What are the differences in culture, living standards, development and career opportunities for you, the two major cities of Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City? Let’s take a look!
When it comes to job opportunities , affordable living standards and a warm climate , many people see Vietnam as a “golden land” to move to. Naturally, they tend to be concentrated in the two largest cities in the country, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, because in these two cities there are most options for jobs, housing, and programs. Art culture and more.
Of course, there are also some other big cities that attract attention like Da Nang, Can Tho, Hai Phong … but these two biggest cities in the North and the South are always attracting the most.
Both cities are notable for the employment opportunities they create, notably the abundance of schools, main offices, hotels , and much more. far more than anywhere else in Vietnam. After these two cities, the population shrinks to only 20% of the population of Hanoi (or less) and thus the number of employers also decreases.
Cultural
Internet access and the country’s flowing money are helping to bridge the cultural gap between these two cities. But in general, the capital is still a bit more conservative than Saigon.
The most vivid example of this is nightlife . The bars and clubs in Saigon closes at midnight on the morning, while the closed shop in Hanoi later than midnight only.
The relationship between people and people in the two cities is also different. With love, it is more likely that in the south you will see more couples living together before marriage than in the north. Don’t get me wrong, this is still quite rare in the south, but in the north I almost never heard it.
Building friendships is also different. Hanoians often keep their distance when making new acquaintances. Saigon people are more open and friendly from the start. This point is also quite similar to the difference between New York and California in the US.
Comparison of development between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Some people ask me, “Is it safe in Vietnam?”
It seems that sometimes people still have some misconceptions about Vietnam’s development. Although a decade ago, the country was still in the development stage, today Vietnam already has all the necessary modern amenities for housing. Local markets have given way to office buildings . And the city has welcomed foreign tourists with many tourist attractions . In particular, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have become bustling megacities .
Services are growing rapidly in both cities
The shopping mall giant scattered in both big cities, the cafe -style “hipster” (classic) is full of street corners, and the fashion store design sprang up closely on both sides of the road. The list of attractions is on the rise in major cities; movie theaters, golf courses, “escape rooms” playgrounds, swimming pools, snack markets, bars, clubs, and restaurants. Moreover, for those who choose to settle permanently here, there are also luxurious apartments , modern international hospitals and extremely cheap public transport systems throughout the city.
Both cities are in the top 10 list of key cities that are on the verge of strong economic growth recently. At the same time, the report notes that these two cities are taking steps to improve transparency in land pricing and increase access to land registration agencies and other areas when Both are looking for ways to keep up with regional neighbors such as the Philippines and Thailand.
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are becoming heavyweight competitors in the ASEAN group , competing with Bangkok, Manila and Singapore for foreign investment.
Public transportation in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Traffic is a major concern in Vietnam, especially for foreigners who have just moved from major cities in the West who are still “clapping” about traffic jams in their cities, for sure. will be immediately silent after the first day of work in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. And generally speaking, major Western cities have metro, metro, LRT or other public transport, while in general in Vietnam they are inferior in that regard, even for over a decade. This country has made many improvements.
Compared to Ho Chi Minh City, the capital is developing a little more in infrastructure , with the Metro system being built faster than the city named Uncle in the south.
The Metro Line in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to operate before the Lunar New Year, which will be around early February. Initially, construction was scheduled to be completed in 2013. However, due to a number of obstacles, notably financial-related problems, this work has been delayed for many years. Saigon has also made some progress in this regard, with the launch of a river bus route in late 2017.
Traffic overload
Sadly, the service cannot meet the overwhelming demand at the moment and the route is limited to a specific group of passengers living along the banks of the Saigon River. As a result, many negotiations are underway to add more river buses as well as more routes in the future.
Weather in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city
For those considering the climate, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will differ slightly in seasons and temperatures. In Hanoi there are four distinct seasons, and the coldest time in winter and early spring , but the temperature was over 15 ° C, often below 20 ° C . It was actually quite pleasant. Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City the temperature is usually warm year round.
Insidevietnam
However, summer in Hanoi has more humidity than summer in Saigon, thanks to the humid wind blowing from Laos. Saigon is drier because it gets wind from Cambodia. But overall, summers can be scorching hot in both cities, and there’s also fog.
Several other cities besides Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
Danang is a city listed by Forbes as one of the “Top Cheapest Destinations 2018” (“Cheapest Places to Live in 2018”). Although it is geographically located in the middle, it does not face any inconvenience in terms of busy traffic like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.
Affordable living standards are also a big plus for this central city. From here, you can easily move to world-famous cities such as Hoi An – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Hue – the ancient capital and royal city. That is also seen as an advantage. Therefore, maybe one day, the debate about Hanoi and Saigon may be obsolete.