大咖福利影院

Good grief this forum is quiet. No posts for two years?

Hi there 1happykamper.

Two years? I guess you're only looking at the Da Lat subforum posts. To view posts in the general Vietnam Forum, see here.

Greetings from Chiang Mai. The heat is making things miserable here. I've put up with it for 11 years in Thailand.

Is Da Lat, Vietnam my next base? Is it yours? - @1happykamper

You might not get much reprieve from the heat in Da Lat. See the posts in the thread titled, How's The Weather Where You Are? See post #14 there for a link to north/central forecast.

Good grief this forum is quiet. No posts for two years?
Greetings from Chiang Mai. The heat is making things miserable here. I've put up with it for 11 years in Thailand.

Is Da Lat, Vietnam my next base? Is it yours? - @1happykamper

I have spent a lot of time in Vietnam , South Vietnam to be exact, and also in Thailand, but only as a tourist. Up to 3 months at a time, but always as a tourist. If the heat in Thailand really bothers you, Vietnam is indeed an alternative, there are many places where the climate is considerably cooler. However, Saigon and Vung Tau, the most popular places for retirees-immigrants, are just as hot as most of Thailand, so you must be prepared to make Vietnamese friends, unless you don鈥檛 mind a very solitary lifestyle. And in my experience, Vietnamese is considerably more difficult than Thai. Not so much the grammar or the vocabulary, but the pronunciation, for me it was extremely difficult to even understand and be understood for the most basic of interactions (ordering food, booking a room, getting my bike fixed), even though i studied quite regularly during 3-5 years. I had a theoretical vocabulary of several hundred words, but could only really use a few dozen, and even those depended on who I was talking too. Some people are more talented for tonal languages, but if you鈥檙e like me, you鈥檙e gonna have a hard time.

When it comes to the people, at a surface level, Vietnamese appear much less friendly than Thais. I鈥檓 not saying they aren鈥檛 friendly, but if you鈥檙e used to getting greeted by smiles everywhere, it can be a bit of a shock at first. However, usually even just a few simple words in Vietnamese will make a big difference, and in this regard, Vietnamese are probably a bit more honest, or straightforward. What I mean is that if you get a smile, it鈥檚 much more likely to be a heartfelt one than in Thailand.

Those are a few superficial thoughts about the differences between Vietnam and Thailand. If you really think about relocating, do spend some time in Vietnam first to see if you like it. It is definitely quite different.

Da Lat is my go to escape from the heat. Its a magical place. Very different vibe than the rest of Vietnam in my opinion. Reminds me of the Blue Ridge mountains back home.

@1happykamper

In nine years you have only posted 48 times.