Q1. Where did you move to and when?

Vietnam. Better money, I'd never been and always wanted to go, and the location was right on the beach. Sounded perfect.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

One year.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

I was a little fed up with Thailand and wanted to move on. Also wasn't getting any interest in having me stay from the administration at my school. They didn't have a high teacher retention rate.

Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?

I'm not in VN currently. The advantages of working in Vietnam were, for me, that the pay was higher and the students significantly sharper. Ineptness and crookedness in administrative positions there was on par with Thailand, though.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

The Vietnamese are in general a lot less pleasant than the Thais. Coming from Thailand Vietnam can be a tough transition: it's significantly less-developed, more chaotic, and harsher in many ways. I had a friend come in from Thailand to work in VN who loathed the place for a solid six months and constantly bemoaned the wonderful paradise he'd given up. My initial feelings about Vietnam were more ambiguous. I never hated the place but it took me awhile to be quite sure I liked it (whereas I loved Thailand from Day One). I never met anyone who moved from Thailand to Vietnam who made an initial favorable comparison of the latter.

Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?

Thailand over Vietnam for a first-timer in a heartbeat.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

Here now. Just on vacation. Teaching here again is unlikely, if not 100% off the table.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

If a new teacher wants to live in a remarkably laid-back and nice place for a year or so, I've never been anywhere that beats Thailand. If one is looking for something a little more... "challenging," Vietnam is worth a go. My feeling about Thailand is that there are a wonderful array of superficial pleasures but there isn't terribly much depth. Vietnam takes a lot of getting used to, but the rewards, I think, are of a more lasting variety. Thailand isn't a place that prizes education, and the "mai ben rai" attitude that I initially found so refreshing became grating by the end of my year here. Vietnam is much more serious, much less immediately genial, but if you're willing to give it time and patience it has a lot going for it. It certainly ain't everyone's cuppa tea.