Planning to start a business in a different country may seem like a bold step and showcase a sign of ambition. Getting the business started in that new country will probably feel like the first step of many more successes. However, it is when you realize that you have to live in that particular country from now on wards and leave behind the comfortable lifestyle of your own country is when you start to rethink everything. Vietnam hasn’t exactly been the ideal country for people to live in around 10 to 15 years ago. However, in recent times, the country has seen a great deal of development and more expats are coming in the country to conduct their businesses while tourism has flourished significantly. While there are great advantages of living in Vietnam, such as friendly locals, extremely low cost of living, and great food, there are still a lot of problems over here. Listed below are some of the problems of living in Vietnam.
Cultural Shock- Vietnamese people are very well used to seeing foreign people in their countries. They have a good number of tourists visiting them every year; however, the cultural shock factor still exists in them. As a foreign person, you are likely to be surrounded by the locals every time you go out in the streets. They won’t harm you or follow you or anything but they will stare at you like as if you are from out of this world. While this may seem flattering at first, it does become annoying as time goes on. Vietnamese people have a habit of not looking into somebody’s eyes directly when conversing with them. While this may be a sign of respect or a cultural thing, it does become hard to carry on a conversation when you have to repeatedly work hard to gain their attention.
Vietnamese language- The official local language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. Moving abroad for professional reasons will always require one to experience difficulties with the language barrier, it is an inevitable fact. While English is considered as a second language, not any people use it frequently. Learning Vietnamese is the difficult task. It is a very difficult language and even more difficult to use it. Unless and until you use it perfectly and get your pronunciation right, the locals won’t understand a single thing. This can be really frustrating and will often lead to miscommunication when dealing with local workers, suppliers, customers and so on.
Climate- The climate changes and the weather won't really affect somebody who is from the Asian continent. However, if you are somebody from Europe or North America then you are likely to suffer from the changes in climate initially. The climate in Vietnam is tropical meaning it will be hot on average days and the humidity will always be high. In other words, you will be sweating a lot and will need a couple of weeks to adjust to this weather. However, if you are located in the northern part of the country then you are going to experience heavy rainfall. Commuting in the rainfall can be tricky for people who aren’t used to the monsoon season.
Pollution- Another negative fact regarding living in Vietnam is their pollution concerns. The whole country is densely populated and the pollution levels are at an all-time high. In fact, if you notice carefully then you will see how the locals are always wearing a face mask while traveling in the streets. This is because they are protecting their faces from inhaling the toxic smoke and gasses in the air. Foreign expats will have a difficult time adjusting to this pollution problem.
Traffic Congestion- Arguably the worst problem to have while living in Vietnam is their traffic conditions. As mentioned earlier, the city is densely packed and it can get extremely crowded to move in and around the city. There is always some sort of road block due to the high number of vehicles operating on small streets. The entire city is heavily reliant on bikes to travel from one place to another. Even then these bikes have no concern for road safety. They will rush past you without thinking twice. Road fatality is a big issue in this country, with the highest rate of road accidents in the world happening in Vietnam.
Crime-Vietnam isn’t exactly a dangerous place to live in. It is largely considered as one of the safest cities to live in the world. While there are no guns allowed, robberies and thieves do exists. In fact, the most common form of crime in Vietnam is the snatch and grab. Whether you are in a crowded place or just roaming around the streets, you always have to be vigilant. These thieves will probably ride past in you a bike and snatch your phone, tablet or whatever it is that is out on your hands. While such losses can be avoided, it does make you paranoid to be always out on the lookout.
