When a person is considering retirement, a lot of things pass through the mind., and affordability of a good life is a big one. Some people choose places like Florida, Costa Rica, or others with mild climates close by. I think that a lot of people should come to Vietnam for a visit and then seriously consider the benefits of retiring here. A large expat community already exists here. Many of them are here because the pensions the receive at home will only give them a meager existence, whereas the same pension paid here can have a person living like an upper class businessman. In NhaTrang there is quite a variety of foreigners who have decided to call this place home. There are many Canadians, Americans, Europeans, Brits, and French. I am sure there are others, but I have not met them yet. They are all men. I have not as of yet met a single woman that has retired here from another country (unless they are Vietnamese). That is not to say that they are here for the girls, or they dislike the home country….. It is that many of them have had some kind of
past experience in this country, and this IS a country that a person cannot forget. After a bad divorce or being widowed, or even just experiencing the culture can draw a person back here. It did me! Sooooo… what are the benefits of retiring in a Country like Vietnam? Let us discuss that.
First of all, your dollar goes a long way. A person can have a basic life with comfort for 500.00US a month. For 700.00 you can have a good middle class existence. Anything over that is a bonus and you begin to live high on the hog. (sorry to my Vietnamese readers for the Idiom… It means Very good.) So you now have enough to pay for a nice house, eat good food, and enjoy any entertainment you might desire. On top of the ability of having a
nice home, comes the ability to afford to hire full time helpers. A cleaning person to come in 3 daily might cost 15 dollars a month, and a full time cook perhaps the same. You will never eat so good and so healthy. When you want to go out, you can call your personal driver that also is available at a low cost. If you wish, there are also many easy ways to be mobile here. You truly do not need a vehicle.
Next is the climate. In the Center where I live the mean temperature only varies by about 3 of 4 degrees all year round. Since coming here, all of the aches and pains in the joints have disappeared. There is no need to bundle up
in layers of clothing, A Tee shirt and shorts will do just fine all year around. The air is not as humid as one might think and even the hotter temperatures are easy to deal with. Both in Saigon it can be more humid and sticky hot, but is that not what air conditioning is all about?
Most of the modern conveniences available at home are also available here. Power Water, Cable TV, high speed internet, and now even reading material. Shopping for personal use items never gets boring as I am constantly surprised at how much less it costs here. Some things are the same though.
Computers, cameras, and Televisions are a few examples.
And what about drugs and medical care? I wondered about that very same question. First of all, I have as of yet not found any drug that we needed unavailable. Almost anything can be purchased from countless pharmacies located in abundance throughout the cities. Most and possibly all drugs can be purchased over the counter without a prescription, but the approval of the pharmacist themselves. Unless a person goes to a foreign owned doctor or hospital, medical service is not very expensive. IF there are serious issues, a person can go to a foreign held hospital for what is still an affordable price, or jump a short flight to Thailand where the medical care there is among the best in the world, for a very low cost. There is one problem I can see here that could put a damper on things. Roadside Emergency assistance seems almost non existent here. If you are prone to seizures of any kind, this would not be the place for you unless you can recover
unassisted.
Lastly…. You will not be alone!! Besides a large community of expats, there are a lot of people who know that befriending a westerner can benefit their lives. Whether financially, or their desire to improve English, or even just to hear about the rest of the world, you will not be alone. If you are a single male of any age, there will be women……. Some very nice women… that will want to look after you and keep you in good health in order to have a more secure and stable future.
The only big drawback to retiring here is leaving your family behind, but then… What a great reason for them to have an exotic Asian holiday 🙂
Some random pics
roland may, youu only like vietnam because of the vietnamese womans
Really!!! I guess the food, friends, business and the fact that I get to travel extensively, about has nothing to do with it. Hosting nice people and guiding them in Vietnam should also be ignored……. Yea, I have to admit the Vietnamese girls are beautiful…… but Alas….. I am old and married 😉
I cant get my head around the retirement income tax , from what I have read the vet’s take between 10 and 40% of the cheque, any one know about this ?
My friends were born and raised there and they have asked me for years to move there because the people are pleasant and treat you with respect.
And treat you with respect they do. In my opinion, The Vietnamese are lovely people.
Hi Roland….. You could not pick a better place
Hello , and thanks to all of you for the thumbs up on this place .
Im a brit 53 yo , single ,im tired after working for to many years without a break .so now thinking to take an early (semi) retirement and having a long look around Vietnam.
I like the idea to have a garden and maybe live on the coast, Hopefully find a woman , and some friends .
cheers
Roland
I have only encountered 1 female retiree, and she was enjoying her retirement very much. She recounted to me with a chuckle how things were not so different for her, and if she wanted, companionship was easy to find.
Don’t forget that there are a lot of single men with no ties to befriend also.
Perhaps flying is about 50% more expensive from North America, however, I was thinking of a long term retirement rather than a snowbird kind of thing.
A few things that might hold people back is price for air fare compared to flying to Florida, Las Vegas, Mexico. Also the time change and time to travel. It’s easy to ajust to the time change going to the above places, a couple of hours either way instead of 13 hours. The same for time spent 12 hours is a long time. For a family who have only a week or two vacation and have children to travel with this can be exspenive.
Its a retirement article, dingbat
There are plenty of women travelling alone in Viet Nam and without hassle I might add. It’s the staying there permanent thing I believe is the stickler. Women are nesters and they tend to want to be with family where ever that may be.
You mention there aren’t any female retirees that you have met … is the cultural experience different for Western women, especially solo ones? In my experience in many countries (eg. Greece), travelling as a single woman is often fairly unpleasant, subjecting you to a lot of unwanted harassment (especially sexual)and discrimination about where you can go and what you can do.
You hit the nail on the head Owen. Don’t discount the beautiful country also. It’s an amazing bio diverse country. From roses to cacti to pine trees and everything in between. The food is also to live for, especially the bread. You did mention the women, beautiful and true hearted to a fault. Many are taken advantage of regretfully but that is also their charm and honesty. Then there is the sense of living onthe edge but without the stress. Laid back without pressure. No “in your face” attitude either….quite lovely.