Vietnam is practically next door to the Philippines, Pao's home country. Yet the two cultures are markedly different, and Pao is having an enjoyable time learning the local language and immersing himself in everyday life in Saigon, where he lives and where he works in the computer games industry. This young Filipino expat shares some facets of his personal and professional life there, and gives some tips on moving and adjusting to life in the teeming metropolis also known as Ho Chi Minh City.

Pao Peña

-Where were you born?
I was born in Manila, Philippines.

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

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live alone, though my family visits me every once in a while.

-How long have you been living in Vietnam?
Just about 8 months.

-What is your age?
24 years old.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Vietnam?
Even before I came to Vietnam, I already had friends who were working here. Whenever we get the chance to talk about our careers, they'd always underline Vietnam's booming economy and highlight how fun it is to be at the forefront of development. Back then, Vietnam was a big mystery to me. I didn't know what my friends living in Saigon were talking about, I barely see Vietnam on the news -- I basically had no idea what Vietnam really is. So I guess, what really drew me to Vietnam was the idea of having an adventure in a country allegedly developing faster than any of its contemporaries in Asia.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not really. For ASEAN residents, no visa upon departure is required. A temporary, max 21-day visa is granted to Philippine passport holders and may easily be extended to 6 months through travel agencies (prepare 100USD - 50USD for the embassy, 50USD for the travel agency). You may renew your visa also through travel agencies. However, a "working or business" visa here is to be taken differently from a work permit. The extended six-month visa you get does not, in fact, allow you to work here in Vietnam. You need to get a work permit from the Ministry of Labor.

Getting the work permit is easy, that is, if you have already covered the requirements back home (in the Philippines). You need the following:
*Official Transcript of Records with consular notarization
*Diploma with consular notarization
*Official health record or clearance
*Passport picture/s (this, of course, is not a problem)

I guess it depends on where you are coming from. But for those who come from the Philippines (or have records in the Philippines), the process is long and winding:
Step 1: request for your transcript and a copy of your diploma from your school/university registrar and tell them they need to have it authenticated by the government school board (Commission on Higher Education). The university registrar will apply for authentication and will inform you once your documents are back with them.
Step 2: bring your CHED-authenticated documents to the Malacanang Palace Authentication Division for another round of notarization. This step confirms that the signature of that CHED person who authenticated your document in Step 1 is authentic. Wait for about 3 or 4 days, then get your documents from Malacanang.
Step 3: Go to the Department of Foreign Affairs office to have the final red ribbon consular notarization after a week or so. In other words, this whole process takes about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to finish. Once you have all your documents stamped by the Consul, you may then proceed to apply for a VN Ministry of Labor work permit which takes about 2 or 3 or X months to process.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No, not at all. It came with the benefits I get from my expatriate package offered by the company I work for.

-How do you make your living in Vietnam? Do you have any type of income generated?
I work full time for VinaGame, a publisher of quite a few leading online games here in Vietnam, as head of one of its business units. I got this job through Navigos, an executive search agency, which discovered my CV in VietnamWorks.com's database. They made a query for "online games" and, voila, my record came up as back then I was still working with Level Up!, an online game publishing company in the Philippines. Before I realized it, I was already negotiating my package and two weeks later, I was already making my way to Saigon.

-Do you speak Vietnamese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
The Vietnamese language is pretty tricky to the untrained ear. It takes a while before you get used to it - and just when you thought you will never (ever) learn to speak tieng Viet, you're already making short conversations with cab drivers, waiters, and local colleagues at work. I learned my first 100 or so words by just asking around. "How do I say 'ashtray' in Vietnamese?" "How do I say 'left' or 'right' or 'stop' or 'turn around'?" Just by asking colleagues and local friends and listening closely to conversations will definitely equip you with the street basics of the language.

After mastering the art and science of haggling in markets in tieng Viet, I was invited to join a class of expats to learn tieng Viet in a more formal setting. This is where I learned sentence construction, proper tones, formal and informal situation conversations, etc., etc.

I think it is somehow important to make an effort to learn tieng Viet especially if you are going to be living here for a while. It gets things done and it makes people smile. Locals here like it when they hear a foreigner speak their language. There's this warm aura that they give to people who make an effort to speak a rather difficult to crack language (Chinese has 4 basic tones, tieng Viet has 6).

Local customs vary a lot depending on where you are. In Saigon, customs have become less rigid and even vague, maybe because of how fast the city has become more western. I saw certain strictly followed customs though when I was in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. In Hanoi, customs valuing family, interpersonal relationships, spirituality and even patriotism are felt more deeply maybe because of the strong influence of the government and their "old Asia-mixed-with-lots-of-Frenchness" background.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I sure miss home, family and friends in the Philippines. I miss going to malls with ultra-chic cinemas and shops to boot. I can probably say that I miss the "big city" attitude. Saigon has it, but not to Singapore’s or Hong Kong’s or Manila's extent. But then again, that is what makes Saigon interesting. It is growing fast to become a big city just like other cities in Asia, but without losing its deeply-seated, uniquely Vietnamese charm. The motorbikes interspersed with conical hats, fruits, the typical Asian market craze, the pho noodle meals, the noise and haste of some, the slowness of others -- all of these make Vietnam as interesting as its more "western" Asian city counterparts.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
If not heading home, I want Shanghai or Tokyo or Paris to be my next stop for work.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I live in Phu My Hung (aka Saigon South) in District 7, Saigon. My house rent is 650USD for a unit with 3 bedrooms, 2 WC, fully furnished. In the complex where I live, the cheapest unit is around 400USD a month (single bedroom, apartelle style), the most expensive going up to about 750USD (3 or 4 bedrooms, loft type). In other apartments like in My Khanh, rent is from about 700USD to 1500USD.

-What is the cost of living in Vietnam?
It's relatively cheaper here than in the Philippines, much less than Singapore and Hong Kong. In ratios, I think it goes like:
Saigon = x
Manila = 2x
Singapore = 3x
Seoul = 4x
San Francisco = 2x to 3x

-What do you think about the Vietnamese people?
Vietnam is a very young country considering that it only opened up to the rest of the world in the mid 80s. I think Vietnam, in general, is still in the process of learning about itself. In the same manner, its people are just beginning to discover themselves, opportunities, lifestyles and all the other things that the "older" parts of the world already know. In other words, locals are still very curious about their surroundings, opportunities well within and beyond their limits, other things that have been unknown to them for a really long time. This also accounts for their warm reception of foreigners - expats and tourists alike. Locals are generally warm to foreigners unless they are provoked to act otherwise.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Vietnam?
You can definitely expect to make new connections here in Vietnam. Somehow, the mood and feel here in Vietnam allow you to establish new friendships with both the locals and expats alike. There's a warm, cozy feel everywhere in Saigon, whether you're at an expat watering hole or a local beer joint. No matter where you are, I observed, people just get together and know each other. From there you can get, aside from genuine friendships, golden contact points to keep. In other words, it's easy to make new friends here in Vietnam.

Another aspect of Vietnam that makes it a good place to check out is how far and wide you can go and yet always discover something new. The country never stops growing, so much so that there are so many things that change, grow, happen faster than you can ever recall. Try checking out the same street twice a month and you'll discover new things to love, buy, etc., etc. It just never stops growing.

Maybe it's the busy streets filled with a sea of motorbikes. Maybe it's the sometimes unsanitary food they prepare on the streets. But then again, I think Vietnam's got more good points than bad.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Vietnam?
1. Have a good send of adventure with you when you get here.
Take away stereotypes, bury them elsewhere. Come to Vietnam with a clean slate and there you will see yourself giving it brownie points.
2. Explore.
There are a lot of secrets, finds, joints, nooks, corners, and what-not to discover especially in the streets of Saigon and Hanoi.
3. Check out the countryside.
Vietnam has been blessed with a variety of sceneries and climate conditions that from its tip to the tail end, you'll discover the full spectrum of the rainbow on air, land, and sea.
4. Establish meaningful connections with both the locals and foreigners.
They will be with you through thick and thin. Fact: everyone needs a support group in a country where you are not a local.
5. Try - please do - try to learn the language.
It does not hurt to learn 5 new words, 5 basic conversation sentences a day. This is one of the highest forms of respect that one can show to a country that hosts you.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Vietnam?
* Rising Above the Phantasms of a Geek - my blog, a compendium of my Vietnam experiences ranging from shiny to happy
* ThirstyThong - a blog of an American viet kieu; a good way to understand the ever change cultural and social landscape of Vietnam
* Noodlepie - a review of Saigon and Hanoi food joints! comes in handy if you want to go eating nationwide
*VAtoVN - a blog maintained by an American viet kieu who had no idea about Vietnam until he decided to learn more about his homeland on his journey from Virginia back to Vietnam. He now lives in Hanoi with his wife.