Ho Chi Minh City is a pretty good place as a settling-in base for anybody moving to Vietnam. I say this because it is quite Westernised, and you can get many of your familiar, home comforts. Many, but not all! Because of its history, modern day Saigon is a mixing bowl of culture, best displayed in the food which is on offer here. From French influenced baguette based sandwiches (banh mi), beef/chicken noodle soup (pho - pronounced fu, or 'fun' without the 'n'), fresh or deep fried spring rolls and Vietnamese pancakes to typically Western take-out foods like pizza, burgers and fried chicken.
There are big supermarkets similar to the ones at home, and you can buy everything from sweets and chips to household cleaners. Body-care products to Amarula and imported wine. The only down side to these supermarkets is that they are way, way more expensive than the farmers' markets - naturally. That's a bit of a problem here, you get so used to paying next to nothing for so many things that when something is more expensive (but still comparatively reasonable or on a par with back at home), you get grumpy and feel like you are paying too much. There is a massive Unilever building close to where we live, so we see and use all of the familiar products that we used at home. Like Sunlight dish washing liquid, Lifebouy soaps, Colgate toothpaste and brushes, Mr. Muscle cleaner and many more.
We, like many other people, thought that electronics (like laptops, tablets, cellphones and cameras) would be cheaper here. Sadly we were wrong, and they are on a par with - or more expensive than - back in SA. Luckily a lot of people aren't image conscious here, so an old, clapped out Blackberry or Samsung is considered a good phone. Many people here have two phones - an old-style, cheap and reliable phone for everyday use and taking out to town; and a nice, new smartphone for messaging home, surfing the net, taking photos and accessing Google Maps.
It's nice to have a treat every now and then, so we have (on occasion) bought a pack of KitKats. We currently have half a packet of M&M's in the fridge, and FINALLY found somebody who can get their hands on popcorn (all of the popcorn here is already popped and seasoned - we want just the kernels to pop ourselves at home!). Mel has her peanut butter on toast most mornings, but we bought muesli the other day, so we can mix it up a little. Occasionally we buy little boxes of cold Milo for after dinner, because it's quite cheap here.
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