Hello DEV. First post here, so I keep it short.
I am originally from Sidoarjo in East Java, Indonesia. Since earlier this year I am living and working in Hai Phong, Vietnam. A few people asked me about this on other places, so I write it once here.
Why Hai Phong and not Hanoi or Saigon
Everyone goes to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Hai Phong is quieter, closer to the coast, and the cost of living is much lower. For someone working remote and paid in USD this makes a big difference. Also the food is very good and nobody talks about it enough.
The internet is better than I expected
This was my main worry. Fibre here is cheap and stable — I get around 200 Mbps for less than 10 USD a month. Only problem is the power cuts in summer, so a UPS is not optional. I learned that the hard way in July when I lost about two hours of work.
Working hours
Vietnam and Indonesia are same time zone (UTC+7), so nothing changed for me there. This was one reason I chose Vietnam over Thailand or Philippines.
Coworking
I tried a few places in the city centre. Most are fine but I ended up just working from home, it is cheaper and quieter. Cafes here will let you sit for hours with one coffee, which is nice but not good for concentration.
Still figuring things out. If anyone else is working remote from Vietnam, would be good to hear from you.
I mostly write small Python things, some of it is on my GitHub if you want to look — nothing serious, just tools I use myself. https://github.com/riptide99614
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