Question:
I'm a civil engineer, will be in Vietnam for a month, and would stay
if I find work related to my profession.
Does anyone know how I might obtain info on civil
engineering-construction firms in Vietnam especially Saigon?
What are my chances if I spend a week or two in Saigon solely for the
purpose of finding work?
Answer:
I think the chance is scanty and the advantage is much less if you
try to find work in Saigon within one or two weeks. It's a lot
better if you can find a job in Viet Nam from an ally or a foreign
company who engage business in Viet Nam. In addition of better salary
you also get relocation compensation and etc.
Unfortunately it is Hanoi who has more construction projects than
Saigon, just like Washington DC, there are more start up opportunities
in Hanoi than Saigon. Although, Saigon is like a real city in comparing
to Hanoi is like a developing town.
really? i thought that hanoi is house to many governmental organizations
and embassies, whereas saigon is the industrial capital of the nation.
ie: saigon would have more business opportunities, more people, thus more
buildings and construction industry. clarify for me if i am wrong.
There are quite a few real hot Vietnamese architects and civil engineers
in VN. Trust me, you will be competing against real hotshots. What more,
they speak the language (naturally:-)) and know the pulse of the people
and the country (of course:-)) so unless you are a nuclear hot engineer,
your chances are slim if not non-existent to find a job in VN. Like any other
profession at any given location, the good dudes are really good. :-)
And like Phoenix said, the rate of foreign investment in new constructions is
higher in Hanoi than in Saigon. But Saigon is real city and Hanoi is
just developing. Hanoi and environ could use some bridges. :-)
You got good point. Hanoi and Saigon both have construction projects, but
Hanoi has more. It's now relative small city for a capital, hence the
potential growth is stronger, in addition people are more willing to remodel
their property with their own financing. Saigon is more established with
commercial projects while Hanoi has it all with commercial, residential as
well as government's.
Another thing I want to share with you is the disposible income of Asian grp.
As you see on newspaper and other media, the average GNP of a VNese is $500.
He needs only $200 to live, $50 for misc. and able to save $250 which is 50%
of his income. While an avg. American makes $40K but how many of them can
save 50% of their income. The majority of people who live in the States can
save from 5% to 10%. That's what I realized when I arrived to VN, and I
could see most households in big cities had a few dirt bikes, each cost from
1K to 3K (US dollars). Interesting isn't it?
