport really do open my eyes.  i wonder if these developments will ever be finished and what type of people they will cater for but if the amount of developments going on is any indication on the confidence of the economy then Nha Trang may be a growing place in the future.   I have invested in a few properties in australia and as an investor, i follow the simple rule of "follow the big boys" - that is, a safe investment is where the big players are putting their money.  This theory is based on the big players, i.e. Crown Casino, hyatt etc, must have done their research and homework before they build a new development.   So with those names and others building in Nha Trang then you can be assured that some growth must be coming along.  This may present itself as opportunities for you to earn pocket money etc.

Having said that, i did spy some obvious failed developments while there - one example is the series of huts that look abandoned about 15 minutes north of Nha Trang.   I also saw some other obvious signs of abandoned activity too.   Don't know about these.

One thing about Nha Trang that does worry is the airport and the access to it.   It is some distance from the city and road to the airport is not the best in the world.   Maybe this will be upgraded in the near future when all the neighbouring developments get finished.   Who knows - plus the airport looks a bit old too. 

anyway - that is Nha Trang and these are just my observations.

As for Danang - at first observations, this looks like a city that is growing and being modernised.  New western styled roads, city planning and developments are going on here too.  From what i understand, the old CBD is being "renovated" and moved and they are aggressively enhancing this city to become an international focus.  There are also the developments here from the same companies that are building in Nha Trang but be careful of this as some of these development may "lock off" some areas of the beaches.  so if you are planning to buy close to the beach then be careful about where as your beach access may be closed.

There are plenty of places to buy here (i have only been looking at buying and not renting in Danang) and it seems that there is a good variety of places to buy.  Again, the pricing of potential places do not seem to follow market value so be wary and be prepared to haggle.  don't fall in love with any of the accommodation you look at and look at it as a roof over your head and be prepared to walk away from any deal at any moment.  There is plenty of places available to look at.

In terms of language, Da Nang seems to have more English speakers and less Russian speakers, so getting around is easy.  Watch out for the one way streets in the old CBD area as they are a trap if you are riding on a scooter.

The airport at Da Nang is more accessible and also cheaper to get to.  Plus the international aspect of Da Nang airport gives you more opportunities too.  i.e. fly to Singapore, Taipei, HK, Bangkok etc.   From what i can see the only international flights at Nha Trang are to Russia.  To me, this is an important consideration as I'd like to cheaply and easily fly out to another destination without transferring via Saigon.

I hope this helps - i am still on may fact finding trip.  I aim to retire here by the end of this year and I have set aside this trip to answer a lot of initial questions.

My recommendations are:

- don't go on any planned tour trips (especially planned by local people who do not have a good command of english)
- come and see the places yourself and get a feel of the place.  See what makes you feel comfortable
- check out the food yourself and shop around
- be wary of everything. the locals are friendly but they are wanting money and that comes first.  this may sound harsh but it seems to be the rule.
- when going to restaurants, don't assume the refresher towels are free. that will charge you for using them.

PM me if you want to know more.


Hope this helps


g

Many places in Vietnam are very very dangerous to live in and travel through. You must believe this to be true. Others who tell you differently most probably have been well protected by a supportive group of people around them or live in a more sterile, unrealistic area of Vietnam. The saigon area can be extremely dangerous and detrimental to your health and well-being, particularly as related to road safety (there are no rules of the road but most people seem to create their own' there is a pecking order which means large trucks predominate, then buses, then cars, then motor bikes, then bicycles and food carts, then pedestrians with children alone being at greatest risk), communication with a large majority of the general population (cheats, dishonesty, deceitfullness, disdain for Westerners, careless, unconscious and thoughtless behaviors), health standards (food in public places, impure water, medical attention and hospitalization, poor environmental conditions and standards). Furthermore, travel on buses can be, at times, most stressful (or adventurous depending upon your level excitability and stimulation) - drivers can be very careless or affected by the poor road conditions or habits of other vehicles on the road; they can often be driving for extended time which without relief contributing to drowsiness, fatigue and lack of concentration. Riding on back of private motor bikes or with inexperienced drivers of bikes and cars can be another major problem. Most motor riders and those who drive cars (including taxi drivers and private car company drivers for hire) are either inexperienced or very poor drivers who often don't know where they are going, how to get there or have difficulty focusing on the movement of others on the roads.

The country can also be a dangerous place to live due to improper, limited or biased police and other legal protection.

All of the aforementioned situations combined can influence and contribute to a very unsafe, unhealthy and dangerous country to live or travel in (unless traveling in a bubble - a safer, protected environment such as that within an organized Tourist agenda with very selective accommodation and travel arrangements).

Having said that, there certainly are some major economic benefits to be realized by living in VN but even these may have some shortcomings if not carefully advised.

Thanks for well thought out answer. US State Department also warns about road hazards in cities. In general men respond to this query and can't appreciate the additional vulnerability of a single woman. Why go half way around the world and get run over by a bus.

Have started to come around to the fact that I really don't want to go to a third world country. You get what you pay for as they say and what's the point of saving money if you can't safely leave the house.

Have spent some hours looking at rentals in the south of France. Many are quite reasonable as these landlords like to keep the places occupied in the off season (Sept thru June). Some prefer year round tenants. Will be getting another small pension in Feb of 2016 so this might work out. There is a long term (one year) visa if you promise not to work and have your own health insurance. Just have to jump thru some silly little French hoops  

We Yanks have a global image problem (an understatement) so let's hope that doesn't get any worse before it's time to bail out

You should contact TravelnLass. She is around your age and came here without ever visiting. I'm sure you have the same questions as she did and she'll be able to give you relevant answers. She is a very nice lady and I'm sure she'll be happy to help you.

I believe she spent around 6 months or so here before deciding to move on (she can tell you why). She now travels all over the world and has an interesting blog. You can contact via this site (not sure how often she logs on) or through her blog listed below. I cannot imagine anyone better to give you advice.

http://www.travelnlass.com/

Merci mille fois

Thank you a thousand times

Will be there by January 2019. DaNang. Have done the heavy research and watched so many expat vlogs I feel that I am already there. I'm over 50 and will be a solo female traveller . I'm hoping to stay 5 years or more. I have a decent pension which will afford me the lifestyle I cannot have at home. So will have much time to volunteer and pursue things I haven't even thought of yet😁! I think if you are adaptable, why not? Good luck on your research!

Watch out for the heat in HCMC, it can be oppressive, especially with the high humidity. I came back to AU from Saigon 2 weeks ago, found moving in and out of the heat to air conditioned space a problem.
Also be aware also that you will need to protect yourself from Mosquitoes, especially if venturing into the rural areas.
I am in my 60's, we need to be probably a bit more aware of health issues, small things like no bare feet on the floor, bring your favourite flip flops for example.

Can only hope that you find your piece of heaven in Vietnam, the people are really lovely

suefrankdahl wrote:

Can one get by with English and French?

It is amazing how quickly the Vietnamese dumped French when compared to other former colonies.  You may find some elderly people who speak French but that would be rare.

English and Mandarin seem to be the two languages that Vietnamese college students are most likely to study.  I expect it is a case of going where the money is.

i am a 65 yr man but i think it is very safe and you can get by cheap and english is fine
people here are alittle shy at first but if you deal with an individual more than once he or she is your friend

I'm in the same boat as suefrankdahl. I will be retiring at the end of this calendar year and plan moving to Da Nang, Nha Trang or Snooky in Cambodia early next year. I have been to each of these places previously but alas only as a tourist and for short periods. My pick is Da Nang but I intend spending some weeks in each place to suss each out fully, particularly Da Nang and Nha Trang.

I won't be working and don't want to work - one lifetime of toil and tax is enough! I will be a sprightly 69yo single male of unsober habits but good health although some bits are wearing out now - however after all, being healthy is just a slower way to die!

I would appreciate any or all of suefrankdahl, gg1965, Missjodi and RoyKim80 to PM or contact me so that I can pick your brains more deeply, particularly with reference to nice districts, cost of a 2-bedroom unit etc and the conclusions you have drawn from your research.

I have been an avid reader of these and other blogs and any advice, +'ve or -'ve, is greatly treasured from all you other experienced expats out there in expatland.

Having spent time in Cambodia and Vietnam can assure you that usually only people 60+ speak French.

True. French over. English and Mandarin are kings.

US citizen/permanent French resident.I have a home near Lyon and spend time in Ibiza Spain. Winters I head for SE Asia.Getting papers in France can be timeconsuming.I would certainly recommend Spain over any part of France. You will be lonely if you have no friends or family. Good luck. Be flexible.