Tieng Viet lovers club

[leecs]

Originally Posted by Jonas21

Anybody can help translate the below sentence?

"Ngay mai anh toi u bup dien thoai cho em"

Tks.

I also patronize U-PUB every sat..

[leecs]

Some comments on a site i read: The cost of expatriates in Vietnam

I have found it rather difficult to try and persuade companies into sending a young, rather inexperienced, recent graduate to work as an expatriate in Vietnam. However, I just recently told two companies in which I am interviewing with that I would be willing to buy my own ticket, find my own place to live, hire my own personal Xe Om, and take care of basically everything else. I said that all I would expect the company to do is to pay for my salary and any medical expenses I might incur.

I try and stress that I have no wife and kids to worry about. My Vietnamese is pretty moderate and would continue to get better as I lived there (I also have Rosetta Stone), so no language classes would be needed, etc.

What my real question is would be what else an expatriate would need to pay for him or herself if the company only paid for their base salary and medical expenses? Because that's what I'm telling companies I would do right now.

This will depend on your lifestyle. If you want to live well (similar comfort to a 1st world country) then it would be around $2000/month. If can live like a local then it would be about $500 (rent and rates will set you back 150-300/month). I suggest you holiday in Vietnam first to get a feel on how much things cost and how things are done in Vietnam before jumping in the deep end.

Just short to add, that Health Insurance is a MUST in Vietnam. I have lived here 13 years and surely I could not have stayed without that!

On the issue of salary; seen in relation to your young and yet inexperienced profile and that you are used to Western standard, I would say to you (and all others with same profile!) that coming here as you would like, you need a proper place to stay (Vietnam is in many ways a both hard and great place to live, so in the long run having a proper place to stay is, in my view, a MUST!) and at least a motorbike to drive (you will soon learn!). I would therefore recommend you ask for a minimum of net USD 3,000-4,000. A proper house, to westen standard, will cost you min. USD 600-800; to rent a motorbike another USD 200-300; maid/cleaner at home USD 100-120 and on top comes electricity etc., easily another USD 200 if the aircon is a need. You need to add a home leave ticket every 6, 9 or 12 months; surely it advantageous to leave Vietnam once in a while and get your "batteries recharged".

As you can see, Lam James (the other person giving you advice) and I, do not in full agree; the difference in suggested salary derived from what you want, what your mindset "require". I can only say that I have been and is happy living in Vietnam, but getting the basics (insurance, proper house, transport etc.) right has been and is a MUST.

I wish you find your way here; it is trully a dearly loveable country! -- but do not pay a price too high; life in Western surrounding is also not too bad!

Thanks for the two different perspectives. I actually stayed in Vietnam for six months and worked for Target Sourcing Services while there. I lived off 5 million VND a month without having to pay rent and it was honestly hard for me to spend that all. Even thought that was a pretty low amount, I was willing to work for free for the experience of working overseas. Although that was before I graduated as well, so I would be expecting a lot more now.

Vietnam is pretty great Soeren Juelsbak, which is why I'm making a hard effort to come back. My interest with the country only heightens with each visit and I just can't seem to shake it off. Either way, all these comments are great and make my desire to return even stronger.

I agree that what you need to ask for is what you desire and feel what you are worth. If you coming here and being hired by a company, then by all means you need some monthly allotment for housing as well as salary and health insurance. If you are coming on your own and wanting to start your own company, then that's a different story but quite exciting as this is a great time to be an entrepreneur during the current global situation. If you've been here for 6 months already then you know the relative costs already.
I think there is a happy medium between living fully Western style and living fully local style. A motorbike is a must but it does take some time to learn how to navigate the "organized chaos" of the millions of other motorbikes without getting fully frustrated. If you have a strong desire to be here then just do it. If you plan to be here for a long time then you should love the place and respect the fact that as expats we will always be a guest here and we need to remember that fact. It sounds like you already have "the bug" to be here. do it my friend. Thank you.

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by leecs

A proper house, to westen standard, will cost you min. USD 600-800; to rent a motorbike another USD 200-300; maid/cleaner at home USD 100-120 and on top comes electricity etc., easily another USD 200 if the aircon is a need.

My Apartment in Hanoi, 2 rooms 90sqm is about 700USD. Brand new rented bike is abt 100SGD per mth. Part time maid is 50USD. Electricity never exist 150SGD with air con. Sometimes with colleagues, 3 air con on whole day n nights.

[jackbl]

Another History Lesson:

People pay respect to Uncle Ho on his death anniversary
================================================== =======
Despite bad weather, thousands of people from throughout the country flocked to the hometown of late President Ho Chi Minh in Kim Lien Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the death of the hero of national liberation (September 2).

The managing board of Kim Lien Historical –Cultural Site said that this is the period each year when the site welcomes the largest of number of visitors.

More than 20 million people have visited the President’s native village over the past 40 years to pay tribute to him after his death on memorial days, including his birthday May 19, death anniversary September 2 and Lunar new year (Tet) holidays.

In Hanoi, statistical reports from the Ho Chi Minh President Mausoleum Protection High Command indicated that some 31,000 visitors went to the mausoleum in the morning of September 2 to pay respect and gratitude to the prominent national leader, who was honored by UNESCO in 1990 as a national liberation hero and great man of culture.

September 2 is also National Independence Day of Vietnam.

By staff writers – Translated by Phuong Lan

[retsoor]

In HN, for years I stayed in a house in Lang Nghi Tam, right on the lake, around 400 sq m. 8 rooms, 4 bathrooms, for 1500US$. I moved when the house was no longer bordering the lake because they built the stupid road (of course, in a VN mind the road in front is much better than being able to spit from the living room into the lake, so the house now goes for 3500US$, to a moron with 3500US$ housing budget who doesn't care what he pays and inflates prices for the rest of us...).

Now I live in the city center, french-vietnamese style mini house, 4 small rooms on 4 floors, 2 bathrooms, 350US$, including internet. Aircon bill very low compared to old house, and I can walk everywhere, including 17 saloon.

I pay my cook/maid 300$ for half day, including a motorbike, and she also does quite a lot of work related to my business (particularly gov't realated stuff, like registering/winding down a company). I realised she's much better at dealing with people than most young graduates. She's been working for me for 5 years, I used to pay her 500$ a month full time previously, I then helped her to get a job as a cook for an ambassador (she's one of the better cooks in HN, trained cook of course, worked at sofitel metropole, hilton, vine etc), for 900US$ + pension + health insurance, but after 2-3 months she wanted to come back to me. Her family put a lot of pressure on her to stay in the other job because of the money, but I guess after 5 years, there's something like mutual loyalty between us, and the ambassador was an asshole.

300US$ may sound expensive, but it isn't, I'm basically eating 5* food every day, at close to street food prices. This is the kind of things you can only do in VN, and one of the reasons why I love to live here.

Thinking about it - it's what I have to pay for the gym, after all the food, that makes her expensive...

[jackbl]

Thanks for the insight of the Hanoi environment. Personally have NOT stay in vn for long, and not in apartment, house, etc....

The sentence below difficult to understand lei

Originally Posted by retsoor

Thinking about it - it's what I have to pay for the gym, after all the food, that makes her expensive...

[raibo]

Originally Posted by jackbl

(But not to those that say "Today I no customer, can give me lucky?" For this, I dun even give $1)

I bet many of us had enounter this many many times..

Somehow this remind me of a gal friend of my regular sometime ago.

She took a small glass of beer to cheer with me for lucky.
She ask me for a handshake for lucky.
She even ask me to give her a coin for lucky.

Does their culture teaching them into believe in luck??
Or they really believe in luck or what??

[vagrant]

[QUOTE=raibo;4075534]She even ask me to give her a coin for lucky.
/QUOTE]

Now so many of them like to pull this type of cheapskate stunt to get easy money. There was once when I gave the fren of a vb sitting with me $2 when she asked me for lucky money, she did not take and wanted $10. When I refused she scolded me in vietnamese

Those vb that came to Singapore long time ago have more integrity, did not encounter such nonsense with them.

Btw, I personally believe in lucky money. So bro, can you give me some for lucky?

[casannova03]

[QUOTE=vagrant;4075650]

Originally Posted by raibo

Those vb that came to Singapore long time ago have more integrity, did not encounter such nonsense with them.

Btw, I personally believe in lucky money. So bro, can you give me some for lucky?

Actually last time also have la.... but not so much. But youwill have to put things in perspective. In my own thread i think i have mentioned somewhere that the customer-girl ratio was very much different back then.

Last time it was girls a bunch and customer 3 lorries load full so almost all nights no matter how ugly you are you will be albl to earn something.

Now its the reverse. Girls 3 lorries load full and customers a bunch.... so you will naturally see the rise in the asking of lucky money.

Normally, I will just tell these lucky-money-girls to eat the watermelon slices that are served!! cos they red in colour(lucky), watery(signifies money) and they are crunchy(signifies business "ping ping pong pong" - very busy!

[casannova03]

Originally Posted by Thom07

My guess is "vay" should have no particular meaning, just like our lah, leh, etcs.

Yes, "vay" does not have a particularly strict meaning. It depends on how you use it in a sentence.

Most of the time though, it will mean “这样”。or "like this" if it appears a the front of a sentence.

E.g: Vay hom nay anh di gap em.

Like this today I go meet you.


But if it appears at the end of the sentence, its like a compliment to the sentence and has no particular meaning.


E.g: Em dang lam gi vay?

What are you doing (huh, now, leh etc etc...)

Correct me if i am wrong pls....Master Jackb...

[vagrant]

Originally Posted by casannova03

Yes, "vay" does not have a particularly strict meaning. It depends on how you use it in a sentence.

Yo master casannova, since u r now online, is 'Vi and 'Nen' also similar to 'Vay'?

Eg. Vi hom nay troi dep nen toi di choi
Because it is a beautiful day, I am going out.

Cam on

[Jonas21]

any bros can help to translate the below sentence?

"em dang lam mat di lam co gi khong anh"

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by Jonas21

any bros can help to translate the below sentence?

"em dang lam mat di lam co gi khong anh"

This one i can try...i am working tired to go to work what is the matter you...

[Jonas21]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

This one i can try...i am working tired to go to work what is the matter you...

Dun really understand the behind part, "what is the matter you"? Got another meaning?

[Jonas21]

Originally Posted by Jonas21

Dun really understand the behind part, "what is the matter you"? Got another meaning?

Bro another one can help? I'm using vdict to translate but they need actual vietnam word than can translate not like the below, below sentence vdict is not able to translate at all. Maybe I need to talk to the gal to ask her sms in actual vietnamese than I dun need help in here. Real pai say for the bros that are helping and thanks alot.

"bay gio ha em dang lam lung chung sao gap anh duoc toi gap ha"