Yeah, so I've been in Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh) for about a week and I have been very pleasently surprised. For those who are thinking of going to SE Asia for a while to work and save money while living low stress, I think Saigon is a pretty good bet.
What's good about Vietnam compared to Thailand?
Well, first of all, the French were heavily involved in Vietnam and even made Saigon the capital of Indochina (Laos, Cambodja, Vietnam), so the city is very European with long wide boulewards lined by tall old trees and plenty of nice parks, here is a pic:
Now, if you've spent more than a week in Bangkok you realize how infinitely better it is to have lush green parks and streets lined by 100 year old trees. It is a huge everyday improvement on quality of life to have green around you and Thailand does not have that.
Of course, the French brought other things with them such as bakery and coffee, both are huge in Vietnam. They make this fantastic local coffee of very strong coffee with condensed milk which you can make into a very tasty ice coffee. Seriously the best coffee I've ever had and I've drunk a lot of coffee:
Next up, is the lack of mass tourism, which means the Viets are not sick and tired of foreigners like they are in Thailand. The viets are of course similar to other SE Asians, but they're very entrepreneural. I sat down in a coffee chain (Trung Nguyen) and they had books in vietnamese about Google, Facebook and the like. Again, if you've ever been to Bangkok, you might have forgotten what a book looks like. The vietnamese are curious and interested about the rest of the world unlike Thailand which is completely insular and inward looking.
Of course, it helps that Vietnam isn't overrun by Pattaya type tourists. In the Phang Nam Lau area, which is sort of a mix of Kao San Road and Sukhumvit in Bangkok, you have lots of local Vietnamese who clearly think western culture is interesting, Thailand is long past that and mostly try to distance themselves from the west and suck up to Korea and Japan.
The girls are cute too. They have a distinct look, a mix of Thai and Chinese. Light skinned, slim, feminine of course and not as shy in public as Thais. There are few hookers and the hookers who are there are pretty ugly. However, this also means you have the opportunity to meet the locals without the stigma of prostitution. I'd think it would be pretty easy to meet a local girl, though language may be a problem as English is not widely spoken.
Cons? Well, English levels are worse than in Thailand, however, viets are better at understanding what you're trying to get across than Thais who generally shut off if they don't understand everything.
The city has a lack of modern public transport. No skytrain or metro and loads and loads of scooters. Plenty of taxis and much better city planning (thanks to the french) make it much easier to get around in general though.
I was surprised at the development of the city. It is far above Cambodja and Laos but not on Thai or Malay levels.
That makes it fun though. It is growing rapidly, money is being made, Vietnam is open and willing to be a part of the world.
It is also very, very cheap. A pack of cigs is less than $1. A beer is 50 cents USD. Decent budget hotels are only $10-15 and they are fine, though not luxurious in any way. You could definitely get by here on a low budget while still drinking beer and taking taxis all day.
I rate Saigon 8/10 for digital nomads.
What's good about Vietnam compared to Thailand?
Well, first of all, the French were heavily involved in Vietnam and even made Saigon the capital of Indochina (Laos, Cambodja, Vietnam), so the city is very European with long wide boulewards lined by tall old trees and plenty of nice parks, here is a pic:
Now, if you've spent more than a week in Bangkok you realize how infinitely better it is to have lush green parks and streets lined by 100 year old trees. It is a huge everyday improvement on quality of life to have green around you and Thailand does not have that.
Of course, the French brought other things with them such as bakery and coffee, both are huge in Vietnam. They make this fantastic local coffee of very strong coffee with condensed milk which you can make into a very tasty ice coffee. Seriously the best coffee I've ever had and I've drunk a lot of coffee:
Next up, is the lack of mass tourism, which means the Viets are not sick and tired of foreigners like they are in Thailand. The viets are of course similar to other SE Asians, but they're very entrepreneural. I sat down in a coffee chain (Trung Nguyen) and they had books in vietnamese about Google, Facebook and the like. Again, if you've ever been to Bangkok, you might have forgotten what a book looks like. The vietnamese are curious and interested about the rest of the world unlike Thailand which is completely insular and inward looking.
Of course, it helps that Vietnam isn't overrun by Pattaya type tourists. In the Phang Nam Lau area, which is sort of a mix of Kao San Road and Sukhumvit in Bangkok, you have lots of local Vietnamese who clearly think western culture is interesting, Thailand is long past that and mostly try to distance themselves from the west and suck up to Korea and Japan.
The girls are cute too. They have a distinct look, a mix of Thai and Chinese. Light skinned, slim, feminine of course and not as shy in public as Thais. There are few hookers and the hookers who are there are pretty ugly. However, this also means you have the opportunity to meet the locals without the stigma of prostitution. I'd think it would be pretty easy to meet a local girl, though language may be a problem as English is not widely spoken.
Cons? Well, English levels are worse than in Thailand, however, viets are better at understanding what you're trying to get across than Thais who generally shut off if they don't understand everything.
The city has a lack of modern public transport. No skytrain or metro and loads and loads of scooters. Plenty of taxis and much better city planning (thanks to the french) make it much easier to get around in general though.
I was surprised at the development of the city. It is far above Cambodja and Laos but not on Thai or Malay levels.
That makes it fun though. It is growing rapidly, money is being made, Vietnam is open and willing to be a part of the world.
It is also very, very cheap. A pack of cigs is less than $1. A beer is 50 cents USD. Decent budget hotels are only $10-15 and they are fine, though not luxurious in any way. You could definitely get by here on a low budget while still drinking beer and taking taxis all day.
I rate Saigon 8/10 for digital nomads.
