Americans are retiring... to Vietnam

[TLK Valentine]

Americans are retiring to Vietnam, for cheap healthcare and a decent standard of living

Rockhold, now 66, sits on several boards and is raising two children, 10 and 9, with his wife, Tu Viet Nga. The children were born via caesarean
section; the procedure, including a four-day hospital stay, cost about $1,200, far less than it would have in the United States. The family lives in a 20th-floor condominium overlooking the Saigon River and the sprawling city beyond. They bought the four-bedroom, 3½-bathroom unit, measuring about 1,840 square feet along with a separate veranda, for about $250,000 in 2011.

Rapid growth in Vietnam and its Southeast Asian neighbors has created a situation that would have been unthinkable in the past: Aging American boomers are living a lifestyle reminiscent of Florida, Nevada and Arizona, but in Vietnam. Monthly expenses here rarely exceed $2,000, even to live in a large unit like Rockhold’s, including the help of a cook and a cleaner. The neighbors are friendly: A majority of Vietnamese were born well after the war ended in 1975, and Rockhold says he has rarely encountered resentment, even when he talks about his service as a combat veteran.

I guess anything beats Florida during the tourist season...

Thoughts?

 

[Albion]

Americans are retiring to Vietnam, for cheap healthcare and a decent standard of living



I guess anything beats Florida during the tourist season...

Thoughts?

So long as he is careful not to say anything, seem to do anything, go anywhere, or associate with anyone not approved by the police who keep track of him, and don't mind being watched by informants...he probably does live at a better standard of living than the native Vietnamese and have medical attention available at a modest cost so long as the malady is something routine.

Why this would be considered the perfect life to live, I am not sure, however.

 

[Speedwell]

So long as he is careful not to say anything, seem to do anything, go anywhere, or associate with anyone not approved by the police who keep track of him, and don't mind being watched by informants...he probably does live at a better standard of living than the native Vietnamese and have medical attention available at a modest cost so long as the malady is something routine.

Why this would be considered the perfect life to live, I am not sure, however.

Wow, that sounds terrible. When were you there?

 

[Nithavela]

Wow, that sounds terrible. When were you there?

It is a pretty repressive place. Not the worst, but.. pretty far down.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Wow, that sounds terrible. When were you there?

Hey, I have an uncle who fought in Khe Sanh and Ia Drang...

...unfortunately, that happened last year and he was arrested both times

 

[TLK Valentine]

So long as he is careful not to say anything, seem to do anything, go anywhere, or associate with anyone not approved by the police who keep track of him, and don't mind being watched by informants...he probably does live at a better standard of living than the native Vietnamese and have medical attention available at a modest cost so long as the malady is something routine.

Why this would be considered the perfect life to live, I am not sure, however.

Assuming it's as horrible as you claim, the fact that people are still moving there is a testament to the cost of living in our successful economy. Not everyone gets a golden parachute when they retire, don't you know...

 

[bèlla]

Americans have been retiring to Mexico and South America for quite a while for a cheaper cost of living. And others move there during the winter as an affordable alternative to the warmer states in the U.S.

I wouldn’t live there. But I’d have no qualms about France, the U.K., Italy or Switzerland. It’s a question of lifestyle and resources. I think you’ll see more retirees following suit.

~Bella

 

[grasping the after wind]

Assuming it's as horrible as you claim, the fact that people are still moving there is a testament to the cost of living in our successful economy. Not everyone gets a golden parachute when they retire, don't you know...

So you will be moving there then?

 

[TLK Valentine]

So you will be moving there then?

Don't be absurd. I'm only 45 years old -- I still have at least three decades worth of work in me before I'm forced into retirement... And by then, we'll have to see what part of the world is friendly to the unwealthy...

 

[grasping the after wind]

Don't be absurd. I'm only 45 years old -- I still have at least three decades worth of work in me before I'm forced into retirement... And by then, we'll have to see what part of the world is friendly to the unwealthy...

But if the economy is so bad that you cannot keep up with the cost of living why would you wait t until you retire to move? Get a job in Vietnam and live better than you do now. Unless you don't think your education and experience are not good enough to get a job there but only good enough to be employed in the US .

 

[TLK Valentine]

Americans have been retiring to Mexico and South America for quite a while for a cheaper cost of living. And others move there during the winter as an affordable alternative to the warmer states in the U.S.

The winters may be warmer, but get ready for rain, rain, and more rain...

although if you're retiring from Seattle, you might not notice the difference

 

[TLK Valentine]

But if the economy is so bad that you cannot keep up with the cost of living

who said I can't? With my two jobs, I'm treading water just fine.

You?

why would you wait t until you retire to move? Get a job in Vietnam and live better than you do now. Unless you don't think your education and experience are not good enough to get a job there but only good enough to be employed in the US .

Considering that my career is in education, and I don't speak Vietnamese, that is pretty much the case, actually.

But don't (pretend to) worry about lil ol me... at the rate English is spreading around the world, by the time I'm ready to retire, language won't be a big issue wherever I end up.

 

[grasping the after wind]

who said I can't? With my two jobs, I'm treading water just fine.

You?



Considering that my career is in education, and I don't speak Vietnamese, that is pretty much the case, actually.

But don't (pretend to) worry about lil ol me... at the rate English is spreading around the world, by the time I'm ready to retire, language won't be a big issue wherever I end up.

It wouldn't take much to learn Vietnamese and if English is spreading so fast perhaps you could get a job teaching English?

 

[TLK Valentine]

It wouldn't take much to learn Vietnamese

You'd be surprised how much it would take... Trust me.

and if English is spreading so fast perhaps you could get a job teaching English?

That's what I'm doing now here in the US... why move before I'm ready to retire? (Besides, the certification process here is grinding enough... I don't want to know what it's like elsewhere)

Vietnam might be an interesting retirement spot now, but who knows? 10-15 years from now, Peru might be all the rage... 10-15 years after that, it might be Iceland... you get the idea.

Better to wait to make such life-changing decisions until a time when "10-15 years from now" isn't going to be a priority... don't you think?

 

[grasping the after wind]

You'd be surprised how much it would take... Trust me.



That's what I'm doing now here in the US... why move before I'm ready to retire? (Besides, the certification process here is grinding enough... I don't want to know what it's like elsewhere)

Vietnam might be an interesting retirement spot now, but who knows? 10-15 years from now, Peru might be all the rage... 10-15 years after that, it might be Iceland... you get the idea.

Better to wait to make such life-changing decisions until a time when "10-15 years from now" isn't going to be a priority... don't you think?

I think one should take no thought for the morrow as the evils of the day are sufficient. Who knows if either of us will be here tomorrow let alone 10-15 years form now.

 

[TLK Valentine]

I think one should take no thought for the morrow as the evils of the day are sufficient. Who knows if either of us will be here tomorrow let alone 10-15 years form now.

Well, for now, I'm going to abide by the wise words of Col. Nick Fury: "Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on."

As I get older, that view may change. If and when it does, I will make my plans.

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

So long as he is careful not to say anything, seem to do anything, go anywhere, or associate with anyone not approved by the police who keep track of him, and don't mind being watched by informants...he probably does live at a better standard of living than the native Vietnamese and have medical attention available at a modest cost so long as the malady is something routine.

Why this would be considered the perfect life to live, I am not sure, however.

I very much doubt the government there knows or cares what he does. The place is crawling with foreign tourists - one old guy living in a condo won't attract much attention unless he writes or protests against the government.

 

[GOD Shines Forth!]

Well, for now, I'm going to abide by the wise words of Col. Nick Fury: "Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on."

I like that.

 

[Albion]

I very much doubt the government there knows or cares what he does. The place is crawling with foreign tourists - one old guy living in a condo won't attract much attention unless he writes or protests against the government.

Anyone can offer a guess, but the government of Vietnam very definitely does all that I mentioned in the previous post.

And although the following is my guess, I would think that a permanent, relatively wealthy, immigrant from the USA would be MORE closely watched than people visiting for a week and spending their time seeing the usual tourist attractions.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Anyone can offer a guess, but the government of Vietnam very definitely does all that I mentioned in the previous post.

And although the following is my guess, I would think that a permanent, relatively wealthy, immigrant from the USA would be MORE closely watched than people visiting for a week and spending their time seeing the usual tourist attractions.

Watched for what?