Watch these spaces

Two huge areas of development in District 2 is the 'Saigon Bridge 2' and the first metro line running from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien.

The Saigon Bridge 2 is being built adjacent to the current (and infamous) Saigon Bridge which was, until the recent opening of the Thu Thiem tunnel, the main entry way into the city from Bein Hoa and basically anyone else coming in on Highway 1. The Highway has been dramatically improved through District 9 on towards Bien Hoa with new bridges and widening of the highway. The new Saigon bridge will be one of the final pieces in improving the traffic flow in and out of the city.

The current Saigon Bridge seem from D2

Construction crews on both sides clear the land for the new Bridge 

The Saigon Bridge entering D2, with the unfinished Thao Dien Pearl apartments in the background, which will eventually have a metro station too. 

Artist Impression: 

Further down the road we have the beginning of the construction of a metro line No1. Wikipedia says completion is scheduled for 2015, however we'll go with the Saigon Times article that goes for 2017 and commencement of operation in 2018. So I'll be back here in 6 years time to write a review of my first ride on the Saigon metro. I hope. 

Looking at the area of construction adjacent to highway 1

The Chateau: $4.6 million villa in PMH

One of the last remaining corners of Phu My Hung is being filled in...and its called 'Chateau'. Before getting to that however I'd like to just mention the staggering speed at which the BCIS school was built. I took this picture on June 16th this year.

Within three months, the school was finished.

 

That, above, is the view from my balcony. In the foreground, adjacent to the school, is a smallish housing development, townhouses. Beyond, the villas under construction are 'Chateau', which seems to be the crowning final jewel in the Phu My Hung crown. 

 

Pictures from here

We all know that the real estate bubble in this country is astronomical to the point of being visible from northern Finland. Chateau is either a very bad joke or a clear sign that those responsible are not prepared to give up before the crash . Am I over exaggerating? Check the prices: 

A semi-detached villa, 187-300m2, 23-34 billion VND ($1,100,000 - $1,630,000)

A detached villa, 500-700m2, with park view, 58 - 83 billion VND ($2,780,000 - $3,970,000) 

A detached villa, 500-700m2, with river view, 77 - 98 billion VND ($3,670,000 - $4,690,000) 

Yeah....I know. 

Singing in the rain

It's been a very wet couple of weeks in Saigon.

Saigon Updates August 2012

Site of MapleTree Vietnam in Phu My Hung, a $200 million dollar project:

'The One HCMC', another BiTexco project, looks set to once again redefine the city skyline. Two towers, the tallest at 55 floors.

The architectural design has a cultural context as it refers to the Vietnamese myth of the Two Dragons. The podium represents the coiled tails, while the two dragons rise from the land. The cantilevered tops represent the dragon's heads. The glass cubes are figurative depictions of Vietnamese pearls in the mouths of the dragons.


The 25 floor Vietinbank Tower on the corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Ham Nghi.

March 2010:

Today:

Thu Thiem tunnel:

Inside (taken whilst driving)

From Thu Thiem to the D4 and D7 ports.

Diamond Island nearing completion. Looks just like it does in the promo.

The mind boggling wealth of the Saigon elite is outlined once again by this project. This extract taken from this Saigon Times Online article.

The project has around 30 yacht berths besides some 1,000 high-class condos priced up to millions of U.S. dollars each. A representative of the company said half of the berths will serve the Marina Club and the investor is offering 15 berths for private use. The highest price is US$500,000 for yachts from 25-27 meters long. Nguyen Kim Son, business and marketing manager of the project, said 11 homebuyers have registered to buy the berths although many of them have yet to own a yacht.

Another British Summer

Selecting a small, overpopulated island on the top of the world close to the north pole and with an awful climate doesn't seem like the sagest of choices for a summer holiday however, one can not change the origin of ones birth. Hence another visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was undertaken. And the weather surpassed the stereotype of a British summer. It was living in a squall for two weeks. There were however sufficiently kind breaks in the squall to dash out of the house to somewhere pleasant. And Bournemouth beach. Here's Lou testing the 15 degree water.


Zip Slide


Practicing being English...toasted tea cake and a cup of tea.


With Louisa just over three and a half, it was a culturally awakening trip, perhaps the first time she took notice of the difference between where she lives and where she was born. The first confusion came at 'bed time'. I had just perfected the association of darkness with bedtime - a cunning plan in Vietnam because it gets dark between 6 and 6.40 all year round. Sat at 8.30 or 9.00pm with daylight still streaming through the bedroom window, those long summer nights were confusing to begin with. "No it's not bedtime Daddy, it's still sunny time...".

 It's amazing how you can find anything on YouTube. I should have shown this to Louisa before we left. As soon as the beeping started she ran off up the road in the wrong direction shouting 'Daddy what's that noise!'...

Drugs will kill you

Not my words: 

International Education in Vietnam

Five years ago I wrote English Teaching in Saigon: The Jungle.  In it I mentioned the international schools in the city.

To the vast majority of the foreigners I meet, the cost of sending a child to international school is one of the major headaches of having children here. BIS for example, the biggest and most 'prestigious' (not meaning 'the best') international school, charges a $3000 'registration' fee alone, and is $22,000 for students in Year 12 and Year 13. That's right, TWENTY TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. That's not including field trips, buses, meals, musical lessons, etc.

Here's a quick comparison of the top international schools and their fees:

School	Registration Fee	Grade One	Grade 12
BIS	$3000	$17000	$22000
ISHCMC	$1000	$15500	$22500
SSIS	$400	$17345	$21355
AIS	$3000	$14500	$18600
RISS	$2000	$12000	$20000
ACG	$3000	$14000	$18000
ISSP	$2000	$12500	$16000
TAS	$1000	$10400	$13000

As you can see, in Vietnam, the costs are fairly similar for all the 'top tier' international and some of the smaller up and coming schools. Is this value for money or market rigging? You might be surprised if I compare these costs with private education elsewhere in the region and even in Europe. 

Singapore: Two of the best private schools in the world

Singapore American School: Fees totaling $15000 before you even get to tuition (for new students). Grade One tuition is  $19500, and Grade 12 $22,000, the same price as both BIS and ISHCMC in Ho Chi Minh City. 

United World College South East Asia: Around $3000 in application fees, a 'development fee' of $5000 for the first year, tuition in Grade One is $20000, Grade 12 $25000. 

Thailand

New International School Bangkok (NIST) - registration/application and other fees up to $10000, tuition in G1 $15000 and G12 $22000.

International School Bangkok (ISB) - registration/application and other fees of $8500, Grade 1 $20,700, Grade 12: $24,500

Malaysia

International School KL (ISKL) - fees around $15000, tuition Grade 1: $18000, Grade 12 $23000.

Even in England, private schools are comparative for the price. For example a private girls school in my home town, Talbot Heath, costs $8000 a year for Year One, and $16500 in senior school. So, cheaper than the international schools in Asia. 

As the article in the new edition of The Word points out, not so many expat families are around at the moment and schools are focusing more and more on the Vietnamese community. BIS has opened BVIS, and CIS is opening BCIS, right across the street from me. The campus is part of the new development called 'Chateau' in Phu My Hung.

These new bilingual schools are mirroring what the pseudo-international schools have been doing for years, but with much better facilities and properly trained staff. 

Many foreigners I know who come here, get married, and then have kids, are often stuck with a stark reality - put your kids in the Vietnamese school system or take them back home for their education.

There is of course the homeschooling option - and thanks to Tyler for pointing out that I had omitted it from my original post (strange because its something I've done a lot of research on too!)  Homeschooling comes with its own obvious challenges but there are people out there doing it here in Vietnam.

Unless you have the qualifications and experience to 'move' into a corporate job that pays for the school fees...or feel comfortable with your child being educated in a Vietnamese school...then its sayonara Vietnam.