6 ms·

This seems like an idealized version of these stories. Healthcare is cheaper. Part of the story is that you get what you pay for and people really don't want t

by gexla 5y ago

This seems like an idealized version of these stories. Healthcare is cheaper. Part of the story is that you get what you pay for and people really don't want to be in these hospitals. Another part of the story is that a lot of retirees are scraping by and don't even have the money for cheaper healthcare. I live in a similar country and I can show you loads of community posts where foreigners are asking for donations to help out a friend who has a major illness and can't afford the care. Also, in some of these cases, you're screwed if you can't pony up this cash up front. My buddy explained that the best reason many come here is the "soft touch." They are going to die. They don't want the health care system keeping them alive. They want a place where they can get friendly helpers for affordable prices and die relatively happy in a place with nice weather. Affordable housing might just mean you live in a sh*thole. It's more accepted here. Nobody is going to look at you weird if you live in the sort of place you can't live in back home because of restrictions. If you want something from back home, then it's probably going to cost you more rather than less. All commodities cost the same on some market and then get adjusted based on government fiddling. Land prices may or may not be crazy, depending on demand. Labor is the big discount. People probably work for peanuts depending on what you want. That labor probably also works at a way slower pace and requires more people. It's a mixed bag. And no story can be complete without talking about foreigners going for the ladies because even a broke foreigner is probably doing pretty good compared to someone providing cheap labor.

kesselvon 5y ago
Vibe of the story is middle class retirees moving to Vietnam to have an upper middle class retirement; nobody on the median income line in the US can afford to have in-home staff to help them, or afford care outside of what Medicare offers.
janmo 5y ago
I can compare with what I have seen in Colombia and living expenses are very cheap in Medellin for example. Lunch (and a very good one with drink): $4USD Hairdresser: $5 USD Rent: $450 USD a month for a little "studio" in a good location Airport taxi: $20 USD (one hour ride).
- slaw 5y ago
  How do you find place to rent?
saiya-jin 5y ago
Can't say if you are serious or not - healthcare costs compared to US are insanely low. Even if you go to private clinics. If you actually live there, you ask around to not get fleeced by some 'posh' places that cost too much for what they provide. But yes if given person would be (almost) homeless in US, they won't be doing great in such a place, in fast developing big city. You can move to more rural place and not the center of biggest city, and cut expenses by at least 50%. Plus having part time servants if practically unaffordable for many of these retirees back home.
- gexla 5y ago
  > But yes if given person would be (almost) homeless in US, they won't be doing great in such a place, in fast developing big city. You can move to more rural place and not the center of biggest city, and cut expenses by at least 50%. This is what a lot of people do. And the quality of health care in this area is taking a huge plunge. You can still travel to the city for things that you can schedule, but what about emergencies? I recently had a friend pass away, when an ambulance could have saved him. You may not have the full suite of services when you get outside of the top X major cities. > But yes if given person would be (almost) homeless in US, they won't be doing great in such a place, in fast developing big city. An article talking about retirement destinations is going to be talking about a lot of these people. Even an insanely low medical bill can be a problem for some of these people. That bill could still be significant, but it's also a massive difference from what it would be in the US. Someone who is living from one pension check to the next would have problems.
redisman 5y ago
My wife was in a hospital in Danang and they were telling us if she doesn’t improve they’ll have to airlift her to Bangkok since they didn’t have the capability for further care in the country. That was almost 10 years ago so hopefully things have improved some but it’s still a pretty poor country. Any retirees used to even small city hospitals will be in for a rude awakening.

by gexla 5y ago

kesselvon 5y ago

Vibe of the story is middle class retirees moving to Vietnam to have an upper middle class retirement; nobody on the median income line in the US can afford to have in-home staff to help them, or afford care outside of what Medicare offers.

janmo 5y ago

I can compare with what I have seen in Colombia and living expenses are very cheap in Medellin for example. Lunch (and a very good one with drink): $4USD Hairdresser: $5 USD Rent: $450 USD a month for a little "studio" in a good location Airport taxi: $20 USD (one hour ride).

slaw 5y ago
How do you find place to rent?

saiya-jin 5y ago

Can't say if you are serious or not - healthcare costs compared to US are insanely low. Even if you go to private clinics. If you actually live there, you ask around to not get fleeced by some 'posh' places that cost too much for what they provide. But yes if given person would be (almost) homeless in US, they won't be doing great in such a place, in fast developing big city. You can move to more rural place and not the center of biggest city, and cut expenses by at least 50%. Plus having part time servants if practically unaffordable for many of these retirees back home.

gexla 5y ago
> But yes if given person would be (almost) homeless in US, they won't be doing great in such a place, in fast developing big city. You can move to more rural place and not the center of biggest city, and cut expenses by at least 50%. This is what a lot of people do. And the quality of health care in this area is taking a huge plunge. You can still travel to the city for things that you can schedule, but what about emergencies? I recently had a friend pass away, when an ambulance could have saved him. You may not have the full suite of services when you get outside of the top X major cities. > But yes if given person would be (almost) homeless in US, they won't be doing great in such a place, in fast developing big city. An article talking about retirement destinations is going to be talking about a lot of these people. Even an insanely low medical bill can be a problem for some of these people. That bill could still be significant, but it's also a massive difference from what it would be in the US. Someone who is living from one pension check to the next would have problems.

redisman 5y ago

My wife was in a hospital in Danang and they were telling us if she doesn’t improve they’ll have to airlift her to Bangkok since they didn’t have the capability for further care in the country. That was almost 10 years ago so hopefully things have improved some but it’s still a pretty poor country. Any retirees used to even small city hospitals will be in for a rude awakening.