Dutch expat Marcel first visited Vietnam in 1992 and decided to make it his home a few years later. Now living with his wife in Ho Chi Minh City, he looks back on his early experiences and shares them with us, along with his observations regarding the ups and downs of living in Vietnamas well as tips for what to see and do in Saigon and other areas of Vietnam.	Marcel Lennartz

-Where were you born?

In the Netherlands

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

With my Vietnamese wife and baby of 4 months

-How long have you been living in Vietnam?

15 years so not too short but still loving it

-What is your age?

39

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Vietnam?

I had many Chinese and Vietnamese friends in Holland and was impressed by their hospitality. This made me decide in 1992 to travel to Vietnam to meet some families who have relatives in Holland.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Not at all. My first company in Vietnam had health insurance arranged for me before I landed. I do, however, advise people to ask their company to give them an allowance for insurance and to take their own insurance. The reason being that if your company arranges the insurance, you get an accident and move later to another company, your premium will be increased. If you keep the insurance in your own name, you don't have to change your policy when moving to another company.

-How do you make your living in Vietnam? Do you have any type of income generated?

I've been employed full-time since the first day I settled here. In 1995 it was hard to find a job but once I got a job it wasn't easy to lose the job. I visited nearly 100 companies. I simply knocked on the doors of companies and if they didn't have a job, I asked them to provide details of other companies that might be interested. When I came to vietnam it was nearly impossible to find a decent job so I had to return to Holland because I didn't have a penny left in the pocket. Upon return in Holland I received an invitation from a company in Singapore to work in Vietnam. . Of course, that was 15 years ago and things have changed now. 15 years ago there weren't many expats in Vietnam. Now there are plenty. 

-Do you speak Vietnamese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

I do understand a lot of what is being said but I speak unfortunately only a  little. In 2011 I want to start studying the language formally at a school. The ability to speak or understand Vietnamese is a great advantage when dealing with locals. Locals do really appreciate it.

Respect for local customs is in my opinion very important if you want to be a team player and get the people behind you.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

Not at all. The only thing I miss is my 750CC Motorbike and driving on the German Autobahn.  In fact Saigon doesn't offer much for recreation. There are bars and some parks but it isn't really special. If you want to go out you should go rockclimbing, golfing, visit Phu Quoc, Hoi An, Mui Ne or some other places. Dam Sen is a nice park in Saigon but with far too many people. If you don't have a job, Saigon will soon be boring. But if you have a job, Saigon is fun.

- Do you do any sports?

Yes I do. I do a lot of cycling, running and swimming. When I first came to Vietnam I thought it was impossible to cycle on the street or that it was too hot to run.
Over the last few years I started training for the triathlon and during the training I met more and more people that wanted to pick up sports again. Driving in city is difficult but if you ride to Cu Chi or to the Cambodian border, you have a very nice long road without too many people. Another good road is on the way to Dong Nai or simply driving in district 7. There are a several large groups of Vietnamese cyclist that cycle every day.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

I like to stay in Vietnam although Japan or Shanghai might be of interest too...

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

I built my own house 2 years ago. Renting a house can be expensive.

-What do you think about the Vietnamese?

I have a lot of respect for the locals. They are cheerful, hardworking very social. They welcome foreigners and if you treat them with respect you get a lot in return. I wrote an article on that on my blog which you can find at www.vietnamextremes.com

 -What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Vietnam?

Positive: Great people, good food, nice weather and Vietnam is generally speaking a very safe place to be. If you integrate with the locals, you can have a really great time. 

Negative: In Saigon traffic jams are very frustrating, threre are too many road blocks and too much pollution. I would love to live in Hoi An where you don't have  traffic jams, polution or whatever.

 -Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Vietnam?

Arrange parties with a lot of locals or visit the Youth Cultural House. Don't forget the Vietnamese BBQ TTT on Ton That Hiep street. Try to pick up a sport  Chinese New Year (Tet) was always very boring to foreigner until last year. Last year I actually enjoyed it for the first. XMas, however, is absolutely great in Saigon.

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

• Vietnam Starkabel - A Vietnam link portal page that I maintain

• Vietnam Extremes - My Blog

• LinkedIn Vietnam Expats - Join the Vietnam expat community on LinkedIn