@nathan_oak

Saigon has things going for it—great food, beautiful French architecture, interesting history, steady development, and nice enough people. But overall, the vibes are mediocre. Again, the locals are nice enough, though, as a Westerner, you're not going to feel as welcomed as you are in surrounding countries (I don't mean to sound entitled, that's an honest assessment). You just sort of exist; people stare at you and will be amused by you, but don't expect the celebrity treatment you get in othe

The worst place that I've been to in Asia (& I've been to quite a few). Every interaction with a local is a sales pitch for something. Tuk tuk, massage, weed, food, prostitution, you name it. People look at you as a customer and nothing else. This is very different in other countries in South East Asia. I've had plenty of authentic, non-sales-pitchy interactions with locals in Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines or Thailand. None of that here. It feels like this place only exists to extract as much

So… amazing food. Great public transportation. Very clean. But very conformist. Self expression limited. The irony of seeing an exhibit on graffiti, yet no actual graffiti in the streets. And the causal racism especially if you’re brown. You could be British born but still expect to be sat far away from everyone else at cocktail bars, experience comments and have weird assumptions made.

I guess if you're a nomad this doesn't matter much, but the long-term job pickings here are slim and among the most underpaid for a US city. There seems to be a tacit rent floor that means you won't find a good deal on housing. A lot of people don't seem very invested in their interpersonal relationships here since their ties to the area are often transient.

Ko Samui is an amazing place, I don't agree at all with the CON's. I am a Thai-American and have lived all over Thailand. Ko Samui is my favorite. The people, culture and experience of Ko Samui is wonderful. The roads are dangerous usually due to tourists. Not the locals LOL! This will be changing with Thai law requiring drivers license's. Of course it is humid and sweaty, my goodness you are in the tropics, and April is the hottest month. I suggest researching the best times of year to visit t

Just spent three nights here. Tulum is a triangle: the ruins, the zona hotelera, and Tulum Pueblo. Zona Hotelera is expensive and far from services. Tulum Pueblo is ugly, noisy, and full of development. A boom town where everyone seems out to fleece the gringo. It's also an ecological disaster. Watch the Dark Side of Tulum. And think twice before swimming in some of the local cenotes: they're full of E Coli. The public beach in winter was nice. But this is a shitty place to work from, unless yo

Chiang Mai has had a deep Buddhist influence running over the last 1,000 years and this can be felt in the helpfulness, patience and generosity of the Thai and long-term transplants you come across. The city has an active community scene (nomads, spiritual seekers, hikers, creatives), several mountains with hiking spots and waterfalls surrounding the city, over 20 water bodies inside the city -- many have cafes and walks around, several public parks, and over 13 national parks with campgrounds w