Tim
@PhuNinhTim
American expat in Vietnam
Forum posts
19
About me
American, 66 years old
Lives in Dong Th脙隆p, Vietnam
Speaks Rudimentary Conversational Thai, Spanish, French, German with no formal schooling, 'street level' conversational abilities.
Registration: 29 January 2026
About
I have been travelling the world since I Joined the Army at 17 years old, opened my eyes that there is much more out there than the USA. So I live by Jimmy Buffets' philosophy- "There's a beach bar out there somewhere I haven't had a beer in - so I'll keep looking" Have lived and worked in over 40 countries, visited about 20 more, not finished yet.
Occupation
I am Retired. I am 45 Years Management for US Government
My expat journey
膼峄搉g Th谩p, Vietnam
Developed my Retirement Home here, 3 fish farms, two coconut farms, mangoe/jackfruit farm and of course 20 rice paddies.
RETIRED
FAMILY IS HERE
SHORT VISA鈥橲 (ONLY 90 DAYS)BUT THAT IS COUNTRY WIDE, HOPEFULLY WILL CHANGE THIS YEAR.
Antalya, Antalya, T眉rkiye
VISITOR TRAVELLER
RETIRED
FOOD, FOOD,FOOD WEATHER, PEOPLE, I鈥橠 LIKE TO LIVE HERE SOMEDAY
NOTHING
Stuttgart, Baden-W眉rttemberg, Germany
TRAVELLER
RETIRED
CLEAN
SNOW
Lyon, Rh么ne-Alpes, France
VISITOR
RETIRED TRAVELLER
CLEAN, IT CAPITAL OF EUROPE
NOTHING
Jomtien, Chon Buri, Thailand
LIVING THE DREAM, I STILL KEEP A HOME HERE
RETIERED
EVERYTHING
TOO MANY PEOPLE NOW, HIGH TRAFFIC
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Oahu Homestead
Retired
Weather, people
Too crowded
Activity
Bringing Guests to your Hotel or Airbnb by callaway4000
When you rent a hotel or airbnb what are the rules to being allowed to bring back a date to your place? is it legal? is it in the description of the rental agreement? I know in Thailand they take the ID of the woman for security when they are ...
I don鈥檛 know if this is relevant, but whenever I go home, I always check in with the police, they have me fill out a form that announces who is living in the home.聽 I have added visitors to this from time to time, this may be a form of ... Read More
Celebrating 50 years of Gone Saigon by snake77
Announced in the news today: Ho Chi Minh City to set off fireworks at 16 sites for 50th anniversary of city named after President Ho Chi MinhI remember how 11 Years ago, on the even of 30 April 2015 I was sitting with a few locals on a sidewalk in ...
@snake77 Vietnamese are masters of 鈥檛he waiting game鈥� they have patience of a rock. Everyone here in the Delta calls it Saigon鈥︹�︹�ven the Busses show Saigon on the front. Read More
How many days normally take the Vietnamese Tourist visa to be issued!? by giscivil92
Hello folks,I applied for Vietnamese tourist visa 10 normal days ago!? but after 10 days it is still under the process!!!馃槕Is that normal or no!?apparently bizarre!馃槕What is your experience in this case!?
@giscivil92Removed comment: Op has already been given insightful advice from Ocean Beach and Aiden - refuses to accept it, now we find he applied for a tourist visa to work in Vietnam - that is a lie on his application, and applied for the wrong ... Read More
How's The Weather Where You Are? by Aidan in HCMC
Got a notice of "Severe Weather Alert" for the next 5 or 6 days.
31C down in The Delta Region today, but feels like 40C Humidity is probably 100% and it's not raining yet. Read More
If I knew then what I know now... by bhspence
One of the more common issues I see with expatriates is delayed pension planning.Strong income years often pass without a clear structure in place.The impact is rarely immediate 鈥� but becomes significant over time.Those early years matter more ...
What you say is very true - I was at a crossroads in life when it was time to re-enlist in the Army, I wasn't happy with where the Army was going - circa 1989, race wars in barracks, slovenly soldiers/Sergeants etc etc. I walked into a 'saloon' in ... Read More
Exercise Extreme Caution - U.S. State Dept. by Aidan in HCMC
Worldwide CautionSecurity alertMarch 22, 2026 - The Department of State advises Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution.Location: WorldwideEvent: The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to ...
Thank goodness I'm Canadian, so I don't look like an Ameri.... Oh. Wait.馃榿 - @Aidan in HCMCEh?? Read More
Exercise Extreme Caution - U.S. State Dept. by Aidan in HCMC
Worldwide CautionSecurity alertMarch 22, 2026 - The Department of State advises Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution.Location: WorldwideEvent: The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to ...
In Pattaya, Thailand now - we had a visit from Immigration Officers asking if we were okay, and were we harassed in any way by people from the Middle East - I said no but appreciate them checking on us. They were checking Americans registered in ... Read More
Bringing Guests to your Hotel or Airbnb by callaway4000
When you rent a hotel or airbnb what are the rules to being allowed to bring back a date to your place? is it legal? is it in the description of the rental agreement? I know in Thailand they take the ID of the woman for security when they are ...
I still remember having to buy two rooms for me and my unmarried spouse in all hotels in Saigon, Nha Trang, and Dalat - Mui Ne wasn鈥檛 a problem, only once did the Tourist Police raid a hotel we were in on Bui Vien in Saigon maybe year 2000 or ... Read More
Long term rentals and the law for foreigners by MarkinNam
Hi all, I'm seeing some chatter about the gov not allowing long term apartment leasing / renting, has anyone heard likewise ? If true, is there a way around it legitimate ? My friend suggested I rent with him and his wife. That would be difficult ! ...
We used to just call the local police station, they would send over a young guy to fill out th forms, I鈥檇 sign them and give a copy of my passport. This time I had to go to the Police Station, same young guy came took my passport, 10 minutes ... Read More
Karaoke and Tet 2026 by Aidan in HCMC
There was notification sent out via SMS a couple of weeks ago by the police of restrictions on times karaoke can be played, and of the police ready to respond to complaints of sound systems being played at too high a volume. There was mention of the ...
During tet all the rules are set aside鈥︹��..鈥檆ept for the drunk drivers鈥︹��...luckily most of the 鈥榮ingers鈥� get drunk early and fall asleep. I had to sing as well (of course, everyone has to sing) Luckily ... Read More
Ch煤c m峄玭g n膬m m峄沬 ! by Julien
Hi everyone, I wish you and your family happiness, good health, and success in the New Year !take care,Julien
The Magic Tet brings to a home is unsurmountable - like when a 5 year old girl sees her American grandfather for the first time, runs into my arms and squeezes me like only a five year old can do. We took a selfie and she said (in Vietnamese) ... Read More
Money transfer of USD to Wise via VN by It2VN
I was wondering if anyone here has (had) the same problem . As someone who can receive funds from a particular source which pays out only in one currency -US dollars, I need to convert them into euros for transfer to an E.U.-based account. I have a ...
There鈥檚 a new (old) Sherif in Town Son, listen to him, he knows what he is saying. Try circumventing the law and you鈥檒l wind up eating brown rice, fish skin and salt for a while. Doesn鈥檛 matter what Wise says on their website, ... Read More
Reliable Mail Forwarder鈥�..
鈥�..in the USA to send mail to both Vietnam and Thailand. Does anyone know a reliable/affordable mail service that will receive, an scan mail to an email address. I just rented my apartment in US and want the little mail I receive sent to ... Read More
Vietnamese Language School in Cao Lanh by PhuNinhTim
Hey guys/gals, long time member, recently recycled to new username, wondering if anyone knew of Vietnamese Language school in Cao Lanh, Can Tho or maybe Hon Ngu. Decided to move myself 100% to Vietnam and need to dive deep into the language. ...
@Aidan in HCMC I have an appointment with the University of in Can Tho next weeks to visit the campus Can Tho is about 50 miles from my home near Hong Ngu. Thanx a lot, we shall see. Read More
Vietnamese Language School in Cao Lanh by PhuNinhTim
Hey guys/gals, long time member, recently recycled to new username, wondering if anyone knew of Vietnamese Language school in Cao Lanh, Can Tho or maybe Hon Ngu. Decided to move myself 100% to Vietnam and need to dive deep into the language. ...
@OceanBeach92107聽 聽 Only my wife speaks english in my house, but the youngest (5yo) and 3d daughter (10yo)are being taught english in school.聽 聽I have accumulated a lot of baby talk (and country folk talk) Vietnamese, was looking ... Read More