Adapting to the pace of life in Vietnam

Cheryl · 2023-08-23T07:37:09+02:00

Explore how to adapt to Vietnam's unique pace of life as an expat. Share tips on managing sleep, work hours, and daily routines.

Cheryl Moderator

Member since 15 October 2018

CherylModerator23 August 2023 05:37:09

13899

Hello everyone,

When you move to Vietnam, you may find that the pace of life is different from what you're used to. Shop opening times, working hours, sleep cycles and variations in sunlight can all have an effect on your life in Vietnam as an expat and require time to adapt. This transition can be a source of surprises, adjustments and sometimes even frustration for those trying to find their balance in this new environment.

Here are a few questions to help you better understand how you manage your days in Vietnam :

How have you managed to harmonise your own pace of life with the pace of life in Vietnam?

Have you felt a change in your biological rhythm (diet, sleep, energy, etc.)? How can you minimise the effects on your well-being and adapt to changes in your circadian rhythm?

How have you adjusted your sleeping habits to optimise your energy and concentration in a different environment?

Shopping, meal and activity times can differ from one culture to another. How do you manage to reconcile your personal habits with those of life in Vietnam? What are the benefits and challenges of these adjustments?

How do different working hours affect your productivity and quality of life? What have you done to maintain a work-life balance despite these changes?

Please feel free to share your experiences and advice on this topic.
Thank you for your contribution.

Cheryl
禁漫天堂 Team

ronlafave Member

Member since 19 April 2015

ronlafaveMember29 August 2023 13:09:15

Cheryl,

Thanks for sharing some great information on how to acclimate to the very different culture that is Vietnam. I am an American,, however I lived in Vietnam for about 3 years.

The climate and culture were quite the shock to my wife and I in the beginning. What helped us dramatically is our involvement with a church group that had both expats and聽 Vietnamese nationals attending. We were then able to learn quickly where to live, what kind of transportation we would choose (we bought a motorcycle as I had owned one in the States). However, nothing could have prepared me for the kind of traffic we experienced in Ho Chi Ming City. The other part of surviving the traffic is learning the traffic rules or lack thereof. Toughest one for me to wrap my head around is the lack of yielding to a right of way. So in HCMC you may be cruising down a busy street going with the flow of traffic on a main thoroughfare, when a taxi, and or bus or truck approach from a side street. It is normal for them to NOT yield to the traffic on the thoroughfare. They will pull out right in front of you without yielding and many times without even looking at what might be coming at them on the main road. In this case, you are expected to yield to them by moving over to your left forcing other traffic next to you to make room as well. It is sort of a survival of the fittest, or largest. Bikes are expected to yield to taxis, taxis are expected to yield to buses, and buses typically yield to the large trucks! It is best to take a taxi and ride with friends until you learn to navigate the rules, or lack thereof! Be safe out there is the main thing!

Thanks for letting me share!

Ron LaFave

hammyt Member

Member since 29 August 2015

hammytMember13 September 2023 15:44:05

I have visited Vietnam a few times, but have never lived there. I highly recommend watching the 90 day fiancee episodes with Violet and Riley to get an insight into Vietnamese culture.

brianAFSER73 Active member

Member since 02 July 2022

brianAFSER73Active member14 September 2023 13:32:17

@ronlafave

glad to hear similar observation as mine. traffic kaw is fairly universal. automobile operators and most scooter rider all require license in vn. so it's baffling why most basic traffic laws are ignored such as ROW yielding.