NinaVamp
American expat in Vietnam
Forum posts
56
Contacts
3
About me
American
Lives in Ho Chi Minh City
Registration: 07 February 2014
How many expats have had to pay bribes to police? by I do believe
I have been stopped by the police maybe 10 times over the last few years for driving in the wrong lane, driving the wrong way on a one way street and speeding. Most of the time I get stopped for not being in that narrow right hand lane for ...
LOL! Vietnamese locals are wise to this trick and can't comprehend why foreigners don't do this more. :) Read More
Any good English speaking Pediatrician to recommend ?
My experience is with Hanh Phuc. Ignore the Vietnamese conventional wisdom, stickto your Google MD and it's great. Read More
I am searching for compassionate dog breeders (Ha Noi) by musicdog
Hello everyone, this is my first posting and i am new to the website. Thank you in advance, but I registered just now, because i am looking for a good dog breeder, that is responsible, and the breeds have no flaws. I am searching for a Pharaoh dog ...
Good luck with that... Probably best to look abroad. Read More
Iphone 5 Locked to canada. Carrier : Bell by mab0918
Hi guys. I would like to ask if how can i unlock it or use it here in veitnam? Is there a possibility to fix it. Thanks.. :|
Take it to a cellphone shop, they do it for you. Read More
Where do expat meet up? by Richard Loo
Many of us are newbie like your truly and we are fairly new in HCM. Is there any place where expats can meet up or gather together to exchange ideas and experience? The Metro -Lotteria or the new Parkson with Big C would be a good place? any ...
This is essentially my issue. I'd love to meet some expats that aren't out to hit on me or complain how they hate women like me (western) Read More
Saigon German Speaking by born2share
Hi all, Saigon German Speaking group's next meeting found on Friday, February 21st, 2014 - Location: Cafe Den & Trang, 47 Tu Xuong, District 3 (Map: http://goo.gl/maps/TKlHV, just next to the British International School) - Time: 7:00 PM Feel free ...
Is it welcome to all levels of fluency? Have always wanted to learn German! Read More
Why don't Vietnamese understand Vietnamese spoken by a foreigner? by I do believe
Having lived in Vietnam for 6 years and studied Vietnamese at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities it never ceases to amaze me that if I speak and pronounce a Vietnamese phrase perfectly to most Vietnamese, they don't understand me. ...
Though I agree with the verdict of lazy listening from Viets, I never use tones for taxi drivers and am understood fine, unlike PPs. Read More
Why don't Vietnamese understand Vietnamese spoken by a foreigner? by I do believe
Having lived in Vietnam for 6 years and studied Vietnamese at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities it never ceases to amaze me that if I speak and pronounce a Vietnamese phrase perfectly to most Vietnamese, they don't understand me. ...
If one wants something in life, they should keep trying no matter what. Posts like this are why immigrants get stuck in a bubble, everywhere. Read More
I'm Christian a swiss born vietnamese by SiNamN
Hi all, I'm Christian , a swiss born vietnamese, who used to travel with my job ( hairdresser / photographer ). I would like to know if expats and vietnamese actually, looking for / interesting to a foreigner haidresser with the french touch. ...
I pay 300,000 for my haircuts at a Korean salon. Any Viet Kieu or Korean-owned will be around that much. District 1, 2 and 7 are the places to find these salons for employment. Read More
Looking for Tabletop-Roleplayers in HCMC (DnD,Pathfinder,WoD,SW) by GuestPoster27
Hi, I麓m looking for a group of fellow nerds (and I know my chances are slim on this forum) to get some gaming on. This is just a preliminary survey of interest, things like place, time and other things will be decided if we get enough people ...
Thanks, I am pretty familiar with how it goes. An ex roomie of mine would play every weekend. I never did because they were hardcore Bronies, though. ;) Feel free to PM me, I'm on my phone and can't. Lol Read More
Foreign restaurants, chains, franchises- Are they ruining HCMC? by jonnybgood
There seems to be a new Starbucks, Burger King, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean, now McDonalds and numerous other (mainly american) franchises opening up every five minutes in HCMC. The pearl of the far east is starting to look like every other fucking ...
Hun, I never attacked your view on fast food, I simply suggested you get out of the HCMC bubble. If that makes me a PA troll, then oh well! All your replies are aggressiveand long winded, I can see you feel very strongly of what others put in their ... Read More
Looking for Tabletop-Roleplayers in HCMC (DnD,Pathfinder,WoD,SW) by GuestPoster27
Hi, I麓m looking for a group of fellow nerds (and I know my chances are slim on this forum) to get some gaming on. This is just a preliminary survey of interest, things like place, time and other things will be decided if we get enough people ...
I love all things nerd but have never ventured into this, are n00bs welcomed? Read More
Foreign restaurants, chains, franchises- Are they ruining HCMC? by jonnybgood
There seems to be a new Starbucks, Burger King, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean, now McDonalds and numerous other (mainly american) franchises opening up every five minutes in HCMC. The pearl of the far east is starting to look like every other fucking ...
Someone having a differing perspective from your own does not equate trolling. Perhaps Google up on the definition of words before using them out of context? Or you can go post somewhere where everyone will agree with your opinion and you will be ... Read More
Foreign restaurants, chains, franchises- Are they ruining HCMC? by jonnybgood
There seems to be a new Starbucks, Burger King, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean, now McDonalds and numerous other (mainly american) franchises opening up every five minutes in HCMC. The pearl of the far east is starting to look like every other fucking ...
To ask if a few fast food chains in D1 are ruining a country would be like me asking is Vietnam being overtaken by Koreans because I'm in Phu My Hung.It's like going to Shinjuku in Tokyo and asking is youth too obsessed with looks. Like hanging out ... Read More
VNese customs once your part of VNese family? by bta87
I am in the process of marrying into a VNese family and am wanting to learn some of the customs I should adhere to so as not to offend. I am about at my wit send as it seems everything I do is closely watched and criticized e.g. 1.) I am td not to ...
Just move far, far away. :idontagree: Read More
VNese customs once your part of VNese family? by bta87
I am in the process of marrying into a VNese family and am wanting to learn some of the customs I should adhere to so as not to offend. I am about at my wit send as it seems everything I do is closely watched and criticized e.g. 1.) I am td not to ...
I had a similar rough start with my in-laws, OP. There could be a number of reasons why they are behaving such a way. In my case it was a mix of me being too aggressive (extroverted) and them thinking they needed to behave so critically to 'train' ... Read More
Sending gifts to a friend in Vietnam.... by Barber368
Hey all, I am looking at sending some gifts to a friend in Vietnam for her birthday in October. I have been trying to find out what is permissable to be sent nto Vietnam. I know the obvious things are not...like weapons, drugs and alcohol.....i was ...
@Jayhawk, if your family live near a big "Viet" town in USA, there is a service which sends packages to Vietnam by weights (about $3 USD/lb including import tax). If not, you can ask your family to google it. I found this site ... Read More
Good Hair Dresser for foreigner hair? by kimngan
hi everybody..could you tell me where my boyfriend can get a good hair cut in hcm city? he is from australia ,and really wanna know hair salon ,or hair stylist ,who can speak english and good in foreigner hair....thank you
Since this was bumped, I'll highly recommend Dada Salon, Sky Garden I, Phu My Hung. It's Korean owned with Korean standards (aka very high) The woman speaks English, Korean and Vietnamese and is highly talented and kind. I picked out a haircut from ... Read More
Foreign restaurants, chains, franchises- Are they ruining HCMC? by jonnybgood
There seems to be a new Starbucks, Burger King, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean, now McDonalds and numerous other (mainly american) franchises opening up every five minutes in HCMC. The pearl of the far east is starting to look like every other fucking ...
Funny he asks who allows these chains when it's the PM's brother-in-law (???) who opened up McDonald's, no? Read More
Foreign restaurants, chains, franchises- Are they ruining HCMC? by jonnybgood
There seems to be a new Starbucks, Burger King, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean, now McDonalds and numerous other (mainly american) franchises opening up every five minutes in HCMC. The pearl of the far east is starting to look like every other fucking ...
Analogy. To be noticeable in a painful way.Sore thumb... Read More
Why don't Vietnamese understand Vietnamese spoken by a foreigner? by I do believe
Having lived in Vietnam for 6 years and studied Vietnamese at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities it never ceases to amaze me that if I speak and pronounce a Vietnamese phrase perfectly to most Vietnamese, they don't understand me. ...
I know of many Vnese that have no desire to learn English but still fork out money to send their kids to English classes. Just because I have no desire to improve my math, does not mean I have the same desire for my child. Vnese are kind and warm, ... Read More
How important is Vietnamese in your household? by NinaVamp
This is targeted towards those with children (or like to have opinions on children.) How much Vietnamese is used at home? Do you speak Viet or your native language? Anybody here have children that speak no Vietnamese or your native tongue? In your ...
I am bilingual and know some conversational bits of two languages, my husband speaks three and conversational of one. Vietnamese is on his side but there seems to be little desire of retaining Vietnamese language or heritage from his side. We live ... Read More
Foreign restaurants, chains, franchises- Are they ruining HCMC? by jonnybgood
There seems to be a new Starbucks, Burger King, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Bean, now McDonalds and numerous other (mainly american) franchises opening up every five minutes in HCMC. The pearl of the far east is starting to look like every other fucking ...
Stop hanging out in Q.1 and see the real Vietnam, problem solved. Read More
How important is Vietnamese in your household? by NinaVamp
This is targeted towards those with children (or like to have opinions on children.) How much Vietnamese is used at home? Do you speak Viet or your native language? Anybody here have children that speak no Vietnamese or your native tongue? In your ...
With me having a child, it definitely is a topic that is on my mind often. If we were to go back to US, my child would most likely not learn Vietnamese. The odds would be against him with American parents and only one set of grandparents that speak ... Read More
English 2014 by I do believe
In Vietnam approximately 90% of Vietnamese English teachers failed a government competency test. I have met about 50 Vietnamese English teachers and not one could speak English fluently or correctly but all of the Vietnamese teachers had superior ...
Your analogy is correct. Americans retained the original form of English while the English have drastically changed their accent over the last two centuries. So essentially with your thinking, the English accent is Walmart. Glad we all agree. :cool: Read More
Sending equipment via courier to Vietnam from UK. by DJWizdom
Hello globetrotters, expats, and tourist-types... I have an enquiry about sending stuff to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh to be more precise. Basically I am a DJ back home in Blighty and I'd love to get 2 turntables and a DJ mixer sent over via courier. It ...
I don't know anything about couriers. In general, books get through, music usually gets through, electronic parts, even cheapo things like earbuds, often fail to arrive, but I'm talking about the post. Customs opens everything.Hijacking post but ... Read More
How important is Vietnamese in your household? by NinaVamp
This is targeted towards those with children (or like to have opinions on children.) How much Vietnamese is used at home? Do you speak Viet or your native language? Anybody here have children that speak no Vietnamese or your native tongue? In your ...
My mother-in-law always spoke Vnese with her children no matter what and as a result her children are all fluent in it. Meanwhile her friends spoke what English they knew and their children speak Vnese that's barely passable. I've done a lot of ... Read More
How important is Vietnamese in your household?
This is targeted towards those with children (or like to have opinions on children.) How much Vietnamese is used at home? Do you speak Viet or your native language? Anybody here have children that speak no Vietnamese or your native tongue? In your ... Read More
Having a baby, wife is Vietnamese, husband is American. by Michael_77
Just a question about having a baby in Vietnam. A friend of mine got married here last year and is expecting a baby soon. First, what nationality should the baby have, American or Vietnamese? What route have others taken? What are the benefits of ...
Both of my children have US and Vietnamese passports.US-Japan specifically, difficult on the Japanese end because they do not turn a blind eye to dual citizenship, like the US. But this is about Vietnam, so good to know about the passports here. ;) Read More
Having a baby, wife is Vietnamese, husband is American. by Michael_77
Just a question about having a baby in Vietnam. A friend of mine got married here last year and is expecting a baby soon. First, what nationality should the baby have, American or Vietnamese? What route have others taken? What are the benefits of ...
You can have as many passports as you have citizenships.Did some Googling and seems it depends on nationality. I know in instance of Japan and US, you can't, so that was my real life experience with it. :) Read More
Why don't Vietnamese understand Vietnamese spoken by a foreigner? by I do believe
Having lived in Vietnam for 6 years and studied Vietnamese at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities it never ceases to amaze me that if I speak and pronounce a Vietnamese phrase perfectly to most Vietnamese, they don't understand me. ...
I agree with this. Most Vnese I learned was from a 12 year old girl and that still makes up most of my vocabulary. Adults are so quick to throw in the towel with you. :happy: Read More
English 2014 by I do believe
In Vietnam approximately 90% of Vietnamese English teachers failed a government competency test. I have met about 50 Vietnamese English teachers and not one could speak English fluently or correctly but all of the Vietnamese teachers had superior ...
http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/nicolas-cage-laughing.gif This whole thread has me cracking up how it derailed. To get back to the original topic, that statistic seems accurate. I was attending a party out in the Vung ... Read More
Dating/Marrying Tips for Expats :/ by OBB
when first dating local women i didnt heed the sage advise of my local relatives and went off on my own. being arrogant and confident i thought i had nothing new to learn considering my advanced age. i was humbled. several posts have inspired ...
This will be true for all cultures. :cheers: ETA: You are already number two regardless. A woman can never love anybody more than her kids. Read More
Having a baby, wife is Vietnamese, husband is American. by Michael_77
Just a question about having a baby in Vietnam. A friend of mine got married here last year and is expecting a baby soon. First, what nationality should the baby have, American or Vietnamese? What route have others taken? What are the benefits of ...
To my knowledge more than one passport is not allowed, so you would only have to explain if you got caught. Read More
part-time ESL teachers wanted by Iris Ho
Hello everyone, i'm now working at a language school named American Academy and i'm looking for ESL teachers who have work permit to join our upcoming project - The FCE (This project is about teaching local Vietnamese English teacher to achieve ...
LOL, right? Suppose that's reserved for the interview process. Read More
Any anime fans? by NinaVamp
I'm a fan of anime, manga, video games, Japanese stuff in general and am looking for expats with similar interests. I know it is big here in Vietnam but sadly I do not speak Vietnamese yet to converse with locals. :( I'm pretty much a fan of nerdy ...
I gave up on One Piece so many years ago. Kinda never started Bleach, really. Naruto is the only one I can stick to. Eight years going strong but it's about to end, so I'll need a new obsession eventually. Read More
jasmine rice in vn by nickuscdds12001
does anyone know where to buy jasmine rice in saigon. the rice i eat at restaurant are not as good as jasmine rice i ate at home back in usa. i know the rice i ate in usa are exported from vietnam
Jasmine should be everywhere here. It's at every grocery store I've been to. Read More
Bikers - Would like to create a club
Sorry, no idea on where to watch on TV. I don't own one. :( Read More
Bikers - Would like to create a club
Love MotoGP. There are so many bike clubs from here to Ha Noi. But I suppose you'd need to speak Vnese for those. Ask the guys at Motorock in PMH if you can. Good luck in starting a group! Read More
Any anime fans? by NinaVamp
I'm a fan of anime, manga, video games, Japanese stuff in general and am looking for expats with similar interests. I know it is big here in Vietnam but sadly I do not speak Vietnamese yet to converse with locals. :( I'm pretty much a fan of nerdy ...
I've always had this nerdy dream of opening up a maid cafe. LA already had one but I bet Vn doesn't have one yet. I just wonder if that's something Vnese would go to. My husband said come up with the business idea first but gave me a weird look. ... Read More
Sushi by Jquinoq
:huh: any recommendation for a good sushi restaurant? Not the chain Places but either a family owned or smaller place. Thanks in advance ,
You explained it better than I! My Vnese friends will only eat sushi "so long as it's not the raw kind." :huh: ] I do miss sushi back in LA but I'm surprised the quality here is just fine. Read More
Sushi by Jquinoq
:huh: any recommendation for a good sushi restaurant? Not the chain Places but either a family owned or smaller place. Thanks in advance ,
Depends your definition of sushi. Most Vietnamese think of cooked maki when they say "sushi" Kisoya has good maki. Takoika has great salmon sashimi. Read More
Any anime fans? by NinaVamp
I'm a fan of anime, manga, video games, Japanese stuff in general and am looking for expats with similar interests. I know it is big here in Vietnam but sadly I do not speak Vietnamese yet to converse with locals. :( I'm pretty much a fan of nerdy ...
I was surprised just how nice and pro all the cosplays looked! I wonder if they make them themselves or shop online. I definitely want to find a seamstress to help me make one, I left all mine back home! I know there was also one a month ago in Ha ... Read More
Any anime fans? by NinaVamp
I'm a fan of anime, manga, video games, Japanese stuff in general and am looking for expats with similar interests. I know it is big here in Vietnam but sadly I do not speak Vietnamese yet to converse with locals. :( I'm pretty much a fan of nerdy ...
Oh yeah, I prefer to be a pirate with anime and manga :cool: but I did buy a bunch of anime stuff for my baby. lol I brought my DS over and just play Cooking Mama. >_> Seems Vnese are into online MMOs and such. Which I play once in awhile but get ... Read More
Any anime fans?
I'm a fan of anime, manga, video games, Japanese stuff in general and am looking for expats with similar interests. I know it is big here in Vietnam but sadly I do not speak Vietnamese yet to converse with locals. :( I'm pretty much a fan of nerdy ... Read More