|
ReindeerF posted:Here's another stereotype: unless you end up at a decent university or a good international school you'll be making poo poo in Southeast Asia compared to North Asia. Welcome to the typical teacher's dilemma - enjoy life more and make nothing or enjoy life less and make a middle class wage. I have a high school diploma and I'm making $50,000+ (that's ONE BILLION DONGS YEARLY!1!) in Vietnam. Just don't be a teacher.  That said, I met a guy here who said he used to teach private classes 20 hours/week, at about $15-20/hour. That gives you a nice living in this country plus a lot of free time. My wife is now making $22/hour teaching a private class and she doesn't have a background in teaching.
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 12:14
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 13:56 |
|
|
Senso posted:No it's true, most Vietnamese are friendly. I've been here for a year now and I most people are really friendly. Even the touts are not as aggressive as I've seen in Cambodia, every experience vary. The Vietnamese are the worst human scum in Southeast Asia. If there were some bad touts when you went to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, no doubt they learned it from the Vietnamese. The only reason you think different is because you've been brainwashed by their wacky communist propaganda.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 12:17
|
|
|
Senso posted:I have a high school diploma and I'm making $50,000+ (that's ONE BILLION DONGS YEARLY!1!) in Vietnam. Just don't be a teacher. Touting 2.0 right here.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 13:00
|
|
|
Senso posted:I have a high school diploma and I'm making $50,000+ (that's ONE BILLION DONGS YEARLY!1!) in Vietnam. Just don't be a teacher. eviljelly posted:The Vietnamese are the worst human scum in Southeast Asia. If there were some bad touts when you went to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, no doubt they learned it from the Vietnamese. The only reason you think different is because you've been brainwashed by their wacky communist propaganda.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 13:02
|
|
|
Well the worst human scum in Southeast Asia is still better than the Chinese, duh. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 13:17
|
|
|
eviljelly posted:The Vietnamese are the worst human scum in Southeast Asia. If there were some bad touts when you went to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, no doubt they learned it from the Vietnamese. The only reason you think different is because you've been brainwashed by their wacky communist propaganda. Clearly you haven't been to Pattaya.... I actually have much of a problem with the Vietnamese, though I was mostly in the North.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 15:41
|
|
|
This is literally the only place I've ever heard a bad word about Vietnam. I haven't been there yet to judge but the difference is striking.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 16:24
|
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:This is literally the only place I've ever heard a bad word about Vietnam. I haven't been there yet to judge but the difference is striking. This is the first place I've heard bad things about Vietnam but I've heard much worse from friends who have been there. Then again, I've also heard some very good things. I've never been, so I can't judge.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 16:25
|
|
|
Finch! posted:This is the first place I've heard bad things about Vietnam but I've heard much worse from friends who have been there. I was including friends. Different tastes of course, I loved Beijing and know plenty of people who can't stand China. And I live in Korea which definitely has both sides of the love and hate spectrum well represented.  There's been something of an exodus from Korea to Vietnam among my acquaintances.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 16:28
|
|
|
Don't get me started on the Koreans. Ugh.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 16:31
|
|
|
A country full of Koreans AND Vietnamese? That would make a great reality TV series. You could have elimination events where the contestants have to run around a market bargaining and the one who makes the most sellers genuinely cry the quickest wins. EDIT: Random anecdote time. I go running in the countryside all the time all over the place and people are almost always either friendly or genuinely inquisitive (i.e. "LOOK A WHITE PERSON, TELL IT HELLO!"), so it's always kind of fun and cute and whatever. The joys of being a novelty minority in a country that's pretty friendly. Anyway, today I had a new one. There are always kids around and they usually either want to talk ("MY NAME IS!" in English - followed by nothing, or "GOOD MORNING!" at 17:00) or they're shy and stare, before giggling. Today, though, when I ran by this woman and her little girl along the river, I slowed down to make a clownish smiley face at the little girl and she burst into tears, ran to her mother and clutched her leg and kept bawling. I nearly doubled over laughing at the reaction, which only made it worse and the mother looked so embarrassed. In the end, I straightened up and apologized for scaring her daughter, because, Hell, the kid's probably never seen a 6'3" white guy with no hair making what, in retrospect, was a pedobear smile. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 17:22
|
|
|
There would have to be some contest involving battling with Americans.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 17:29
|
|
|
Clearly, eviljelly and ReindeerF have been in Asia for too long and are now bitter grumpy men. You just have to remember that anywhere else other than home is better and all parts of the world have cunts and cool people. Vietnam included, yes. After a year, I'm becoming grumpier and my glasses are not rose-tinted anymore (they're black because of the pollution) but I still love it here.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 17:49
|
|
|
Nah I haven't been here that long. I pretty much love all of Southeast Asia except Vietnam. My hatred of Koreans is very long standing and unrelated to any travels.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 18:04
|
|
|
Senso posted:Clearly, eviljelly and ReindeerF have been in Asia for too long and are now bitter grumpy men. You just have to remember that anywhere else other than home is better and all parts of the world have cunts and cool people. Vietnam included, yes. After a year, I'm becoming grumpier and my glasses are not rose-tinted anymore (they're black because of the pollution) but I still love it here. I agree you can have fun anywhere and, as I have pointed out before, I know a number of people who lived in Vietnam long-term and enjoyed it pretty well (though I hear quite a few complaints about exactly the issues that have been brought up as well). I just look at it comparatively and Vietnam has more cunts than Thailand, Laos or Cambodia in my experience, all three of which are much more laid-back from my anecdotal experience, so it wouldn't make much sense for me to live there or spend a lot of time there without some counterbalancing factor. Hell, the Thai business owners I know all have been worried to death about the rise of the Vietnamese economy precisely because they consider the Vietnamese to be more competitive and aggressive, two qualities never associated with Thailand for sure (especially when it comes to international business). It's not like this assessment, whether accurate or not, is entirely the province of Western tourists or expats, heh. But, yeah, stereotypes aren't universal, they're just broad stroke assessments meant to help classify group behaviors. Overall, I consider it my personal goal to keep people in these threads from visiting Pattaya or Phuket more than anything else ^__^ Anyway, I need to head back for a trip and re-evaluate my impression, it's been a while. Maybe in September or October!
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 18:33
|
|
|
What's the cuisine like in Thailand and Vietnam? I understand what we have in the States is a very sanitized version of what the real stuff is. I was watching a youtube video about Saigon and there was this scene where people were eating this funny orange soup with what looked like fat live maggots wiggling around in it.  So between Vietnam/Saigon and Thailand/Bangkok, is there any clear choice? Or can I really go wrong choosing one over the other? Gumog fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 19:30
|
|
|
Nha Trang, Vietnam was probably the worse place I've ever been to in SEA.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 19:55
|
|
|
Gumog posted:What's the cuisine like in Thailand and Vietnam? I understand what we have in the States is a very sanitized version of what the real stuff is. I was watching a youtube video about Saigon and there was this scene where people were eating this funny orange soup with what looked like fat live maggots wiggling around in it. edit: A good rule of thumb is. If you see locals eating at the place, it's the real deal. If you only see tourists eating there, it can be hit or miss. It may be because the food sucks or it may just be because it's too expensive for the locals. Rapsey fucked around with this message at 20:17 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 20:09
|
|
|
Gumog posted:What's the cuisine like in Thailand and Vietnam? I understand what we have in the States is a very sanitized version of what the real stuff is. I was watching a youtube video about Saigon and there was this scene where people were eating this funny orange soup with what looked like fat live maggots wiggling around in it. EDIT: Colonialism helped with cooking at least, not that that's like a good reason to overlook all the other problems. Thai cooks are hopeless with bread, cheese, tomatoes and beef, while you cross over to the former French colonies and you can get some fantastic fusion and Western dishes that would rival the best Thailand's 5-star joints have to offer. Then there's the coffee culture in Vietnam and so on. Obviously you probably don't come here to eat Western food, but when you live here it's nice to fly over to Phnom Penh and get good bread and cheese and such. Rapsey posted:edit: A good rule of thumb is. If you see locals eating at the place, it's the real deal. If you only see tourists eating there, it can be hit or miss. It may be because the food sucks or it may just be because it's too expensive for the locals. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 20:26
|
|
|
Interesting - I am always up for new things. Well, I have about 11 months to prepare before I start my great Asian adventure. If you were to recommend one choice out of the following: either Vietnam, Thailand, or China, to spend a year as my first time in Asia, which one would it be?
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 20:40
|
|
|
Why just one of those? I would pick Thailand but have not been to China and since this is the SEA thread, I'm guessing most will say Thailand 
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 20:43
|
|
|
Rapsey posted:I'm guessing most will say Thailand Another great reason to pick Thailand is: look at a map and then check out things to do, travel destinations and airfares. Thailand's well-placed geographically, but, more importantly, it is a massive international tourist destination, so it's incredibly easy and affordable to get from here to almost anywhere in the region (or inside Thailand). With Air Asia's ascendance you could make an argument for KL now, which would be fair, but then you'd have to live in KL for a year (I like KL, but nowhere compares to Bangkok).
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 21:05
|
|
|
The plan is to use one country as a "base," where I would be working regularly - but take mini-vacations and visits to surrounding areas. I've watched that Finnish TV show Madventures, China's air looks like pea-soup, Thailand looks beautiful. If there isn't really much different I can make in money between Vietnam and Thailand as well as the cost of living, I guess Thailand it will be!
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 21:08
|
|
|
Gumog posted:The plan is to use one country as a "base," where I would be working regularly - but take mini-vacations and visits to surrounding areas. Bangkok is, bar none, the best place to do that from (which is why it's so crowded with people doing that). EDIT: Misread your post, but I think this addresses it anyway. Yes, you probably won't make much more in Vietnam or Thailand teaching. EDIT EDIT: Apropos of nothing, please note that Singapore is the only SE Asian country with its own thread - TYPICAL UPPITY SINGAPOREANS LAH. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 21:11
|
|
|
How did you start doing that? If I may inquire.
Gumog fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 21:42
|
|
|
Gumog posted:How did you start doing that? If I may inquire. I kid. Way back when the internet was first commercializing I had been obsessed with Silicon Valley for years, which, along with the birth of the internet, naturally lead to an interest in online work (especially after seeing SV for myself and being turned off). I pretty quickly realized that this stuff was going somewhere and that eventually I'd be able to do it from anywhere in my boxers, so I quit university and joined a local startup and just kept working to create a marketing niche for myself. It's been up and down, but never dull, and eventually the rest of the world caught up and recognized that online marketing wasn't just spam and banner ads and here we are. There are all kinds of careers you can telecommute for these days, just have to get creative and start doing research. It doesn't have to be specifically related to building technology or selling online or whatever. Some people I know play poker, others do medical work remotely, some do remote analysis of scientific data and so on. Find something, start working at it and eventually it becomes a profession. One thing I would say, though, is that if you can figure out a way to help people make money that's the easiest sell in the world, however you do it. People like paying for services that pay for themselves. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Jun 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2012 21:53
|
|
|
I'm definitely putting Cambodia on my list after watching this. Just 300 dollars to shoot a cow with an RPG! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhe3Vk_54nY Gumog fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Jun 23, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 01:19
|
|
|
A lot of people flinch, but as long as you eat it (or someone does) I'm okay with it! Haven't done it myself. I heard something about tossing grenades at chickens.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 04:27
|
|
|
Gumog posted:I'm definitely putting Cambodia on my list after watching this. Just 300 dollars to shoot a cow with an RPG! Mate, sometimes the oldest family member will take it for the team, go to the firing range and if you have approx. $2000-3000, let you execute him with any gun you choose! Although, the cow thing is real but it's really far away man and don't think you think there's been enough bullets shot in Cambodia?
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 04:49
|
|
|
That's the scam: you'll never hit the cow. RPGs don't fire bullets 
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 05:02
|
|
|
Isn't it also $1 a bullet? Sounds like a pretty good scam, $300 bucks for a cow and running through a clip in a few minutes and not hitting anything. Only person that loses is the person who wanted to kill a cow. Also movies have ruined my expectations for explosions. All you could see was black smoke - where was the orange flames and things catching on fire and the excitement!
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 05:08
|
|
|
drat eviljelly i am gonna miss you again, we are heading back to Bangkok. It's beautiful here but the food is just so bad and bland. Going to spend the last two weeks in Bangkok eating street food all day every day, goddamn that poo poo is so good
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 06:28
|
|
|
I did some research into that Cambodian opportunity. Turns out most of those are run by corrupt Cambodian army officers that offer those services to crazy gun-nuts who came to try out the goods. If they caught you filming that for a TV show, you may end up in a ditch - it's illegal. I don't think I would actually pay 300 dollars to shoot a cow with a rocket - something about it just seems unethical. But, its the sheer fact that it is a possibility in a country to do that makes Cambodia sound so much cooler. (despite grinding poverty and horribleness, which those Finnish guys also covered)
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 06:40
|
|
|
Gumog posted:What's the cuisine like in Thailand and Vietnam? I understand what we have in the States is a very sanitized version of what the real stuff is. Vietnamese food is delicious too and i'm a huge fan of Pho. I ate Pho almost 3 times a day in Vietnam. It's wonderful to kick start your day with a nice hot (and spicy) bowl of Pho.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 06:42
|
|
|
ReindeerF posted:
For me personally it came down to a choice between Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. I also considered China but not seriously. Thailand simply has the best combination of cost of living out any of them especially with someone on a fixed income. I would have honestly preferred Taiwan since I can speak some Mandarin but it's just too pricey and not enough to do there. I'm not a former corrupt third world dictator so Singapore was off the table too but I would have liked living there as well. Hong Kong was just too expensive too. I still visit most of those places semi-regularly probably not unlike yourself.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 06:52
|
|
|
Hong Kong is probably the only one there I'd seriously consider out of the list, but the cost of living is ridiculous and the place is loving tiny. If you wanna go anywhere that's not Hong Kong, count on some travel time. Of course it's the other old school massive travel hub, Bangkok being the old school counterpart, so you can get to *anywhere* from HK. These days with China all opened up you can fly drat near anywhere from anywhere I guess. In fairness, I've not been to Taiwan. I have a friend who lived there for 20 years and loved it (moved here) who said it's really nice, but kinda provincial in its own way. I was surprised to hear him say that.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 07:18
|
|
|
ReindeerF posted:
The TWD and Baht is really close to the same..around 29-31 to a $1. However as a rule of thumb cost of living in Taiwan is at least 30% more expensive. Quality is better too but it's a country of the middle class.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 08:27
|
|
|
Modus Operandi posted:It's the only nation in the world that has "traditional" Chinese society and culture intact. People tend not to understand how different Taiwan is from its (some would say distant) mainland cousin until they get there. There were a couple weibo posts showing Chinese traditions practiced in Taiwan that mainlanders thought were fascinating as hell because some of those traditions were erased by the cultural revolution long ago. Plus you get a lot less of the spitting, loud mouthed, selfish oval office type behavior that the mainland Chinese are known for. The rent seems MUCH cheaper in Taipei than in Beijing, but the costs of restaurants and general service-industry stuff is much more because they have to pay people more than 1500 Kuai a month to work
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 11:32
|
|
|
Modus Operandi posted:Plus you get a lot less of the spitting, loud mouthed, selfish oval office type behavior that the mainland Chinese are known for.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 12:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 13:56 |
|
|
B-Rad posted:The rent seems MUCH cheaper in Taipei than in Beijing, but the costs of restaurants and general service-industry stuff is much more because they have to pay people more than 1500 Kuai a month to work ReindeerF posted:My experience with mainlanders in Bangkok has been sort of like this, though I have to say that they seem to be polite once they realize they're embarrassing themselves publicly. In front of me was a large extended family of Chinese people all cutting, shouting out crap, and pissing everyone off. Nothing is more grating than older Chinese auntie types speaking loudly. The behavior is like they have ADHD or something because they have to keep fidgeting while bumping into you while shouting out nonsense. Unfortunately I could understand what they were saying and it just made everything that much more miserable. One Thai airport security guy could (amazingly) speak some Mandarin. Every time they would try to cut he would smile and herd them back like little puppies. I commend him for his tolerance. Then to my right were Russians doing the same poo poo except pushing their way through the mass of people. To my left were english speaking tourists whining the whole time. It was like the 9th circle of hell. I wanted to do a backflip onto my head and just end it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2012 12:52
|
|