How to test a move to Vietnam before you make it

This is one section of The OV Guide to Moving to Vietnam, the members’ guide built from OV sessions, the OV Summit and the OV Podcast. It is updated every month.

A holiday is not a test

A holiday does not tell you whether you can live here. One OV speaker who moved to Saigon from Germany found that one or two weeks was not enough to decide:

“What made it for me very easy is just being here for 3 months.”

Once your mind has adjusted, he says, the decision comes naturally.

If you only have a few weeks

If a few months is not possible, Hao Tran, co-founder of Vietcetera, suggests at least two to four weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, with a list of people you want to meet and why. Pick the timing with care:

• December to February is a good time. It is the dry season, and many overseas Vietnamese are home for the holidays.
• March is when companies hire with new headcount.
• Avoid the summer, and expect the weeks around Tết to be slow.

Visit like you are entering a market

One OV member planned her move from Canada for about a year. She timed one visit around the OV Summit to meet many people in a few days. One of those contacts later referred her to the job she moved for.

Her advice: visit like someone entering a market, with people to meet and ideas to test, not only for food and family.

Still unsure? Come back more often

If you are still unsure, Minh Le, founder of VNG, says to come back more often, make friends and try things out:

“Answer that question by taking action. However small.”