farside's profile
farside's Posts
2 reviews or comments posted; 3 questions asked; 16 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (2)
The swimming pool is magic. You go in with a stylish Aussie swimsuit and the pool water eats the lycra. My swimmers lost fabric integrity and turned onto a brown saggies. Perfect to wear in a pool so heavily chlorinate. Speaking of eating. If you want to eat the worst food in VN, then I recommend the Army Hotel Restaurant. What they do with carved carrots is beautiful. What their chefs o with MSG, gravy mix, salt, and diced frozen vegetables is NOT. Very expensive and real platoon tucker.
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I USED to stay at especean on a regular basis. Until I got a phone call three hours before check-in...to say that the room has been given away. If management change their attitude and respect the fact that people book because they want a place to stay. Then the rooms are great value.
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Questions (3)
Does anyone know where I can buy a genuine Swiss Ball. For core strength training. Sports stores here have imitation ones that would pop like a party balloon given a western frame and a few kilos of dumbells.
Thanks
Does anyone know which company has home delivery of fresh chicken , aussie beef at a reasonable price?
Where can I rent the latest Honda Wave, long term rental for under $70 a month?
Answers (16)
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
Once I took out VND from my VND account for a transaction. When this didn't go ahead, I thought I'd change the VND into USD...I did this at the gold shop. But my bank would not accept the USD because I had bought notes on the black market. They would not take the USD and put into my USD account because it was not salary certified.
Even then, I had friends who wanted to take salary earned money back to their home country. They had to get all their payslips red stamped. This sounds easier than it actually was.The business they worked for had too branches. The one they initially worked for in HCm and the last place in Hanoi. It seemed that they had to get payslips stamped from both and it took time. Meanwhile they had an emergency situation. one of them needing urgent surgery.
You need to be aware, be organised and thinking/planning ahead with the money thing. In this heat. I admire maliusmaximus for thinking up such a plan. Too many appearances at his bank, with him standing and eating too much complimentary Taro candy at the teller station... without an airline ticket to show he's leaving....good luck:)
In response to the question: So there is currently a gap between the black market buy/sell rate and the bank buy/sell rate for USD and Dong. I'm just curious, what's to stop me f...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
Safe as houses? Has anyone had the experience of having personal bank account accessed by former, employer, current employers or landlords. If one "owes" money, bond for rent etc.
I heard a situation where an employer who sponsored an expat was able to take money from an expats account while he was on vacation to pay a disgruntled landlady who said that she was owed rental monies.
In response to the question: So there is currently a gap between the black market buy/sell rate and the bank buy/sell rate for USD and Dong. I'm just curious, what's to stop me f...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
On Hang Gai Street. While most of the cotton sheets are from China, the embroidery is done in VN.
But you can customise your bedlinen.
Look at pillowcases, most shops show the same range of detailing. You can find ones with delicate drawn work like you would find in an old French linen cupboard.
Choose a pattern, a size. You decide the detail.
Then ask for this to be made up in either Italian cotton and English cotton. You get thread count of egyptian cotton that way.
A set of China cotton retails at around for around 24 USD , sheet and two pillow cases.
You will pay slightly more to get sheets made up especially for you in better cotton.
You can choose any detailing on anything in the store. They can add it. You don't have to have the crappolla tablecloth look on your bed. You can look through Vogue and give them a monogrammed hierloom photocopy of the Grand Duchy and Countess Fleur De Les. The embroiderers will copy it into steamy night hotel sheet quality. Sweet Dreams.
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a place to buy luxurious quality, pure cotton bed sheets - that are vaguely reasonably priced? Also, pillows? Thanks ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
Aircons are expensive to run. And you still have the muggy, sweaty heat hanging there. Think about a De Longhi dehumidifier. The one that sucks out 18 litres of water in 24 hours.
It has an airpurifier mode too. So then you just need a ceiling fan. No worries about dirty aircon filters or catching Legionnaires from aircon system.
Asthma , bronchitus can be made worse by aircon environs.
The Dehumidifier quickly changes a humid, sticky room into "normal". The heat is not the issue in Hanoi. It is the humidity. Once you take that factor out, wearing cooler fabrics, drinking iced drinks instead of hot....living in hanoi over summer is o.k.
W.H.O Rehydration Recipe
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1tsp baking powder
4 tbsp of sugar
1 cup of orange juice
1 litre of water
Take small an freguent sips. Watch for heat stroke and dehydration during summer and take above recipe if you feel wasted. it picks you up.
In response to the question: I'm finally caving this year and not going to tough it out any more. I am in the market for an air conditioner and I'd like to ask the community if th...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
You can work on a short contract basis...3 month contracts or as a part time teacher. The full time teachers on long contracts seems to have to need work permits.
Work permits expire. So I know people who find the process so tedious and expensive they don't bother again.
Your main issue here is not work permit. it's finding good accomodation. 400 USd and upward. teachers are having to pay 650 now to live in a reasonable environment. A year ago top rent was 400 usd but now that is a cheap rent. Inflation has jumped up but teachers salaries are not. That means you have to do a lot of hours to keep up with the cost of living which wasn't the case a year ago.
In response to the question: I am currently trying to find work teaching English in Hanoi. I have a couple of interviews arranged already, but I'm a little worried about the work ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
As far as crackdown goes. it is the schools who have to sort it. If strict rules are made then the schools won't be able to employ anyone who can't get a work permit. many teachers just have internet teaching english certificates and do a good job teaching. Only a small percentage have teaching dgrees. In Danang, the requirement as I understand it is not just a degree, but a degree in teaching. Consequently, it is getting harder for schools to find a pool of teachers.
The more rules, the less teachers who qualify to teach, the fewer teachers. With 50% of the world speaking English by year 2015,the easier it is to get a job, the more available native English teachers there will be. With flexibility and taking potential teachers on merit... there should be no shortage of teachers.
In response to the question: I am currently trying to find work teaching English in Hanoi. I have a couple of interviews arranged already, but I'm a little worried about the work ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
Business visa ..think about exporting something back to your home country. Make a business card and you ARE doing business. Promote VN products or something. Look at connections between your home country and VN.
In response to the question: Hi, I'm hoping to live in Hanoi for a year starting this October. I will not be working. Can I just live on a tourist visa? Or do you know about a stu...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
Don't worry. You are a temporary resident by living here. You can't be a permanent resident unless you are VN. You just need to be registered at your address and take your passport wherever you go in VN to register at hotels etc.
Your landlord does the paperwork with local police. And if there was a problem with your work permit/visa the authorities are very good. once when i was getting a new passport my VISA had expired and the local police were aware of this, they did not give me a hard time. With passport delays two months later, they stamped a new visa in my passport. It is just about the local plice knowing you are doing the right thing. if there is a delay at your embassy end, they are polite and understanding.
In response to the question: Resident and work permits. I read this on the danish embassy website and now I'm a bit worried that I dont seem to have anything resembling a residen...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
I got my business visa extended for 6 months, first through my work, second via the airport on my return from holiday. Third time with a friend who runs a travel agency. it took four days only. I have a friend who has a work permit and had a VISA stamped for one year. So yes. travel agents or your place of work. Just need 100 usd for 6 months visa.
In response to the question: Is it possible to stay "forever" in VN on business visa, by just extending it? Or is there some laws around this? That you for example need to have ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
100 USD for six months multiple from my friend who owns a travel agency. No extra charges on that. So must be the correct price. I got a visa extension from a generic travel agency before and they wacked 40 USD on the cost.
In response to the question: Hi, Anyone out there been out and about shopping for visa extension quotes recently? Got one saturday from tropical tours for a six month multiple ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
What's in a name? A friend had his maid living with him.
In response to the question: Hello there.. I wanted to stay with my girlfriend in an apartment together, but my employer told me it is illegal in Viet Nam for a couple to live ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
She had one room in the house, her room. And that was acceptable to the landlord that a business guy had a live in maid or personal assistant, or business partenr who travels with him and works in the home office. Whatever works.
In response to the question: Hello there.. I wanted to stay with my girlfriend in an apartment together, but my employer told me it is illegal in Viet Nam for a couple to live ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
You sound like you want to be comfortable within this environment. it is possible to maintain the same UK standards, but it means you won't really have a real Vn experience. This place works better if you take certain verbs out of your vocab and accept more of what this place has. You cna eat of a plate wiped clean with a rag between customers...the most delicious food. You can drink out of a plastic straw washed in cold water between customers...the most delicious chilled cane juice. You can pass the rose sellers and step over an open drain carrying a dozen fragrant roses you bought for two dollars. You cna sit on a blue plastic stool while the levels of carbon monoxide are 200 times above acceptable levels...and the noise of the bikes makes you deaf to conversation;;;while drinking coffee so thick and rich you could swear it is melted chocolate. This is a place where you have to drop the accessories and get real. If you stay long enough you become more earthed than you have ever been in your life.
If you decide to try to maintain UK standards...bring medical kit, insurance. expect to pay $1,000 USD minimum for a house.Also $800 plus to hire a car and driver for the month as motorbike traffic is nothing like UK.
In response to the question: Hi, I have just returned from Hanoi to the UK and am interested in spending more time there. Are there any jobs there for qualified teachers tha...
Posted Wednesday October 22nd, 2008.
Just check the type of laquer you are using. Vietnamese method BUT use Japanese laquer only. My friend had a severe reaction. After a mornings class using Vietnamese laquer. It started with an itchy eye. Midmorning massively Swollen face. Put her in hopital for a week with severe allergic reaction. The doctor said this is common for Vietnamese laquer. Go Japanese.
In response to the question: Hi, I have looked at other posts regarding Lacquer Painting lessons but could not find any useful information. Hence, my question : does anyone kn...
Posted Tuesday November 18th, 2008.
Thanks for all your responses. Appreciated
In response to the question: Does anyone know which company has home delivery of fresh chicken , aussie beef at a reasonable price?...
Posted Tuesday November 18th, 2008.
THANKS!!!
In response to the question: Where can I rent the latest Honda Wave, long term rental for under $70 a month?...
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