We had the opportunity to work and live in the expat neighbourhood of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam when I accepted a two year contract at the Canadian International School. (2017-2019) It was an amazing experience and it allowed us to travel around Asia and Australia easily on school breaks.

Working overseas is a great way to experience “Slow Travel.” We were part of the local expat community and enjoyed socializing with the other 100+ Canadians. Many dinners out and weekends away were available to explore Vietnam and neighbouring countries. We have maintained several friendships from this experience.

We travelled by taxi as we did not feel confident to use a bike to get around. I only had a 800m walk to work so walking was the best way!
We enjoyed visits from family and friends during our time. My parents came for Tet (Vietnamese New Year), and then our daughters each came for a month to see us in our new home. It was an excellent way for us to explore places and share the experiences with family.
Here’s an example of the some of the city tours we enjoyed and booked through Expedia.ca
Our city tour included a cyclo tour of Saigon’s China town which was exciting and a great way to see bike street and electronics street too! We tried banh xeo which are Vietnamese pancakes and they were very tasty. We toured the palace, the war museum, a memorial and a pagoda with a knowledgeable guide, Tiger.
Part of Tet celebrations includes extra flower markets and displays which we saw up close and from several famous rooftops. The Rex, the Caravelle and the Heli Bar on the 51st floor of the Bitexco Tower were perfect places to view the crowded flower street.