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expat in vietnam

Binh Duong New City – Vietnam’s Shiny New City

Exploring Vietnam: Binh Duong New City

Binh Duong New City | Exploring Vietnam

In 2005, construction began on what will eventually be the administrative capital of Binh Duong. I’ve watched, over the past 2 years, as new restaurants, hotels, and apartment buildings have popped up. The heart of the city is the huge administrative building along with the convention center next to it. These new and modern buildings are an unusual sight in Vietnam.
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The Top 5 Things That I Will Miss Most About Living in Vietnam

Top 5 Things About Living in Vietnam

Living in Vietnam is awesome.

Everyone knows about the amazing travel opportunities. From deltas, to mountains, to bustling cities – lined with a 3,260 km coastline!

And of course there’s the incredible food with its fresh ingredients, and its blending of tastes and textures.

But what I’m going to miss most about Vietnam isn’t the pho. I actually got a little tired of it after the first 4 months.

The best things about living in Vietnam are the little things that I started doing regularly. Things that I couldn’t do in North America, but I really enjoyed doing here.
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Conquering the Roads of Vietnam: How to Drive in Vietnam

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How to Drive in Vietnam: Tips on Driving a Motorbike

How to Drive in Vietnam: Tips on Driving a Motorbike

One of my favorite things about living in Vietnam is the madness that runs wild in the streets. I’m talking about scooters, motorbikes, motorcycles, and electric bikes. I love to be able to jump on my motorbike and zoom to the market. It’s easy, quick, and great on petrol. Oh yeah, and it’s a ton of fun.
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How Cheap is it to Live in Vietnam?

Live it up in Vietnam for $4000 per year

Be prepared to take on any Vietnamese menu with my Vietnamese food guide
With over 75 dishes!

It’s not hard to save money in Vietnam. If you’re an ESL teacher you’re likely to make around $15-20 per hour. You can easily save half of that if you take advantage of Vietnam’s low cost of living. I’ve lived in the country for almost 2 years now. After settling in, I discovered just how little I needed to live an amazing life in Vietnam. So how cheap is it to live in Vietnam? With a bit of initial work and spending, it’s possible to live off of $4000 per year — and the best part is, you can avoid cooking and cleaning, and basically live the life of Riley.
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A Guide to Thu Dau Mot and Binh Duong Province, Vietnam

Thủ Dầu Một, Bình Dương, Vietnam
Thu Dau Mot from the Becamex Hotel
Thủ Dầu Một (pronounced Too Yow Mot) is about 20 km north of Ho Chi Minh City — straight up the QL13. It’s the capital of Bình Dương province. In 1996, the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) was officially launched in the province. A cooperation between the two countries, the industrial park is a 500 hectare (1235 acres) industrial area that is equipped to hold over 200 manufacturing plants. They offer ready-built, modern factories that are fully equipped for foreign investors. The project brought a lot of attention to Binh Duong province.
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7 Thing you Should Know Before Drinking Beer with a Vietnamese Person

Food in Vietnam will amaze you. Check out my Vietnamese food guide with over 75 dishes.

A bottle of Saigon Green Beer at a bar in Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon Green, a very popular beer in Ho Chi Minh City

Pounding back beers is a popular activity in Vietnam. Beer consumption in the country is going up every year. In 2013, Vietnam was #1 in Southeast Asia for beer consumption per capita. Considering it is only #8 for per capita income, that’s pretty good (or maybe bad). Heineken predicts that in 2015, Vietnam will be their largest market. There are many restaurants that will plop a case of beer down next to your table, along with a bucket full of ice, and let you drink until you pass out or have to go pick up the kids from school.
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A Rant About Vietnam: Parenting

I’ve lived in Vietnam for just less than 3 months now. I feel as though I’m getting used to the craziness that this country has to offer. I’ve seen a lot since my first afternoon stroll, when I saw a man drunkenly fall while getting up from a beer can covered table and then getting on a scooter and driving away. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed the insanity, even when my survival is being compromised, but I really can’t stand watching a parent risk their child’s life by putting them on a scooter.
Three people on a scooter in Vietnam
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A Rant About Vietnam: Saving Face

Vietnam has taken me on a roller-coaster ride since I’ve been here. There’s the ups and the downs, but the ups usually take longer — you know, like how a roller-coaster slowly ascends. click. click. click. And then, when it gets to the top and goes over that hump, it’s a quick exhilarating drop that only lasts a second. Well, Vietnam is like that. The ‘ups’ are longer, and the ‘downs’ only last a little while. But I guess the whole exhilaration thing kind of screws up my metaphor. Vietnam is like a box of chocolates… No. What I’m trying to say is, don’t think that I hate living in Vietnam just because I rant about it. I love it here, but I have to get my frustrations out somehow, and if you ask anyone living here if they have frustrations they will tell you, “Yes, yes I freakin do”.
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