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Americans are retiring to Vietnam

latimes.com

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Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#191

Post by echelon »

oarabbus_ wrote: post #142
onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This obsession with cheap places to live intrigues me. In Memphis, TN you can rent a decent apartment in a shitty part of town for $300 a month. And Memphis isn't even close to the cheapest big city in the US. In Birmingham Alabama, you can't get just as hot as you can in Vietnam, and your rent will be pretty similar. Yes, healthcare and food are more expensive, but not that much. And you'll spend less on those two t…

>This obsession with cheap places to live intrigues me. That's... pretty damn bizarre that you'd find it intriguing. >In Memphis, TN you can rent a decent apartment in a shitty part of town for $300 a month. Who _wants_ to live in the shitty part of town? You've deconstructed your own argument in a sentence. Also, with American money you can live in Vietnam like royalty, and in an area that looks like paradise. There…

> Who _wants_ to live in the shitty part of town? You've deconstructed your own argument in a sentence.

Let's say you just quit your job to live your dream of creating an indie video game. You'll probably want as much runway as possible while you build.

Startups tend to need rapid iteration and experimentation unless they're highly technical, which is why this plan is probably better for things you can do solo and completely cut off.

On the other hand, maybe someone just wants to spend a few years playing video games and reading books? Why not do it cheaply?

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#192

Post by selectodude »

glofish wrote: post #175
Descartes1 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is one of the only nations in the world that taxes its expats also. You can't escape the USA. You are the property of the tax farm.

I believe the reason for this is simple (though understandably unpopular): A lot of people that get rich because of America would just drop American citizenship once they do get rich to avoid paying back into the system that allowed them to become successful. There is no other country that offers as much upward mobility as the US to its citizens. Hence the tax.

Also the services that the US Government provides to even their overseas expats is pretty remarkable. I’m not sure there’s another country in the world that can bail you out of a dicey situation within hours in almost any spot on earth.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#193

Post by latchkey »

CapricornNoble wrote: post #108
axaxs wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but you can't find an 18 year old woman to marry you as a modern day indentured servant in the midwest. Ninety percent or so of the old white men I encountered in SEA had his arm around some poor childlike girl.

In my experience that's significantly less common in Vietnam than in Thailand or the Philippines (having been to all three, and dated women in all three).

Agreed. I am going on my 4th year living in Vietnam, it is significantly less common here.

Of course you see a lot of sexpats, but Vietnamese culture is definitely less sexualized than in other SE Asia countries. It certainly exists literally everywhere, but it is just harder to find outside of the STD infected backpacker areas. The women are pretty adamant about having a bf.

For a long time, it was also more difficult and expensive to get a visa... so the guys looking to just get laid went to the easier countries. That is changing though as Vietnam now has an e-visa.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#194

Post by Barrin92 »

glofish wrote: post #179
Barrin92 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

May I ask why that is? I've travelled a fair amount of Asia and Africa over the last decade and I have to say many places are significantly more exciting than a rural or small town in the US. I have not so much personal experience with the US, but my family is from a rural German region and if the US is anything like it (and I suspect it's not too far off), there are many more exciting places out there. The cuisine a…

> Now I'm far from retirement age that's why you feel this way. After you lived a life and developed social ties and relationships in place it would be impossible to rebuild those in a radically different country. Statements like "Retire to Vietnam!" are mostly absurd nonsense - really to go to a place you can't even read the signs?. The most valuable asset one has are the social ties - far easier to live in a boring…

>The most valuable asset one has are the social ties - far easier to live in a boring German village where you know most people

the problem is though that this is an idealized version of traditional small towns. My parents are still doing fine, but my grandparents were very isolated at the end of their lives because most peers have died off, are too old or sick to go anywhere, and most young people have left too so it's a very, very insular and lonely environment.

From the stories I read about the state of health, drug abuse and so on in American small towns it appears to be even worse.

Boring life is not necessarily a good thing for older folks. The practical problems of being far away from healthcare and so on aside, I believe being in a young and dynamic environment is a good thing for you if you're old, it keeps people stimulated.

People love painting the image of 'loneliness in the city' vs 'community in the village' but in reality, at least in my experience it's the other way around.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#195

Post by baddox »

iudqnolq wrote: post #190
baddox wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if you think that showing many many examples of democratic governments wronging individuals and then not being held accountable for those wrongs (including many examples of long-standing systematic wrongs, not just one-off extreme cases) is NOT sufficient evidence for the claim “democratic governments are not accountable to you,” then I don’t know what evidence would satisfy you.

Let me guess: you're thinking of civil foreiture and qualified immunity in the US? I don't dispute the US is non ideal, I do dispute that as a whole the government is unaccountable. For example, what do you think would happen if Gavin Newsome (governor of California) had someone killed for disrespecting him? That's the kind of thing really unaccountable governments get away with. So I'm asking you to not only show th…

I didn’t have specific examples in mind, and my argument is not about what type of government is ideal or even whether it’s possible to do better. My claim was simply that democratic governments are not accountable to individuals in any ordinary meaningful sense, and I stand by that.

Of course many governmental officials would likely be held accountable for extreme misconduct if they weren’t able to cover up the evidence. And of course certain governments are more accountable than others.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#196

Post by iudqnolq »

baddox wrote: post #195
iudqnolq wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me guess: you're thinking of civil foreiture and qualified immunity in the US? I don't dispute the US is non ideal, I do dispute that as a whole the government is unaccountable. For example, what do you think would happen if Gavin Newsome (governor of California) had someone killed for disrespecting him? That's the kind of thing really unaccountable governments get away with. So I'm asking you to not only show th…

I didn’t have specific examples in mind, and my argument is not about what type of government is ideal or even whether it’s possible to do better. My claim was simply that democratic governments are not accountable to individuals in any ordinary meaningful sense, and I stand by that. Of course many governmental officials would likely be held accountable for extreme misconduct if they weren’t able to cover up the evid…

Whats your definition of not accountable? Making an absolute and not relative definition sounds hard.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#197

Post by mikekchar »

glofish wrote: post #179
Barrin92 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

May I ask why that is? I've travelled a fair amount of Asia and Africa over the last decade and I have to say many places are significantly more exciting than a rural or small town in the US. I have not so much personal experience with the US, but my family is from a rural German region and if the US is anything like it (and I suspect it's not too far off), there are many more exciting places out there. The cuisine a…

> Now I'm far from retirement age that's why you feel this way. After you lived a life and developed social ties and relationships in place it would be impossible to rebuild those in a radically different country. Statements like "Retire to Vietnam!" are mostly absurd nonsense - really to go to a place you can't even read the signs?. The most valuable asset one has are the social ties - far easier to live in a boring…

I moved to Japan 12 years ago and while I love it and it's the only home I know, I agree with you. Retiring, picking up and moving to a new country with a new culture would involve pretty serious culture shock. Betting the farm, so to speak, on wanting to live there for the rest of your life is kind of crazy I think. I've also had some health issues while I've lived here in Japan and even though I speak Japanese quite well and the Japanese health system is quite good, it's incredibly frustrating having to deal with something so important in a way that is foreign to you.

In kind of a less extreme situation, I've known several couples who retired in the UK and moved lock stock and barrel to Spain. Even there, I've heard horror stories of getting soul crush homesickness, not being able to sell the house, and eventually returning to the UK and living a very much reduced lifestyle thanks to all the assets being tied up in Spain. It's a massive risk.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#198

Post by latchkey »

tempsy wrote: post #54
buboard wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

because men liking women is shameful?

It’s not but the old white man/submissive younger Asian woman dynamic is one of those uncomfortable stereotypes that ring true

In Vietnam, the women are not submissive at all and I have a bit of a theory on it after living and dating here for 4 years.

All the men were killed in the war. The women ran the houses and the businesses. Now, 2-3 generations later, kids have grown up watching mom and sister be the strong ones.

Trust me, the last thing you want to do is piss off a Vietnamese woman.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#199

Post by baddox »

iudqnolq wrote: post #196
baddox wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn’t have specific examples in mind, and my argument is not about what type of government is ideal or even whether it’s possible to do better. My claim was simply that democratic governments are not accountable to individuals in any ordinary meaningful sense, and I stand by that. Of course many governmental officials would likely be held accountable for extreme misconduct if they weren’t able to cover up the evid…

Whats your definition of not accountable? Making an absolute and not relative definition sounds hard.

Just the everyday definition that people use in normal conversation, not subtle insinuation about political philosophy or anything like that. I’m accountable to my employer for showing up and doing solid work. A student is accountable to their instructor. I’m accountable to the government for my income taxes (and many other laws). It just means that there is a fairly clear set of expectations and a pretty reliable and straightforward process that disincentivizes violation of those expectations in practice (not just in theory).

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#200

Post by bane »

iudqnolq wrote: post #186
bane wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think what you say is remotely true I think you exactly confirmed what I said.

I don't. Care to expand on that?

> The intersection of decent cost of living, close to medical facilities, high quality medical establishment, and affordable medical care leaves not too many places in the world.
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