A short holiday in Vietnam turned out to be something else and Ed and Karen wound up living in Hanoi, the country's capital, where they also work as English teachers. They'll be leaving Vietnam in a few months, but in the meantime they're enjoying their experiences there. Read on for what Ed and Karen like and dislike about living in Vietnam and why they advise others to visit this enigmatic country as soon as possible.

Ed and Karen Merlin

-Where were you born?
Nova Scotia, Canada (Karen in Pugwash and Ed in Dartmouth)

-In which country and city are you living now?
Currently Hanoi, Vietnam

-Are you living alone or with your family?
We are a married couple with no children.

-How long have you been living in Vietnam?
We have been living in Hanoi for nine months.

-What is your age?
31

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Vietnam?
We moved out of Taiwan, where we had been living for a year and a half. We entered Vietnam to do a visa run, and have a short vacation. We loved Hanoi and decided to stay a little longer.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not at all. Easiest process we have ever encountered in any country. If you have the cash, you get the visa.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
We have no medical insurance in Hanoi.

-How do you make your living in Vietnam? Do you have any type of income generated?
When we arrived we took a job at The Vietnam News as English editors, but after a month of that we decided it was not for us, we left the Socialist propaganda machine...er...I mean The Vietnam News and went back to teaching English as a second language. That is far more lucrative and less time consuming. Both positions were acquired in Vietnam, with no prior communication. For an English-speaking Caucasian, jobs are plentiful. The only tools used in finding the jobs were email and telephone from Vietnam after we arrived.

-Do you speak Vietnamese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
No, we do not speak Vietnamese and have not found it to be a problem at all. Anyone you need to interact with speaks English well enough to get things done. In Taiwan we began learning Chinese, as it was a little harder to communicate there, but Vietnamese is far too difficult a language to learn in a short time.

As anywhere, you must always respect, if not understand or even like, the local customs and culture.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Of course we miss our families and friends, but this is 2007 and communication is a breeze. Through Facebook, MSN and Skype we have kept in almost constant communication with our friends and family at home. Our spare time is spent sightseeing and exploring as well as indulging in a pint or two at some local establishments.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We will be leaving Vietnam at the 1 year mark and moving on to Thailand for an undetermined amount of time, where we hope to continue teaching English as well as engaging in some entrepreneurial endeavors.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We rent a home in West Lake, Hanoi for $500US a month. It is a two storey with three balconies, two baths, and two bedrooms. There is a front and back yard area as well.

-What is the cost of living in Vietnam?
The cost of living in Vietnam is ridiculously low. We can eat well in restaurants for 2-3 US dollars, fine dining is available for 10-15 US dollars. We pay about 35 US a month for power, water, and telephone and we run our AC’s almost constantly. Internet is 12US dollars for high speed ADSL. Also, if you are a fan of nightlife, there is no place cheaper on this earth to go out and have fun. Vietnam boasts the cheapest beer in the world at 10 cents a glass.

-What do you think about the Vietnamese?
It is unfortunate, but most local Vietnamese treat foreigners like walking dollar signs. The harassment by beggars and street vendors is aggressive, but not as bad as China. The price for anything you buy on the street is exponentially more expensive for foreigners than locals, but most tourists don't even notice the outrageous price gouging as it is so cheap to begin with and still quite a bargain at the inflated foreign rates.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Vietnam?
There are many positive aspects of living in Vietnam. The weather is always reasonable, reaching to the unbearably hot in the summer months. There is an abundance of natural resources that are breathtakingly beautiful. Halong Bay, Sapa and Nha Trang, just to name a few. As mentioned above, it is cheap, cheap, cheap!

On the negative side, the traffic is deplorable, Vietnamese people are, for the most part, unburdened with Western hang-ups such as modesty, decency and hygiene. There is virtually no respect for personal space and it is quite common to observe a grown man or woman relieving themselves in the gutter, facing traffic. The Vietnamese also have a tendency to burn garbage on the side of the road, making a foul pollution and thick pungent smoke that wafts across the highways and streets. In contrast it is one of the most beautiful countries, but also one of the dirtiest.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Vietnam?
Come. There is no other place like Vietnam. Love it or hate it, you will remember it for the rest of your life. It is a country of extremes and unashamed of its roughness around the edges. It is developing and developing quickly. The Vietnam that exists now will not exist much longer. After the ascension to the WTO and listing themselves on the global market, you will see the insurgence of the always hungry global consumption machines like McDonalds, Wal-mart and Subway littering an already loud country. Right now, it is without all of the things that make us ugly, but it won't be for long.

As far as advice, I have none. Do as we have done and figure it out as you go along. That is the best way.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Vietnam?
I only have two sites to mention. My own, of course, www.merlinstaiwanon.blogspot.com and an excellent resource for all of us ex-pats in www.thenewhanoian.com. The first is a journal of our misadventures over the past two and a half years and the latter is a site designed by a resident ex-pat that provides any and all information about Hanoi. It is a site for ex-pats by ex-pats. Anything you want to know about employment opportunities, nightlife, restaurants, cafés, housing and buy-and-sell are available. With a large community of newbies and old hands the Q&A aspect is a much valued tool.