My of my long term goals was to be able to work in Vietnam for the bank. I have always spoken to many managers about my career progression, what I wanted to do and how I have planned to achieve these stepping stones to get where I wanted to be. Once day that all worked out for me and I was given the opportunity to work for the Bank in Vietnam for 3 weeks on project where the bank was considering to invest into Vietnam as a joint stock bank. How exciting was that news to me. I am no expert or have many degrees, but I had a very good manager who remember my career aspirations and she came across someone that need Vietnamese background employees that have had experience in the front-line to travel back to Vietnam and share experiences.

The opportunity game and I took it with both hands. It was the best experience of my life and coming back to the mother land to work was also great for the reputation for myself especially in the family. Three weeks went by very quick, saw a lot of differences in the way businesses run, especially in banks. There is not customer focus or service.

After that trip I have always wondered when would be the next opportunity to come back and work for a longer term. 2 years have passed and before Christmas 2010, I received a call from my good friend and mentor who offered me a role in Vietnam, this time for 1-2 years. Oh how excited I was again.

So here I am in Vietnam working for a foreign bank that my bank had invested into as a joint stock bank. Working for a longer period, you tend to find things out about the new place that you are residing in.

Living in Vietnam is not as bad as you may think. Cost of living is much cheaper, even for a foreigner if you are smart. For instance a bowl of traditional Pho in Sydney will cost between $9-$12 where as in Vietnam you can order that for 30,000VND which converts to about $1.50AUD. Also bare in mind that the portion size may also differ as well. However some places you being a foreigner will need to “Foreigner Price” as the locals call it, which can be a little bit more than 30,000VND. You can expect to pay around maybe double the price depending on how much they want to charge you.

This happens all the time, even to me. I am from Southern Vietnam, and currently seconded in the North to work and they even charge me a price which is more than the usual. The only thing is that I would dare say that they will give me a price which is in between normal and “Foreign Price”. A good advice that I would normally give to my friends visiting would be to “only eat at the places which show prices” or what my wife normally does is “wait until one of the local buys, then you buy exactly the same”. It works, but for some we may not be able to wait right?

Also observant at the things that they bring out once you make an order at a restaurant, as most cases they are not for free. For instance, they might bring out some peanuts, fruit or those wet towels. The charge is not much, but you would at least want to know whether you are being charged or not for it and instead of finding a surprise once you have finished your meal. Another good advice would be to check your bill before you pay as you may find that sometimes they will put in things you never ordered, as knowing my habits I would just pay.