We have heard and read all the complaints and the frustrations but there are a lot of reasons why foreigners stay in Vietnam. Most of the time, expats would say they’d just stay for for 2 years max but end up staying for 2 more years. I have a colleague who has been living here for 7 years; Our doctor, for 15 years. So I think there must be a lot of good things in the country that outweigh other things!

I started #IHeartVN on Twitter last Saturday to remind myself about the interesting news, new finds, and happy experiences Vietnam has offered me during the week. I hope you’d join me every Saturday so we can share information on what’s on in Saigon or Vietnam.I know I can learn a lot from you.

Here are our take on #IHeartVN

@herdailydigest

The street food

You can see it on YouTube, you can read it on the blogs… Vietnam’s street foods are highly gastronomic. Hubsy and I used to eat seafood on Bui Vien Street sitting on a tiny stool and a relatively tiny table. We ordered the spicy clams, salted prawns with lemon grass and the juicy scrumptious cheliped (crabs)- all for 200,000 VND  (10USD). It was in one of the alleys on Nguyen Din Chieu Street where I fell in love with Bun Bo Hue, 4 years ago.  It costed me 15,000 VND (less than1 usd) and that was dinner already.

Enjoying my favorite Bun Bo Hue in Da Lat

But I have two questions that I hope to get answered by Vietnam experts. Why are the Pho and Bun Bo Hue  served on the streets more delicious than that on the proper restaurants? Which street do you usually eat your Pho or Bun Bo? I’d like to know and am sure other readers are also interested where they can enjoy Vietnamese noodles.

More about Vietnam’s food here: Get your noodle around Vietnamese food (Thanks Ed @ED0622 for tweeting this :-) )

You can get to other cities with just 10USD!

-You can take a ferry to Vung Tau for an hour and 15 minutes and arrive at the closest beach from Saigon.

- You can sleep on a bus for 8 hours then wake up to the breeze of Nha Trang.

- Or take a bus to Phnom Penh, a city in a neighboring Asean country-Cambodia.

@kingceejay

I feel safe here.

My personal experience and official statistics prove that Vietnam is one of the safest places on Earth! You can walk on the main streets even past midnight without worrying for your life or safety. As in big cities, you can read about some petty crimes such as street robbery being reported from time to time but I have not heard about foreigners being stabbed or beat up by a gang here in Saigon. This somehow gives expats and myself the confidence to sometimes walk in zigzag on Pham Ngu Lao St. and Dong Khoi St. in district 1 or on Nguyen Duc Canh St. in district 7. And it’s common sense that we ought to be careful all the time.


The Vietnamese are helpful by nature.

I might be too proud to declare that whenever I needed help, someone was there to help me but in most cases, it is true. Whether it is about directions or translation, locals often generously offer help. My first month of driving in Saigon wouldn’t have been as easy hadn’t it been for the locals’ kindness and friendliness. I would often ask random vendors or passersby and 8 out of 10 gladly pointed me to my destination, even when most of them barely spoke English. My longest stay in the hospital could have been worse if I didn’t have Vietnamese friends who voluntarily assisted me in communicating with doctors and nurses.
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More from our Vietnam Expat friends on Twitter:

@mr_kimpossible

I love Vietnam because of its vibrance, places and culture!

@tomosaigon

Being in a country that’s changing rapidly and being able to participate in the change

@Christian_Berg

It is full of possibilities.

@PedroInSaigon

I heart Vietnam for the sunshine, blue skies and palm trees.

@worldteacher

The people, the people, the people and, oh……. the people!!! :-)

@burigsmurimoo

I love Vietnam because I stayed in D11 for 2 weeks and my hotel bill was only 130USD.

I love Vietnam because they love NOY Javier of Saigon Heat :)
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@lyraliza

The business district- D1 is walkable. It doesnt rain too much at least in Saigon

@Ekrist  @AngelaSchonberg

Food aspect! Fresh Vietnamese springrolls, Pho, Banh Xeo… The food!!!

The Food ;)

@Vietnam720

Because things are mostly cheap here :)

@jon7b

…the weather

Thanks for reading guys and I am sure you can add more below :-) I’d be very happy to read them.

Feel free to VOTE, LIKE or SHARE this post to your friends. Thanks :-)