moving to Hanoi - info needed

Posted by Bkkmum (1128 days ago)

I will be moving to Hanoi in a couple of months and I have a couple of questions. I have a 6 year old and a 3 month old so there are related to the children.

How do I get a maid/nanny? Are there any agencies I can contact or are there any expat websites where people advertise their nannies when they leave

Playgroups?

Parenting Groups? Again is there a website that I can look at?

Are there any australian/new zealand groups that I can join?

Finally, should I start to learn some French/Vietnamese or is English widely spoken

Thanks

Posted by ldldjr (1128 days ago)

English is spoken widely - more so than French. It would not hurt to try learning some basic greetings in Vietnamese, but unless you are a language wizard, you can expect to spend a lot of time working on it - not a couple of months.

Ads for household help are on several bulletin boards at various foodshops that cater to expats - check some of the earlier postings in this forum for details.

Seems there is a group/place called Matilda's that is Aussie oriented. Might be a Friday evening social group.

Posted by West Australian (1103 days ago)

In respect to your question about joining Aust associations. Nothing too formal is set up but my advice would be to contact Auscham in the first instance and see what they have. They guys are very good and are always willing to chat. If in doubt contact Mark Farquhar and Aussie up there who can also help with property questions. He is on the Auscham committee and heck of a nice guy. From memory he has a wife and 3 children 12 girl, 8 boy and 1 girl. He works for Chesterton Petty. He's a good starting point.