Who is Owee?

Nha Trang beach
Nha Trang beach

Mai and Owee are in or early 50’s. a little too young to retire, but eager to start enjoying life. We are middle class Canadians and both were employed. Myself by the municipal government, and my wife by our provincial health care system. We have left our jobs as of Nov 12 2009. Our final destination is a city called Nha Trang in Vietnam. There we hope to grow new roots, and hopefully be able to travel back and forth in the future.

To keep ourselves busy, we have taken over a small hotel in a less touristy area and are offering a foreign run hotel with western standards in a local and enjoyable Vietnamese area. The hotel is busy with enjoyable people who are eager for a glimpse of real Vietnam.

Update:

After flying back and forth for the past 12 years, for almost the past year we have called Nha Trang home. Mai misses Canada but is a real trooper and making the most out of our life here. On the otherhand, I have come to love living here. I am in a bit of a unique position as I can speak the language somewhat, and understand the culture and the people. I live among them as almost one of their own, and experience a whole different world than most expats in Vietnam. Part of what I enjoy about life here is that some people seek me out to learn or experience the truth about this country, and not what some people that are confined to backpack areas believe it the truth. I am enjoying my busy retirement this country and  am happy to help others to enjoy it also.

Update 2

It has now been two years and we have made full adjustments to the change in lifestyle,. Besides operating the hotel, I have now become a tour guide offering Central highland tours by motorcycle or car and have become more involved in the Vietnamese tourism industry. The theme of the blog has changed from a way to keep personal contact with friends and family into a travel blog where I try to offer honest and accurate advice to those who wish to travel here. Mai is looking forward to the day soon where she will be offering Vietnamese cooking classes. Although we miss friends and family, there are no regrets in moving here ( My darling wife does not 100% agree with me)

Update 3 (2015)

Since the last update, we have closed the hotel and opened www.homestaynhatrang.com My tours have become very popular and people from all over the world come to share in the adventure. We are still all about offering advice and tours of non touristy Vietnam. We are now in out late 50’s and still going strong.

Update 4 (2019)

After years of outback adventures and meeting so many interesting people, it is time to slow down. As of March 30 2019, I will no longer be personally guiding off the beaten track tours and have We have closed our homestay. My Vietnamese language skills are still somewhat lacking but I seem no longer able to memorize vocabulary easily… Must be an age thing. I will be returning to Canada for some time and will continue this blog and answering questions. Those that are interested in Owee tour services…… I will still be able to arrange adventure and group tours tailored to your wishes. 

Update 2020

Mai and I have retired and returned to Canada to look after family matters. I still maintain my connections for travel in Vietnam and am returning to guide a tour Feb-Mar 2020. I hope to be able to return to #vietnam yearly to host and guide small groups. 

Update 2023

I hosted a dental tour in February as well as to others into the countryside. We toured the Mekong Delta by car and the Highlands by motorcycle. Indeed my motorcycle days are coming to an end. The politics of covid has destroyed the tourism business and I am mostly retired. I am creating a new website to help those that wish to enjoy the country that I hold close to me heart. Check out About – Vietnamtraveladvice

I can be emailed directly at owee58@gmail.com

214 thoughts on “Who is Owee?

  1. Hi Owen ,

    Hope you are doing well!

    My husband and I (and May be 2 other friends) are traveling to Vietnam in late December/early January and would like to visit highlands. After reading few Trip advisor thread, I came across your blog with great info and was wondering if you offer private multi day car tour in that region or not?

    Currently over overall itinerary is:
    – 3 nights in HCMC,
    – fly to Dalat and may be 2 nights in Dalat
    – Highlands tour for may be 4 nights (starting in Dalat -BMT to Komtum – ending in Qui Nhon )
    – Qui Nhon 3 nights
    – Hoi an 3 nights

    We are thinking of doing private tour for the highland tour starting in Dalat and ending in Qui Nhon. I am still open to change in itinerary so please let me know if you think this is not doable or any other suggestions. And also if you are available for tour like that or if not, do you recommend other guide or agency?

    We did Ha Jiang loop in 2019 with YesD and loved it but they don’t do south so looking for suggestions.

    Anyway thanks!
    Sheel

    1. Hi Sheel,
      The worlds reaction to Covid had me relocate back to Canada. I expect to return in mid February. The answer to your question is a bit complicated…… Yes I am or will still doing Adventure tours, however, it has been will have been 3 years since my last tour. I no longer know if my car rental contract will be renewed or even if the vehicle supplier is even still in business. The same is true for my Hotel connections. Because of this, I can no longer quote a price.
      Any tours that I do now is based on my reputation with the understanding I will give the best rates available. A couple would have paid 100 USD per person per day which inluded Hotels, breakfasts, and all entrance fees. (less for 4 people) I expect car rental and hotels will be higher in price.
      Coincedently, My last big tour was the Hai Giang loop and more. You can see photos on RiptideToursVietnam Facebook page.

      Yes I can still help with a tour for you is we do not connect.
      I am partnered with one of the best and fairly priced tour companies in Vietnam. They can provide everything you need for most mail tourist destinations. For the Highland part, I can arrange one of my “Easyriders” tho take you’ however, they do not have cars, so there would be additional cost to hiore a driver.(drivers that speak English very rare)

      If you wish my help, I will do my best to accommodate you. Future communication will be via emails.

      Owen

  2. Wow Owen. Haven’t been a visitor since early 2018 I believe. I contacted you in 2017 and you gave me some worthy advice before I left for Vietnam. Kinda shocked that you left. Now I’m pretty settled here living pretty good. Just wanted to say I appreciate it. I have a question …

    You said …. I did get permanent residency and do not need any kind of Visa. And talks about dual citizenship from previous posts

    How did you do this ?

    I’m currently on a marriage visa and need to report once a year. My 3 children all hold dual citizenship. American and Viet.

    I’m wondering if somehow someway I could do the same?

    1. Hi Jonny,
      It is a possibility that permanent status is no longer available as I was told by someone it was discontinued, however, that was heresay. It was a long and complicated process but here are the most important requirements;
      Letter of sponsorship from Vietnamese family
      Criminal records check from your country
      A “family tree form” (a sticking point for me)
      5 years continuous residence in Vietnam with a permanent address.
      There are more hoops that I had to jump through but all of them doable.
      It took 2 years and many trips to Saigon. Because I was one of the first to get this I was actually interviewed in Vietnamese by a couple of officials from Hanoi. I heard from another that got id after me that they skipped that process but I think they “knew someone”
      Goodluck

  3. Hi Owen. Just wondering if the dual citizenship thing for you ever came to fruition? Saw an old post where you were going to apply and am curious if you were successful after waiting six months to apply? Hope you are both well looking to follow your path as I approach 50.

    1. Hi Jay,
      As of today I am still waiting for the holy grail of true citizenship. I did get permanent residency and do not need any kind of Visa. I can also travel without my Canada passport, however, there are still a few restrictions such as banking that is an issue. I think this Id is almost impossible to get for most people.

      I have a relative in immigration keeping an eye out for when there is finally a process to become a full citizen.

      1. Thanks for the update Owee and sorry my auto correct called you Owen. Glad I found your blog it was really cool to see your updates spaced apart like that most people post one or two and forget it. I think PR may be the way to go for me. Thanks for sharing your experiences in such an amazing country.

    1. You really do not need to book anything for the Hoi An and Hue area. It is ultra touristy and every hotel, guesthouse, and homestay can organize anything you need or want to do just hours ahead. I suggest having your hotel arrange for an easyrider trip in the countryside. You need no guide for old town and going to An Bang beach. I also suggest taking a bus between Danang and Hoi An over the Hai Van Pass with a stop at marble mountains. Again  easily arranged. With 5 days you have enough time to take in Hue and the imperial city if you wish. My tours normally covered both Hoi An and Hue in 4 nights.

      Happy planning

  4. Hello Owee – I am Srinath from India, I am planning to visit Vietnam in the 1st week of May 2020, I have planning to land at Ho chi Minh city and from there I need your help, in total i have 8 days to spend.

    1. May is a good time to visit. To see the most in the limited time you have, I suggest emailing my friend Hau ( hau@vexploretravel.com ). 8 days is enough to experience Hue, Hoi An, and either Saigon or Hanoi areas. Happy planning.

  5. Hello, Owen. I’m a Vietnam veteran (MACV Team 3 1967-68). Will you please contact me at my email address? Thanks. H.G. Reza

  6. Don’t know if you will see this but I saw a response you had posted on Trip Adviser and wanted to thank you for it. Of all the responses yours was tremendously helpful.

    I’ve been in Vietnam for 2.5 months and am headed to Dalat for a week or so before heading to Cambodia. Thanks for the great information. I will check out the rest of your sight to find a hidden gem I might have otherwise overlooked these last 2 weeks!

    Jason

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