禁漫天堂

Hi oder Hallo,
Brit/German here reaching out for some advice. Firstly I lived 4 years in Bohol/Philippines, been happily married to a Philipina/Vietnamiese for 28 years, have two grown kids,- both left home to become Profi ice skaters by Disney on Ice - US. Since 1997 we lived here in Hannover/Germany. I'm targeting Da Nang to retire to! Over the past years both the wife and I have travelled most Asian countries with Vietnam the last on our list! Both of us have never been to Vietnam before. We have abonniert nearly all YT channels, watched 100+ videos to do with Vietnam and have reduced the places of interest down to Da Nang! We intend to check-out DaNang into more depth in March/April for our yearly months vacation and need some solid advice for accommodation, AirBnB or Booking.com have some great offers, but preferably chose to connect to an expat who knows DaNang well and is willing to help us find the right place for our vacation and criteria. Appreciate an open ear and assistance with a few questions. In advance. Thanks for accepting me to this forum and look forward to any possible help馃檹馃徎 - @zellenergy

Please read the advice I gave in post number two in this thread:

/en/forum/asia/vietnam/da-nang/1034718-cost-of-studio-rental-in-da-nang.html

Almost all of it applies to your situation.

Good luck 馃��

O.B.

Living in 膼脿 N岷祅g

@zellenergy

Hi oder Hallo,
Brit/German here reaching out for some advice. Firstly I lived 4 years in Bohol/Philippines, been happily married to a Philipina/Vietnamiese for 28 years, have two grown kids,- both left home to become Profi ice skaters by Disney on Ice - US. Since 1997 we lived here in Hannover/Germany. I'm targeting Da Nang to retire to! Over the past years both the wife and I have travelled most Asian countries with Vietnam the last on our list! Both of us have never been to Vietnam before. We have abonniert nearly all YT channels, watched 100+ videos to do with Vietnam and have reduced the places of interest down to Da Nang! We intend to check-out DaNang into more depth in March/April for our yearly months vacation and need some solid advice for accommodation, AirBnB or Booking.com have some great offers, but preferably chose to connect to an expat who knows DaNang well and is willing to help us find the right place for our vacation and criteria. Appreciate an open ear and assistance with a few questions. In advance. Thanks for accepting me to this forum and look forward to any possible help馃檹馃徎 - @zellenergy

Please read the advice I gave in post number two in this thread:
/en/forum/asia/vietnam/da-nang/1034718-cost-of-studio-rental-in-da-nang.html
Almost all of it applies to your situation.

Good luck 馃��
O.B.
Living in 膼脿 N岷祅g - @OceanBeach92107

Hello zellenergy. Welcome to the expet.com Vietnam forum.

Along with the excellent advice of member OceanBeach92107, you might also be interested in reading a related thread at...

/en/forum/asia/vie 鈥� ml#6005596

See my reply to member kevinodprobate there in post #4.

OB, Have you read/heard any recent news on gov't regulations affecting AirBnB rentals? There was just a short while ago.

OB, Have you read/heard any recent news on gov't regulations affecting AirBnB rentals? There was just a short while ago. - @Aidan in HCMC

The gist of the problem (in HCMC) is that Airbnb is now forbidden to be used for short-term rentals, which is good news for hotels and motels.

The use of Airbnb for long-term rentals (1 month or longer) is now supposed to be limited to fully independent apartment-type units.

I haven't heard much more on that since the regulatory change.

I know that Ha Long (Bay) city has also been cracking down on Airbnb due to deceptive and absolutely fraudulent activities by landlords.

Here in 膼脿 N岷祅g I'm expecting to hear about similar restrictions soon, but nothing official has been announced yet.

@zellenergy

My wife is an American/Vietnamese citizen and is a local realtor in Da Nang. We would gladly help you out in finding temporary/vacation housing. Typically it makes the most sense to book a brief stay at a hotel first to give you time to tour some short-term apartment options in person. Also, down to just grab coffee when you get here. If you're interested, the easiest way to get a hold of us is via zalo or whatsapp and we have both QR codes displayed on our website *** Either way, hopefully you enjoy your visit and decide to stay. We love it here!

Hello everyone,

First off, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate any advice you can share.

I鈥檓 planning a vacation in Da Nang and would love some help finding the right place to stay. Booking.com and co have great offers, but I feel that pictures don't promise as much as experienced expats could. I鈥檇 prefer not to spend the first few days in a hotel while searching around as recommended, I鈥檇 rather enjoy my holiday without the stress of running back and forth with agents.

We鈥檙e looking for a "quiet" studio or villa with a kitchen, pool, and gym, ideally within 500m of the beach and about 2鈥�3 km from the main tourist hotspots. Our budget is around 500鈧� for the month.

The plan is to book for one full month at a location which you guys can hopefully recommend, so we can really relax and enjoy our holiday. During the day, we鈥檒l be exploring聽 Da Nang, the suburbs and country on a rented scooter, afternoons chilling on the beach, evenings eating out or enjoying street food鈥攁ll while soaking up the local culture.

If you know of any good places, contacts, or tips on where we might get lucky, I鈥檇 be so grateful for your recommendations.

Thanks a lot in advance鈥攖his is our one and only, hard-earned vacation for 2026, of which we can鈥檛 wait to experience!

cheers, John

Is your 500鈧� budget for accommodation only, or for everything?

500鈧� for 30 days gives you a little over 500,000 VND per day.

(500鈧� = ~15,000,000 VND)

...I鈥檇 prefer not to spend the first few days in a hotel while searching around as recommended, I鈥檇 rather enjoy my holiday without the stress of running back and forth with agents... @zellenergy

Yeah, you and most people would prefer that.

And yet, two different people who actually live here have given you the exact same advice.

You apparently have absolutely no clue as to how deceptive landlords and agents and property management companies can be here in Vietnam.

In my 7 years here since I returned in 2018, I've lost count as to how many sad stories have been posted by people who insisted on arranging their confirmed housing long distance.

First, landlords and agents and property Management companies have absolutely zero compunction about switching you to a different property from the one you thought you were booking online.

Even though you pay the deposit for them to hold that particular property, it won't matter.

When you actually arrive there will be some sort of excuse as to why that particular property isn't available any longer, but of course, they will be able to offer you an alternative property.

Absolutely not the equivalent of the place that you booked online, but they will be holding your deposit and you will find just how difficult it will be for you to get that refunded to you so that you can look elsewhere for someplace to live.

Or, you will find that all of the photographs of the place are quite deceptive, sometimes photos of the place when it was brand new 8 years ago and fully outfitted with new furniture and artwork on the pristine walls.

Now that same place is either devoid of most of the furniture or it's in great need of repair, with walls containing the damage from all of the transients who've passed through there before you.

No one will have told you that you are renting a place that is directly next to an active construction site, or that you are in an area known for obnoxious karaoke singing continuing on past midnight every night.

You won't be aware that you are moving into a somewhat beautiful building that is directly next to a vacant lot filled with trash and crawling with rats.

You'll also be greatly disappointed to find out that the promised amenities such as a pool and a gymnasium are out of order; unable to be used.

You'll be surprised to find out that there is no hot water available in your place.

The air conditioning units will be old and inefficient.

You'll find that the "nearby" shops and restaurants and cafes aren't so nearby after all, and the only thing available in your neighborhood may be an elderly woman selling black coffee from a cart.

I know you probably think that I am attempting to paint a bad picture to discourage you.

The painting has already been created myriad times in the past, and if you continue on with your plan, I would virtually guarantee that you will end up extremely disappointed if you accept the accommodations that are offered when you arrive, or especially angry because you can't walk away from that deal and easily get your deposit returned to you.

Also keep in mind that this is essentially an anonymous forum.

You are much more likely to have a scammer send you a private message and offer to help you than you are to be contacted by an honest expat who simply wants to help you out of the goodness of their heart and isn't looking to profit off of you.

Good luck 馃��

O.B.

@Aidan in HCMC

500鈧� for accommodation only!

Thank you, O.B., though I must say鈥� reading what you鈥檝e shared has left me feeling utterly heartbroken and disgusted. We had such high hopes for Vietnam, but after learning the reality from experienced expats like yourself, it鈥檚 clear this country is nothing like what we imagined. What a crushing disappointment.

For over 25 years, my wife and I have traveled across Asia, and never once have we had serious issues with accommodation or trust. We鈥檝e always planned carefully, always booked ahead, and never relied on 鈥渓uck.鈥� To hear that in Vietnam none of that matters 鈥� that landlords and agents lie, cheat, and steal without consequence 鈥� is sickening. To pay in advance and never see your deposit again? That isn鈥檛 just bad business鈥� it鈥檚 corruption in its ugliest form.

The more I think about it, the more revolted I feel. Vietnam sounds fake, dishonest, and completely rotten beneath the surface. Why would anyone in their right mind want to live in such a place? To me, it feels like nothing but a trap 鈥� a country built on deception, taking advantage of people who trust too easily.

We will absolutely not be going ahead with our plans to visit. The thought alone now leaves a bitter taste. And I will make sure to warn every one of our friends who considered traveling there. I鈥檒l share your words with them, so they too can avoid wasting their time, money, and energy on such a vile experience.

So thank you, O.B., for your honesty. You鈥檝e saved us from what could have been a nightmare. I only feel sorrow that Vietnam has turned out to be such a disgrace, when we once looked forward to discovering it.

Cheers,

John

@Aidan in HCMC

Thanks for reaching out, but reading what O.B just told me, Vietnam is scratched with disgust from our bucket list.

such a shame really..

cheers anyway

John

@Da Nang Homes

Thanks for reaching out!

but after reading the post from O.B, Vietnam is not for us, to corrupt in my eyes!

cheers anyway

John

Thank you, O.B., though I must say鈥� reading what you鈥檝e shared has left me feeling utterly heartbroken and disgusted. We had such high hopes for Vietnam, but after learning the reality from experienced expats like yourself, it鈥檚 clear this country is nothing like what we imagined. What a crushing disappointment.
For over 25 years, my wife and I have traveled across Asia, and never once have we had serious issues with accommodation or trust. We鈥檝e always planned carefully, always booked ahead, and never relied on 鈥渓uck.鈥� To hear that in Vietnam none of that matters 鈥� that landlords and agents lie, cheat, and steal without consequence 鈥� is sickening. To pay in advance and never see your deposit again? That isn鈥檛 just bad business鈥� it鈥檚 corruption in its ugliest form.

The more I think about it, the more revolted I feel. Vietnam sounds fake, dishonest, and completely rotten beneath the surface. Why would anyone in their right mind want to live in such a place? To me, it feels like nothing but a trap 鈥� a country built on deception, taking advantage of people who trust too easily.

We will absolutely not be going ahead with our plans to visit. The thought alone now leaves a bitter taste. And I will make sure to warn every one of our friends who considered traveling there. I鈥檒l share your words with them, so they too can avoid wasting their time, money, and energy on such a vile experience.

So thank you, O.B., for your honesty. You鈥檝e saved us from what could have been a nightmare. I only feel sorrow that Vietnam has turned out to be such a disgrace, when we once looked forward to discovering it.

Cheers,
John - @zellenergy

...and yet, the fix is so simple:

You book 3 to 7 days in advance at an affordable, well-established and respected hotel; ubiquitous here.

That neutralizes the power of those who would deceive you long-distance and allows you to quickly find a place that fits your very decent 鈧�15,500,000 VN膼 budget, allowing you--forearmed with pertinent cautionary information--to find one of the MANY quality properties owned by HONEST landlords here.

@Da Nang Homes has offered you the first best step in getting assistance here: simply meet for coffee and allow the agent to give you some ideas of the properties they want to show you and let them sell themselves to you as an honest broker.

Is it more work than BLINDLY trusting virtually anonymous internet scammers who would cheat you or overcharge you?

Sure it is, but those who us who have lived here for years would say that it's definitely worth that extra effort to be able to experience and appreciate all of the beauty and great things about this country and it's culture.

Vietnam is very much a "Let the buyer beware!" society, so you are expected to ask pertinent questions about anything and everything having to do with your longer-term lodging, both before you meet an agent to view the place and after you are physically viewing the property.

Don't condemn people because they will make a reasonable effort to get you to rent from them without providing answers to unspoken questions.

Just about every one of the potential problems I mentioned to you can be easily dealt with before signing a lease.

Vietnamese are exceptionally talented as negotiators, and if you have special requests to be considered prior to signing a lease, if they can fulfill your requests, they will.

You just don't ever want to be the person who tries to negotiate the deal after signing the lease.

That may sound absolutely nuts, but I read complaints on social media every day from persons who've signed a contract without actually seeing their unit, or quickly signed a contract after a brief viewing, without really asking key questions.

Please don't use my cautionary tales about internet scammers as justification for condemning an entire nationality.

I've simply told you why the one thing you were insisting on (booking long distance ahead of time) It's highly inadvisable.

I'm pretty sure I could pick any major tourist destination around the world that is afflicted with online scammers working overtime to separate you from your money.

Either come here or don't come here, but don't blame your decision on the information I've provided.

There is a better way, proven by many of us over the years, and If you aren't willing to take the safe route, that's on you and your personal preferences.

Have a safe and fulfilling vacation wherever you end up going.

Cheers!

O.B.

@Aidan in HCMC
500鈧� for accommodation only! - @zellenergy

Very good.

For 500,000 VND/night you could easily find a very nice hotel in Danang. Booking.com is .

Why the focus on a lease agreement?