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lewashby85
  4/28/2020 22:45 EST

Hi, I live in Tennessee in the U.S. and I looking for a new home in the next few years. I'm tired of all the law, regulations, and bills here, and I'm paying a mortgage on a mobile home. I'm a 34 year old single dad with a full time job and a 14 year old daughter, I work 8 hours a day and drive about an hour and half more on top of that getting to and form work. I'm tired and I don't see much changing for me here. I have some money saved and some assets and I'm looking for a possible new home somewhere in the world where I can take advantage of the U.S. dollar and buy a home outright and be freer and less burdened. I don't know if Vietnam is a good choice and that's why I'm here, what's been your experience, what's your advice? My biggest concerns there are head, humidity, and the language. Thanks, I'll be great full for your input.

ralphnhatrang
  4/29/2020 01:49 EST

Three English speaking countries worth thinking about are: southern Australia (the north is in the tropics), Canada, and New Zealand. The language is no problem, each is democratic, and has similar customs. The big problem as far as Australia is concerned is getting a migration visa. Sponsorship by a company helps. Search "migration to Australia" to get websites offering very useful information. The current government has halved the number of places available each year. You are now required to live in a regional area for at least two years after arrival. Sydney and Melbourne have enough people already.

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doctorhands
  4/29/2020 02:11 EST

Vietnam is a great country to retire, in my opinion. But, I don't have a 14 y/o daughter. The international schoolsare located in Saigon (2 seasons - hot and humid, hot and rainy) Hanoi is probably closer to what you are used to weather wise. It can be a challenge to live here especially with the culture and language. Think 180 degrees opposite. I f you, and especially your daughter aren't willing/able to change it couls be a disaster. Also owning a home is a little different. You have to lease the land from the Gov. But you can only do so for 50 years, renewable. If you marry a local woman then things are different. Good luck, I hope this helps.

richardmagic
  4/29/2020 02:13 EST

Many good reasons to live in Vietnam. The people are friendly.
The property prices are good, but I'd rent a place in a modern complex with shops below, and a good-sized swimming pool and gym thrown in. That will cost between $400 and $700 per month. Then you have the option to try somewhere else if you need to. I've lived in Saigon - extremely busy - and Nha Trang, a seaside city. Vietnamese is quite a difficult language to learn, though not necessary. You could buy a motorhome rv here in Australia and live here, or buy a small house, plenty of lovely places to choose from.
I still teach English online there, using iMagicEnglish. I've send you a free manual if you contact me at [email protected]
You can see my students here: https://youtu.be/dcnrbOyaIBo
Best regards,
Richard (now in Melbourne, Australia

lewashby85
  4/29/2020 23:12 EST

Doctorhands:
So if I marry a local can I buy in my own name or does it have to be in her name?

Richardmagic:
Thanks for the information on Vietnam, and I'll take a look at the video, I definately want to buy and not rent ulitmatley. Not really interested in the more western like countries you mentioned, too much of what I want to get away from here, not to men Australia is eat up with neo-feminism as I understand it.

ralphnhatrang
  4/30/2020 00:38 EST

If you wish your daughter to continue schooling, you will find the fees horrific in international schools in Vietnam. The fees at one school in Saigon are from $US12,000 to $US32,400. For a list of schools and fees see https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/ho-chi-minh-city
https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/hanoi

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lewashby85
  4/30/2020 22:52 EST

ralphnhatrang
It will probably be a few years anyway. Do you know if I can buy land there? Do I have to marry a Vietnamese? If so does it have to be in her name, if so I'll just mark it off my list.

ralphnhatrang
  5/1/2020 06:34 EST

I have checked with my Vietnamese wife: yes, you have to marry before you can only buy a flat/apartment, not a house and land, and then it is a 50 year lease only. If the property has already used 30 years of the lease, you cannot extend it. At the end of the 50 years, my wife says you lose the flat to the government. You should check the situation again when you get to Vietnam, as laws change all the time.

Technically all land is owned by the State and you get a Land Use Rights Certificate, which can cover strata title, too. I operates like a lease so that the you can buy and sell the land use rights certificate.

My wife says, if you wish to buy a house and land, it has to be in the name of your wife or another Vietnamese.
Comment: To protect your investment, it is possible to have a lawyer draw up a loan contract saying you have lent the Vietnamese person the money to buy the property and therefore he/she cannot dispose/rent/sublease etc without your written consent, otherwise triple the contract sale price is payable to you. Messy, because legal enforcement could be a problem.

Vungtaurealestate
  5/1/2020 21:50 EST

Hello.

What is your job? Are you confident that your work will develop in Vietnam? How long do you want to live in Vietnam? Vietnamese laws have specific provisions that allow foreigners to buy houses or rent houses (I can help you - if you choose your place of residence is Vung Tau city)

My contact information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone 0978-38-44-38
Website: https://www.batdongsanvungtau.com.vn/
http://condotelvungtau.vn/

doctorhands
  5/2/2020 01:13 EST

Technically, you can buy a house and land rights in Vietnam. A law was passed about a year ago allowing foriegners to buy them for investment. However, the technicallity is that the different Dept had to come up with the rules defining the law. A sticking point was with the military, which control/own large residential areas around their bases, haven't defined what a Military Exclusion Zone is and the Dept for creating the definition of a Military Exclusion Zone have yet to do so.

You can get a reciept from the buyer but the problem is when you try to register your ownership. That's why it's better to marry a local and put the house/land in their name.l

lewashby85
  5/3/2020 21:49 EST

I get it but that just requires more trust than I am willing to give, especially to a woman.

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Imadork
  7/4/2020 21:55 EST

Hey, as a young 34, I will give you 3 options in SE Asia:
Vietnam-Thailand-Philippines! You want to rent at least a year to make sure you and your daughter adjust.
You can get an educational visa to learn Thai or even Muay Thai in Thailand for at least a year.

Philippines speak English as do most places in Vietnam and Thailand.

Supporting yourself is the issue in all 3.
You will most likely be inundated by beautiful women at your age.

Carpe Vitam! Great thinking on your part. You can still love America but as an expat!

Research-Research and follow the expat sites on the 3 countries mentioned.

Imadork
  7/4/2020 21:55 EST

Hey, as a young 34, I will give you 3 options in SE Asia:
Vietnam-Thailand-Philippines! You want to rent at least a year to make sure you and your daughter adjust.
You can get an educational visa to learn Thai or even Muay Thai in Thailand for at least a year.

Philippines speak English as do most places in Vietnam and Thailand.

Supporting yourself is the issue in all 3.
You will most likely be inundated by beautiful women at your age.

Carpe Vitam! Great thinking on your part. You can still love America but as an expat!

Research-Research and follow the expat sites on the 3 countries mentioned.

AVIATOR581
  9/27/2020 10:06 EST

Going to Australia, Canada or any 1st world country would be a mistake. Most have less freedom and more regulations controlling people. I personally recommend Asia because it is super cheap.
Panama,Dominican Republic and South America would also save you lots of money.
Any of the above would bring peace to your mind and wallet. I like Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, Malaysia) These are all safe, but Malaysia English is the second language. Checkout some youtube videos and you would get very excited about moving to another country. Good luck!

lewashby85
  12/6/2020 12:17 EST

Your message:
Hey, as a young 34, I will give you 3 options in SE Asia:
Vietnam-Thailand-Philippines! You want to rent at least a year to make sure you and your daughter adjust.
You can get an educational visa to learn Thai or even Muay Thai in Thailand for at least a year.

Philippines speak English as do most places in Vietnam and Thailand.

Supporting yourself is the issue in all 3.
You will most likely be inundated by beautiful women at your age.

Carpe Vitam! Great thinking on your part. You can still love America but as an expat!

Research-Research and follow the expat sites on the 3 countries mentioned.

Vietnam and the Philippines are to two SEA options, Thailand not as much. My issue with both is supporting myself, I was hoping that I could buy a decent house cheply with USD while the USD is still alive and I'd have most of my money stress and general life stress taken care of right there, but those countries won't let me buy the land as a foreigner, I an only lease it and I really don't want to have to worry about paying rent or worrying about when my lease runs out, will I even have enough money then? I was figuring that if I could buy a house outright and have it paid for and I would only have to worry about food and utilities but the SEA countries don't make it easy. So have you ever lived in SEA? If so for how long and do you like it? I found really REALLY cheap land and house in The Republic of Georgia and Serbia but it's definitely not my fist choice. It looks nice but it also looks a little boring.

lewashby85
  12/6/2020 12:22 EST

Well, if we were moving for good I wouldn't really care if she finished or not, I mean she's already in 10th grade, I doubt two more years of wasting her life in a high school here would get her any further along in SEA.

Sweetpants
  12/17/2020 23:24 EST

Hi, as a dad with an 18 y/o i feel qualified to answer some of your queries. I am currently living in HCM City.
Are you expecting your kid to finish off her 10th gr or maybe 12th gr before moving here. Since as told, international school fees are costly.
What do you expect her to do -i.e continue study, work or what? As parents, we are working majorly for the kid. That will shape your decisions somewhat. If she does finish her high school before coming, you can consider local Universities twinning foreign ones academically.
You cannot buy a house/land unless married to local. But you can register a company, really do business and buy in that entity's name. You will need legal help for that solution.
Otherwise, you should research whether your skills areneeded in VN and not easily done by locals. Lots of expats start by teaching English and use that to buy time while they figure out what next in their lives.
The cost of living here is low by comparison and if you stick with expat enclaves like Vung Tau or Nha Trang you won't really need to know local language at all.
If further questions, don't hesitate to ask.. Have a good day..

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