Last April I moved to HCM to open a hot yoga studio. I've taught hot yoga for the past eleven years in the US, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. My goal is to introduce this very popular style of yoga (aka Bikram Yoga) to Vietnam. I want to train local people to teach it.
This is a legacy project for me. I'm ready to retire. I thought I'd get the yoga up and going and give it away, then retire. Because of the availability of low cost space here, I have a model that would provide classes at low cost. I would train motivated students to become teachers for free.
I am conflicted about living here. It's noisy. The motorbikes on the sidewalk annoy me, and they are not going away. The air is not clean and the street peddlers with megaphones riding by my home ten times a day are another irritant to me.
On the positive side I've been treated very nicely here. I find the Vietnamese people generally wonderful. There is an exciting fine arts culture in HCM and Hanoi that I find attractive. And the city is bursting with development. I'm sure my yoga would find root and grow here.
I'm traveling to the US for a holiday soon and will make my decision. My yoga studio is ready to go. If I choose yes, I will open in January. I'm putting this here to see if any other ex-pats have encountered these kinds of deterrents and what they've done to overcome them.