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Americans are retiring to Vietnam

latimes.com

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Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#131

Post by trianglem »

colechristensen wrote: post #22
pcurve wrote: post #7

"They bought the four-bedroom, 3½-bathroom unit, measuring about 1,840 square feet along with a separate veranda, for about $250,000 in 2011." I'm sure it's a very nice place, but that sum is nothing to sneeze at. I wonder how much it costs now, and what is monthly expense is. Good thing is, American government has sensible reciprocal arrangement with many countries that offer national pension system that you don't n…

$250,000 is more or less the median price for a house that size in Ames, IA, a university town which regularly shows up on various "Best Places to Live" lists.

Yeah but who would want to live in cold, wintery Iowa when you have the option of staying in a place that is warm year round.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#132

Post by danielhughes »

ethbro wrote: post #64
chrisseaton wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you also have to pay the actual insurance premium as well? Before you even get to the out-of-pocket costs? I have friends in the US who pay thousands a month for health insurance premiums.

At 65 you're eligible for single-payer, government-supported Medicare. I'm not old enough to be keeping an eye on the numbers, but it looks like ~$450 / month for hospital (free) + doctor (subsidized) + prescription (pay).

That’s correct but Medicare is not a viable option for Americans living abroad because it does not cover overseas healthcare.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#133

Post by trianglem »

colechristensen wrote: post #28
technofiend wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No doubt based on that recommendation Ames is a great place to live, but you're still in the American healthcare system which could financially drain you dry from one major medical incident. The article specifically mentions cheap healthcare as the other draw besides cheap cost of living.

I don't really understand this. Max out-of-pocket for insurance plans now is very reasonable. If you can afford a $250k house, you can afford the max out-of-pocket cost for many many years.

I just got billed $22,000 for a rabies course and I have good insurance. Four rounds of immunoglobulins are expensive.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#134

Post by everybodyknows »

tempsy wrote: post #82
bane wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many retirees don't consider it deeply at all and end up in places far removed from good long-term health care.

Source?

Anecdotally, an aging motel owner in small Sierra town, trying to sell, told me he and his wife needed a place with "straight roads to the doctors".

Real estate agent who told me retirees were coming down out of west-side Santa Cruz cabins as "the medical problems start."

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#135

Post by danielhughes »

tptacek wrote: post #118
technofiend wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No doubt based on that recommendation Ames is a great place to live, but you're still in the American healthcare system which could financially drain you dry from one major medical incident. The article specifically mentions cheap healthcare as the other draw besides cheap cost of living.

Isn't this article about retirement-age Americans, who are covered by Medicare?

Correct so a lot of the comments are not relevant to the article. But to clarify, Medicare does not cover Americans who choose to live abroad.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#136

Post by seanmcdirmid »

rolltiide wrote: post #125
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…

Its not about the cheapest place to live it’s about not-Birmingham, not-Memphis The Bi-coastal Americans in this article will take communism on a bankroll over the Bible Belt, take a hint

A resort town in SE Asia is pretty nice; you also have to consider much cheaper services that you aren’t going to get in a cheap Deep South city. It has nothing to do with communism or Bible belts.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#137

Post by analyst74 »

fxtentacle wrote: post #71
tempsy wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I'm not sure it's limited to Asian women. I believe those old white dudes who can afford it are just trying to avoid dating the stereotypical modern western girls. Here in Germany, rich guys go for a Czech, Turkish or Italian wife if they hope to have plenty of kids. And it's no secret that British guys will travel all over Europe to try their luck at dating, because apparently most aren't too happy with the supply a…

Wow, I didn't expect HN to have such red-pill-esque views, no wonder this industry has such hard time attracting and retaining female employees.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#138

Post by Barrin92 »

campee wrote: post #17
pcurve wrote: post #7

"They bought the four-bedroom, 3½-bathroom unit, measuring about 1,840 square feet along with a separate veranda, for about $250,000 in 2011." I'm sure it's a very nice place, but that sum is nothing to sneeze at. I wonder how much it costs now, and what is monthly expense is. Good thing is, American government has sensible reciprocal arrangement with many countries that offer national pension system that you don't n…

I think I'd rather live in a small town in Iowa than Vietnam for that price.

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 and the culture in much of the developing world are superb, the cities are dynamic and young, transport and services are cheap, in contrast, going back to my parent's village feels like going to a whale graveyard. Now I'm far from retirement age and maybe I'll mellow out a bit but many western small towns I've seen are outright depressing to live in (and at this point lack basic services and public transport).

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#139

Post by seanmcdirmid »

danielhughes wrote: post #132
ethbro wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At 65 you're eligible for single-payer, government-supported Medicare. I'm not old enough to be keeping an eye on the numbers, but it looks like ~$450 / month for hospital (free) + doctor (subsidized) + prescription (pay).

That’s correct but Medicare is not a viable option for Americans living abroad because it does not cover overseas healthcare.

Medicare should work in Guam and other US territories.

Re: Americans are retiring to Vietnam

#140

Post by seanmcdirmid »

sethammons wrote: post #96
Aperocky wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah that sum can get you at least 2500 sqft in Montana, it would also come with 30 acres of backyard. Just won’t have pho around and lots of snow.

I made the move to Montana last year. Loving it. People's jaw drops at what I got for the price I paid. Yes, no pho. Or decent mexican.

Montana can be really expensive for food and restaurants. Helena, for example, it feels like California prices.
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