Imma weigh in on this. Most expats agree on the positives about Vietnam. The negatives are more nuanced.
ladislav wrote: ↑September 27th, 2020, 4:32 am
Rude, conservative feminist women**
Dunno about "rude", but there are indeed conservative feminist women. They look to the USA as inspiration. One I was with the other night was telling me how she wants a future husband who will shares the household chores, wants to keep her job even after having children, and admitted that she can't cook. When it was time to pay the bill for our drinks and food, however, she left that to me. (excused herself to the bathroom at a strategic moment). The "equality when it benefits me" thing I swear have seen somewhere before.
Bad dating all around
True. The stinky part about local women typically expecting men to pay for dates isn't just the money itself. It's that they don't appreciate you. They take it all for granted, all those food and drinks they got for free. Really, how hard is it to say "thank you" when someone buys something for you?? It is the least one should do. Some do say it, but many, perhaps 50%, do not. In fact, this can happen when it's not a date. It can happen when you meet a woman as friends.
Getting a date itself is not exactly easy, but easier in Saigon than other cities, albeit Saigon girls are chubbier.
The hardest place is Da Nang.
Small sized expensive accommodation usually
VN is pretty damn cheap tho, a great place to be minimalist. Don't own property. Don't own a car, just a motorbike maybe--you don't even really need that thanks to Grab. Don't get married, don't have a family. Keep your belongings light and hop from city to city as you please. It can be done on 500 USD a month even in Saigon. Even that is like living it up compared to what the locals spend.
Not much English spoken
Plenty of young folks do speak English. The older folks not so much. If you stay in a family-run hotel the parents will have their son or daughter do negotiations in English with you.
There was only one apartment where I had trouble communicating with the staff, which was the first apartment I stayed in and my Vietnamese speaking ability was piss-poor (still is), but between Google Translate and asking local friends for help, we managed somehow.
Healthcare is expensive / not great
Also, practitioners give questionable diagnoses of rare diseases without running any tests on you, that if believed will cost you (by local standards) a pretty penny for treatment.
Greedy locals
Here is an interesting paradox. I find the locals to at times wear the greedy hat or the generous hat.
The former is worn in "opposite side" scenarios such as business transactions, including the vendor behind the bánh mì cart.
The latter is worn when you are both on the "same side" such as the stranger sitting next to you giving you his dessert or his beer in a store where you are both customers.
They seem able to switch easily from being hard and stingy and wanting to rip you off to being open and generous and wanting to share stuff with you depending on the circumstances of the relationship which dictates which "side" to view you as being on. Or is it just me?
Dangerous motorbike culture
This is the #1 worst thing about Vietnam! Traffic rules are openly violated, many busy streets don't even have traffic lights and everything is chaos, and the aggressiveness of drivers varies wildly. It is a nightmare for pedestrians. Even on sidewalks--those sidewalks that are actually usable--a motorbike may come directly at you and expect YOU to get out of the way. Every day there is a prayer of relief in my heart that I didn't get hit by a motorbike yet. Rates of accidents are high. Everyone knows it's terrible but the culture cannot be easily changed.
The dating scene here can really sour your experience with everything else.."
That is why people should not come here for dating. I recommend newcomers to VN leave behind their expectations in the ladies department, or at least keep those expectations very low. I think that is good advice for Asia generally.