I am currently teaching in Ho Chi Minh City and live in the Binh Thanh Dist and there are many other teachers that live here and commute to Dist 2. Dist 2 has lots of expats but from what I have heard there are lots of break-ins in the Thao Dien area, even in compounds and places where people have security guards. Binh Thanh is right in the middle of Dist 2 and Dist 1 and cheaper than Dist 1. Three of the locations I would recommend looking at places at are Saigon Pearl, The Manor, and Cantavil.

That being said Dist 1 is right where everything is at but you pay a price for that. An Phu you can get a really nice flat for your money but it floods badly there too.

I am currently looking at moving to another place in the Binh Thanh Dist for August.

I would look at the UNI Overseas Recruiitng Fair. I went to that fair last february in Iowa and it is one of the best ones in the country I've been told, it is also way cheaper. If you register early it is $90 and late like $140. There were over 120 schools there last year with tons of positions in every area. The staff were very helpful before and during the fair to help me get prepared and know what was going to happen at the fair.

Just a thought!

International School Saigon Pearl or ISSP is a brand new school. It just opened this year and since they started taking enrollment in june we started with 20 students and now have almost 100.

The Head of School came from Saigon South International School and brought along many of that staff. She is an excellent administrator. I am teaching at this school now and although we are new and having some bumps in the road with starting up a school I really enjoy the rest of the faculty and staff here.

I definitely would not put us at the bottom of all the International School in Saigon!

I did just graduate in December with my BS in Physical Education. I also have a BA in psychology. I don't have the 2-3 years of classroom experience that was recommended but I have thousands of volunteer hours and have coached many sports and teach classes at a fitness club.

I went to the UNI fair, which I thought was really helpful and heard it was the best one out there. I had 5 total interviews and was offered 3 positions.

The thing I learned was to contact schools beforehand and sell what you have done in teaching since I don't have the "2 years experience." As a new teacher you have to be flexible and open to interviewing with schools that weren't on your radar.

Hope this helps.

I just accepted a teaching position in HCMC, Vietnam and I will be moving there at the end of July. I'm a new graduate and very excited about this new adventure overseas. I'm a single teacher and would really love information from teachers that have been overseas teaching for awhile. Also if anyone has information about living in Vietnam, especially HCMC I would greatly appreciate it. I can't wait to start teaching but I want to be as prepared as possible!