Jon may have been born a limey, but he’s an expat at heart. Following his heart led him to the bustling Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam where he found not only satisfactory employment, but love as well. In the so-called “Paris of the Orient,” learn how life can be entertaining and fulfilling for an expat.	Jon Hoff

July 10 2006 

-Where were you born?
I was born in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England.

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live by myself in a rented room. The house has about 12 people in it all together including the Vietnamese family who owns it.

-In which country and city are you living now?
I am living in Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam.

-How long have you been living there?
Just over a year and a half.

-What is your age?
I’m 26

-When did you come up with the idea of living in another country?
After I graduated from University I was fortunate enough to do some traveling around Asia, Australia and New Zealand. During those 12 months I realized that I didn’t want to work in England. Why bother when the whole world was out there to explore! I spent a year living in Korea before coming here to Vietnam.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
It really depends on your job situation and your nationality. I’m lucky because I am covered with the job I have. Recently work permits for foreigners have become an issue here, especially for US citizens. You would have to check with your embassy or the company employing you.

-How do you make your living in Vietnam?
I teach English. I did a teacher training course here when I first arrived to consolidate my teaching experience in Korea. There are lots of English teachers here plying their trade in different shapes and forms. It’s not difficult to pick up work and make a living with certification. I was lucky enough to find a well-paying teaching job with a good contract, so I can save quite a lot at the moment with living costs being so cheap.

-Do you speak Vietnamese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I learnt much more Korean in one year than I have Vietnamese in 1.5 years. In Korea I lived in the countryside and without learning the language I would have been really lost. Here, most people you deal with on a professional level are educated and speak English well. Often you’ll find that even if you want to learn Vietnamese, your ability to speak the language is negated because everybody wants to practice their English! Of course it can be useful in your neighborhood, and some enjoy languages enough to learn for a hobby. Personally, I haven’t had the time to study it enough, and I find it a very difficult language to pick up, but I have enough to get by for my everyday life.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I am coming up to three years without a trip home and I am beginning to feel it a little. For a long, long time however, I was never ‘homesick.’ I find that it comes and goes; you’ll have a period when you may feel a bit blue and miss home more then usual, but as long as you have a good existence and good friends, you’ll come out the other side. There’s no doubt that if I bit the bullet and went home, within a few days I’d be missing my exotic lifestyle just as much. I don’t really have any strategies for coping with homesickness because it’s never been that much of an issue for me.

Also, I play football for a local soccer expat team, The Saigon Raiders. We train on Tuesday evenings and usually have a match every weekend. I also go to yoga classes at Saigon Yoga as much as possible. This along with seeing my fiancée, catching up with friends, reading, playing guitar and watching movies keeps me busy enough! It’s important to get out there and meet people, make friends. A great way to do that is through sports clubs. You’ll find plenty of other people in the same situation as you.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I am getting married to Chi, my fiancée, in October this year. Next year we will move back to England for a few years to go back to school amongst other things. I have many plans for the future, and none of them really involving staying in the UK for too long. Life is far too expensive there, and I know ultimately that I am an expat at heart. I could well end up back in Vietnam at some point, seeing as my future wife is a native here.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I am paying $60 a month for my room, although I challenge you to find as good a deal as that! It’s not for everyone however; I have no air conditioning, and only a shared bathroom with no hot water. Most foreigners stay in serviced apartments ($300-1000+ a month), or they share houses. A house would cost between $500-1000 a month usually between 3-4 people. The price depends on the location.

-What is the cost of living in Vietnam?
Cost of living is very cheap. Of course, it’s up to you how much you spend. Saigon really has the whole range – you could spend $20 on a buffet lunch at a nice hotel, or you could spend $2 on a lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. It depends on your own taste and budget. If you really want to live cheaply here, you really can!

-What do you think about the Vietnamese people?
Vietnam sometimes has a bad reputation. It can be known for aggressive haggling and overcharging. Sometimes you need a thick skin, but the most important thing is to not take these things too personally, you’re just the next in line. Generally people are ‘normal’!

Most cultures are quite forgiving when it comes to foreigners and local customs. They will be pleasantly surprised or amused if you show your knowledge of them at least. It does no harm to show respect for the people and their culture, even if sometimes you can’t understand it or you find it offensive. I wouldn’t say you have to observe a custom if it’s something you’re not comfortable with.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Vietnam?
Of course I like the way I can earn a decent wage and at the same time keep my living costs down to a minimum, allowing me to save a lot of money. I can eat at nice restaurants anytime I choose and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Vietnam is a good location to explore the rest of Asia, especially the rest of South East Asia. Budget airlines are arriving making flights to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore nice and cheap. Of course there are nice places to get away to in Vietnam itself.

The negative aspect for me is that there is no real easy way to get out of the city. Back home I could drive for 20 minutes and be in nice countryside with fresh, clean air. I can’t do that here. There are very few open spaces in the city such as parks. There is a still a long way to go in Vietnam with many things; the economy is developing quickly but the ripple effects of this take a long time to reach the vast majority of society.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Vietnam?
Get out there and make some friends! There’s plenty of expats and plenty of clubs and activities going on in Saigon, you just have to scrape the surface.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about living in Vietnam?

My Blog: www.itsthefinalword.blogspot.com
Saigon Food Blog: www.noodlepie.com
Another Expat living in HCMC: http://chrisfharvey.typepad.com
A food blog from Hanoi: www.stickyrice.typepad.com
The Saigon Raiders: www.saigonraiders.com
Saigon Inside Out (free monthly magazine): http://www.saigoninsideout.com/
Saigon ESL: A site mainly for English teachers www.saigonesl.com