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mattyw2

mattyw2

Banned

Australian expat in Vietnam

Forum posts

21

Contacts

1

About me

Australian

Speaks Vietnamese, Spanish, English

Registration: 11 July 2017

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
8 years ago

How to get us dollars in da nang

Just look for any reputable/busy gold shop (Tiem Vang). They are everywhere and will exchange currency for you, Most have good/competitive rates as well.A good one is opposite the old market near Big C Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
8 years ago

How to get us dollars in da nang

You can withdraw them from an ATM if you have a card with fee free international transfers. I have one issued by Citibank but it's from Citibank Australia not USA. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
8 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

I don't know where you get the idea that the government gives education a high priority in this country. If that's the truth, we wouldn't have thousands of locals who, after years blooming under the "far better education in the ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

I can see the results, my wife and neighbour both went to the local school here in the suburbs of Da Nang and are both excelling. Same with the neighbours' kids. No shock here. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

Great thank-you and for the record, I believe my children will get a far better education in the public school system in Vietnam than in Australia. It's partly a cultural thing but also a government priority thing. The Vietnamese give ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

Doesn't change the fact you had a privileged upbringing that is privileged in any society. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

I speak English with many older people educated under the old system. And their English is not up to the standard of most young people here. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

So your training from your father and brother was something not available to the masses as the masses were busy growing your food, building your roads and serving you in various other ways. They didn't have the skills. You had your family ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

No way, it was the super well off who had cars like that in Vietnam in the 60s and 70s. The school he was VP of was one of the top schools not just any of the normal government schools open to the masses. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

Reality check - your family was elite. Your father was running the top education apparatus of the state and you had cars when people in the west couldn't even afford them. Very few people in South East Asia had cars in the 50s, 60s or 70s. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
daveycrockett9000

Expat communities in Da Nang by daveycrockett9000

Are there any certain areas, communities, or condo buildings where mainly foriengers with Vietnamese wives/families live? (Long term living)

mattyw2

Just the restaurants. Red Sky, The Fish and Chips shop, Limoncello and a few bars. I only goto the restaurants and see the odd expat. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

So now it sounds like similar hard work as today for your father, even though he had a top job. Today people in that kind of role are very well off. Usually with a modern air conditioned car. Air conditioned 3-4 story house. So I can't see ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

Ciambella you weren't middle class. You were in an elite educated and most likely connected political class. Your father had a top position at a top school. Of course Vietnam was run down and has had a long hard road to rebuild. The US had ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

They would have developed regardless of America coming in bombing them to development. The vietnamese were never doing fantastically under the colonial rule. And the Southern government was always a puppet government. You need to get yourself ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

I think the country got pretty destroyed when more ordinance was dropped on it by the Americans than was used in both the eastern and western fronts in WW2. Vietnam has problems as does everywhere. 50% of them could be fixed by not dropping rubbish ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
ardgirl

Police Problems in Saigon by ardgirl

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

mattyw2

I disagree with what you're saying. The same coffee money etc exists in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. It's a cultural SE Asian thing - nothing to do with Communism. Vietnam's doing pretty well given how badly she was beat up ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
Thanh1230

New construction of home da nang help by Thanh1230

Hello my wife have some land in da nang and we are looking to build a home there but terrified of the difference in construction and legalities there? We have contacted a architect and construction company but wanted some outside help and advice ...

mattyw2

So how does it work. If the concrete gets rejected but it's now made up the building - are they out with jackhammers? Or is the threat of it being tested enough to stop the dodgee batches coming through. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
Thanh1230

New construction of home da nang help by Thanh1230

Hello my wife have some land in da nang and we are looking to build a home there but terrified of the difference in construction and legalities there? We have contacted a architect and construction company but wanted some outside help and advice ...

mattyw2

ok but they could do the dodge based on who they think they're dealing with. So you really need to test your own deliveries. Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
Gharan

I want to learn Vietnamese by Gharan

I have been living in Vietnam past 2 years but not able to speak full sentences in Vietnamese. I know some words that help me communicate but I wish to speak fluently. I may not have time to attend language classes. Therefore, I hope to meet ...

mattyw2

My wife is from Da Nang (pretty close to Quang Nam), she's a VIetnamese teacher for foreigners, mostly Australians, Americans and New Zealanders via skype but she also teaches at her school in Da nang. She believes the most difficult accent ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
Thanh1230

New construction of home da nang help by Thanh1230

Hello my wife have some land in da nang and we are looking to build a home there but terrified of the difference in construction and legalities there? We have contacted a architect and construction company but wanted some outside help and advice ...

mattyw2

No I don't think we're getting ripped off like that. My brother-in-law and mother-in-law are onsite 80% of the time. They buy and count the materials etc. Where columns have been hand mixed they could have used the vibrators a bit more ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 replied to a thread
9 years ago
Thanh1230

New construction of home da nang help by Thanh1230

Hello my wife have some land in da nang and we are looking to build a home there but terrified of the difference in construction and legalities there? We have contacted a architect and construction company but wanted some outside help and advice ...

mattyw2

I am building a 5 story house in Da Nang. And it's very difficult to get proper budgeting information or to communicate your general needs. We have bought materials seperate to labour and have a family member who watches over the use of the ... Read More

mattyw2
mattyw2 joined Helsinki expat community
9 years ago