Organize an Expat blog meet-up!

I've touched down in Hanoi for slightly more than a month. I'll be delighted for any expat meet-ups, especially charity events. For those interested in language exchanges, do hit me up as well. I speak excellent English, Malay/Indonesian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and some French & Thai. Cheers peeps.

Would love to join you, but Im in KL now. Can we postpone to next week instead? Im fine for Trung Son area.

Hi diamondbell,

I know that lots of people travel these days,
I'm organizing it for ones who stay home (like me)

and so far more than 10 will come, few others say maybe will come.
so I don't postpone it, but you can join the next one.

PM me with your email, so I can keep you updated on this

Enjoy your stay in KL

I m game !

Well, maybe others' luck was better...

The actual street name would've helped me: 400 in the Civic Center Area and you'd lose your case; 400 McAllister Street would get you closer to court on time. 6x (8 in the case I saw) parallels a street that itself immediately goes nowhere near the target address; across which street I would've done well to know- as I could divine, across the street from 68/w.h.y. and a few steps left  was some gangster bida joint, and a look across So 9A revealed numbers in the 200s. Ca Phe Dat Sai Gon would've been good to know too. Quan ca phe ten "Ca Phe Sai Gon" got blank stares. "Across So 9A on Duong So 10 at So 7" would've been too good to know (I now see it on their exhaustive website with pictures of relevant things like furniture, itself showing us 9 instead of the 9A on the goog map, whichever it really is) The tra sua da at the trendy place on 9A was yummy enough. There was one lost-looking young lady on 9/9A/w.h.y. I asked her, but she hadn't heard of expats.

(And yes, Meo, you are correct- no one postpones a group experience for the convenience of one, save maybe the lead singer. It needs no explanation to anyone. The haphazard vibe here is indeed a challenge. The charm of VN!)

Thanks for the effort.

Teecell,

I'm sorry for what happened.

I supposed that if you come and can't find it, you would call me (like others did).

Yes, it was my mistake when I didn't think thoroughly about the place.

But if someone have difficulty in finding the place, I'm more than willing to help out.
(Like one member waited for me at Lotte Mart District 7,
and I rode motorbike there to meet him and we went back)

I'm so sorry for this.
May I invite you for a coffee to say sorry about this?
(near your place, so it will be convenient for you)

I do want to join but i live in Ha Noi. Hope to meet you here. Meo

Moderated by : Priscilla
Reason           : No promotion for external groups

Any meet-up in the evening?

oh ! great ! if meet in Dumien - hoho nearby my home - i'd like to join  !

Hi everyone, could I join with you? I live in Dis. 9 now. So we could hang out somewhere in Dis. 2.

Hi guys! Feel a bit lonely in Nha Trang, stuck here for 1 month.Hanging out in local bars doesn't give too much of new friends so I really hope we could arrange a meeting asap and go visit some nice place together. Who's in?

Thanks again for Richard's initiative in arranging yesterday's meet and greet.


It may prove more fruitious to those seeking expat interaction for its own sake in future for people to not use the gathering as an opportunity to take advantage of English speakers in bringing people along for tutelage among those who are using the meeting as it may have been intended: to network for the benefit of the expats for whom the group was created in the first place.

To wit: someone claiming to be an English teacher, but a VN native, dragged her mother, a friend, and some kids along, opened the door with feigning interest in this attendee's story, then dumped said others for a free English session and made her way around the group.

Not done. There are plently of English-native speakers hanging out at CV 23/9- just a block away- for that, not people who are trying to improve their lot here while Mr. Loo goes out of his way to provide them a live forum at which to interact. It's enough that natives come along to get a view of the outside world's way of doing things potentially of no benefit to nguoi ngoai in the first place. If it's American matters they want to study, the American Center at Diamond Plaza, 8th floor, is here for that.

Don't use people, or the meetings, for such inconsistent personal gain, please. It isn't "being friendly"; it's using.

Teecell wrote:

Thanks again for Richard's initiative in arranging yesterday's meet and greet.


It may prove more fruitious to those seeking expat interaction for its own sake in future for people to not use the gathering as an opportunity to take advantage of English speakers in bringing people along for tutelage among those who are using the meeting as it may have been intended: to network for the benefit of the expats for whom the group was created in the first place.

To wit: someone claiming to be an English teacher, but a VN native, dragged her mother, a friend, and some kids along, opened the door with feigning interest in this attendee's story, then dumped said others for a free English session and made her way around the group.

Not done. There are plently of English-native speakers hanging out at CV 23/9- just a block away- for that, not people who are trying to improve their lot here while Mr. Loo goes out of his way to provide them a live forum at which to interact. It's enough that natives come along to get a view of the outside world's way of doing things potentially of no benefit to nguoi ngoai in the first place. If it's American matters they want to study, the American Center at Diamond Plaza, 8th floor, is here for that.

Don't use people, or the meetings, for such inconsistent personal gain, please. It isn't "being friendly"; it's using.

Hi Teecell

We all share the same view that certain issues happen during the meets-up, all the time, including free English practice sessions, selling goods/services, seeking for romantic relationship/ match making etc.  I am sure Richard and the team have put great efforts to make the meets-up more interactive for expats and quality local members, including setting rules against seeking romantic relationship and business opportunities as stated under the Code of Conduct. Richard and the team know about the issues happened yesterday and I am pretty sure they will well handle them. But we all have to admit that it pretty much depends on the attitude of the members themselves, somehow it can be out of Richard and the team's control.

Despite all the issues happened, the meets-up are designed for us to get introduced to each other, then smaller meets-up/ travels/ other activities amongst the members will be organized by the members themselves.  Thanks to the meets-up, we have had lovely friends with whom we chit chat all the time, share experience about study, life, work, hangs-out together during weekends etc. With all these rewards, I am sure we can get over the small issues happened during the meets-up, together.

Warm regards
Nguyet

In the festive spirit of the days upon us, I thank and commend Ban/Товарищ Nguyet for her supportive and broadly aware reply, as well as Kurt for his acknowledgement.

   To reiterate: I'm not at all about laying down the Law or playing hall monitor, in spite of apparently corrective posts to the topic. I am trying to put a spin in the proper direction for the dynamic to follow in order to make the best use of time.

   All too often I see weblogs commandeered by one or two swaggerers who presume to dictate code to others; the 'big fish in a little pond' syndrome.

Far be it from me to do so.

I speak up for Richard, in his efforts, and all of those who endeavor to make a good go of this.

In my past life in Production, we had meetings. We had contact sheets (not photo, but names/ctct info). We had a bunch of people running around doing stuff to pull all the effort together over 4 months for a 6-hour event costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes making millions more.

People get intense. Tempers can boil but they don't, as that will really make a trainwreck that costs even more.

When you have dozens of crew waiting, or a go for network link, every minute/second counts a lot, respectively.

What I hope to impart is not badgering people for wanting to share cute little things like ESL, but to say "hey- someone put a lot into this, and if you call yourself an English teacher (in this case) then by all means don't play others for their unrelated time/efforts to get yourself ahead at their expense".

It's a simple matter of respect- for Richard, Highlands, you, you and you.

I don't go somewhere and say I'm so-and-so special and then foist my chores onto someone else inconsistent with their purposes. Au contraire, if someone is as welcoming as Richard and all of you I consider myself one lucky cat and thank you again.

Sure I like VN- not to make a killing in a new market but to take part in a great resolution to thousands of years in the making to a history of suppression. This place has a track record similar to our forebears' Yugoslavia (Ho and Tito were friends at the Comintern and afterwards, too).

I want to be a part of this country's advancement and enjoyment of its cause of freedom and self-awareness, hence contact with the expats and my little vignettes of lich su on facebook.

So, too, there are nguoi Viet whose presence enhances the meets- they provide the interface that expats need to transition from merely visitors to contributors to the overall scheme of things here.

I thank the natives who throw their hats into the ring of cooperation. You are at least 50% of the blend.

I was simply disappointed that anyone, professing to understand others' needs in participation, turned the meet in their own small sphere into a self-serving adventure exclusive of the intention of networking for the greater good. If you're an English teacher, then do your job. There are some very bright, enterprising people such as Meo here who really do hold to the spirit toward the goal (she has apparently been facilitating both expats and visitors in their activities in VN- this is the kind of spirit I love to see among the natives, like the Montagnards or Kit Carson Scouts actually helping the expats who, in turn, should support them).

For my part, I love cong viec tinh nguyen vien, as I did in the nha hats 3 years ago here. It was a chance to meet like minds in VN, among nguoi Viet who are the real version of the kieu with whom I'd worked in the US.

The more we can interface with Viets at these meets, the better- we can gauge each others' desired parts and provide some assist, if lucky.

Again, thanks to all for the warm welcome (especially Richard's and Meo's). I take personally the effort I see expended, as I've been there, and it deserves recognition and reward to all those contributing.

Всего Х-

ТТ

A quick observation re: sign-ins, intros.

   At the last meet, though I saw a couple of ngoai who seemed to form their own club at the table, pretty much ignorant of activities around them, I was able to meet with several folks who truly seemed sincere about interaction with new faces. I liked Richard's idea of the musical chairs/speed dating/w.h.y. of shifting places.

Now I know the Highlands vibe as to arranging tables. That isn't a Richard thing. HC likes to jam as much seating together as they can, obviating easy transit from one place to another. The De Tham one has upstairs just the one extra table that prevents anyone at the other six from access without a jet pack. Many of their tables are like this. "Architectural Graphic Standards", the reference we use in the US, apparently didn't translate well. (BTW, any Viet architectural/I.D. folks might want to grab one. It shows even spacing for tables to make them useable.)

As the meets do provide revenue to HC, it would be well to make the participants more comfortable with moving about.

Is anyone on board with presenting an alternative to the 3rd World Provincial bus seating vibe? I liked the idea of moving about and meeting all there.

It takes being able to move, first off.

Next- the sign-in. I heard Richard's note re: legibility of the sign-in sheet. The laptop was inaccessible (see first note) to some. I liked the sign-in before. If legibility is an issue, we could ask for block letters. Census was able to enumerate 308-some million people using this method; it seems that the 299,000 at the meets could do it even more easily...


Thanks again-

Thane
Logistics (incl. tables) and Field Rep (incl block letters), US Census Bureau, ESA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce

Hi,
I have just moved to Vietnam near Hanoi and would love to join!
Have nice weekend!

So when is the next meet going to take place?? I just missed this last one

Hello.

I would love to join. I am a graduate and will be spending a few months in vietnam for tefl. Would love to make some friends.

I am going to whinge here ..... so please pass straight over.

Please do NOT make pointless comments - this is an information service.
For giving and receiving INFORMATION.
If you want to attend an event - then WAIT for someone to organise and advertise it.
Otherwise ORGANISE one yourself.
But to read 90% of entries that are POINTLESS (= NO value) is a total waste of everyone's time.

Having said that, I do find considerable challenges in sifting through all the blogs and waffle.
We need an events site that people may NOT contribute to but that has to go through a moderator.
And a second blog (similar restrictions) for locally recommended services.
There are of course some people whom one might suspect have too much time on their hands.

My previous whinge went down with mixed feelings - plenty of likes but a few who disapproved in writing.

NO INFORMATION - then NO COMMENT.   Please

thanks MeoMun for a wonderfully organised meetup.
I hope it goes well for you.
However:

I have NO IDEA where your meetup location (I do not know any of the place names you mention)
But I will assume it is Ho Chi Min City that this event is being organised for.

The ExPat address is:  Forum-Asia-Vietnam-Networking-Organize an Expat.com meet-up!

Please bloggers, don't ASSUME that everybody lives in the same town as you do.
I rather doubt that Hanoians would recognise the location provided - let alone we people from Hue and other under-represented regions of Vietnam.  Please EVERYONE provide a km distance and compass bearing from some City that most of us will have heard of.  I'd happily consider flying to HCMCity for an event and staying over for a few days.
But I'd need to know which city!

Hello. ** please email me. Thank you.

I think a meet up should include alcoholics, I mean alcoholic beverages.

Of course you should accept his offer! With gratitude!

I love that prelude from "November Rain". If I remember it right, at the International Firework Contest last month in Da Nang, the American Team have that segment in their performance. It's magnifique.

Can you give me your number so that i can call you. Or you call me. Please.... Thank you.

@jaime lorel l dablo > Members should not be sharing personal contact numbers on the forum as per our code of conduct.

Thank-you.

hello everyone!

I'm a new member
I'd like to learn from your expat experience
This is my first posted. That's all

i really like that :3

Hello. Everyone.
I'm new here and definitely happy to meet you all.

Hey all

I'm new here and happy to meet you all if i have free time and we can talk english and gathering without english is not excellent

This is a great idea!

Hello Julian, I would like to arrange a meeting with Vietnamese people that want to improve their communication skills in English. Its every Sunday 2pm-4pm and its free! They only have to pay for a drink (fair enough) can you help me to organize this
Thanks!

Hi Chris13thave > I would invite you to post your ad in the classifieds > classes in Vietnam section.  For any questions, please contact us. Thank you.

Anything scheduled for either the 10th or 11th of August? I am (as the moniker says) an old Saigon hand who lived in Saigon from 1965 thru 1974 and would like to meet some of those living there now. The only thing I have to contribute might be a few stories about those days.