What do expats find most challenging?

"We used to have a selection of dried herbs/spices/oils/vinegars etc for cooking at home, but very little of that exists here. We don't have time to go shopping for fresh herbs and fresh meat/fish every day like the locals do, so we eat out every night instead. It's cheaper but we miss cooking sometimes. Nothing seems to work in a logical way here. It's as if each organisation is developing in different directions and so unexpected things happen a lot. Vietnamese people can come across as very rude -but only if they don't speak english. They are embarassed to show themselves up. Otherwise, the locals who can speak english are very welcoming and will want you to stay in their country forever," said a member in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Traveling Mailbox
Connect

Traveling Mailbox serves thousands of travelers, expats, digital nomads, businesses, individuals and others in over 47 Countries by scanning their postal mail so they can view it online anywhere in the world. They provide customer service 7 days a week so if you need assistance, it is just a phone call away. Traveling Mailbox works with Evernote, Bill.com and Dropbox. And, there are Traveling Mailbox apps available for iOS and Android devices.

Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

Traveling Mailbox

Traveling Mailbox serves thousands of travelers, expats, digital nomads, businesses, individuals and others in over 47 Countries by scanning their postal mail so they can view it online anywhere in the world. They provide customer service 7 days a week so if you need assistance, it is just a phone call away. Traveling Mailbox works with Evernote, Bill.com and Dropbox. And, there are Traveling Mailbox apps available for iOS and Android devices.
Connect

Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

"My biggest challenge was getting a visa every time. I've been here for 9 years now. I originally came here on a business visa that the Vietnamese Embassy issued. At that time I didn't know that, technically, I was supposed to apply for a work permit after getting a job. Since I was "retired", living off of savings and eventually Social Security, I didn't work. So I had to borrow $15,000 to invest in a company and get an investors visa. The length of stay for business visas keep changing. Sometimes it's a year, with a "renewal" every three months and then a border run to get a new one, and sometimes it's only 30 days. I wish they would implement a retirement visa for those of us who just want to retire and enjoy life," remarked another expat who made the move to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.