Moving to Hanoi with kids. Questions inside.

Posted by expatmumof2 (758 days ago)

What is the housing situation like? I've found a good representative sampling online of what's available, however, I have no idea which areas to look at. From my experience in other countries, living near the majority of the children's classmates makes a huge difference in our quality of life. Ciputra is convenient in that respect, but it's not exactly the sort of place I'd like to live. I'd prefer not to live in an expat ghetto, but also want to be near my children's friends. My partner will be working near the Hoan Kiem area and the children will likely attend UNIS.

We'd like to be walking distance from at least some of our daily activities. It could be work, errands, shopping, or school.

Any thoughts?

Also, I've read that maids are usually live-out. If so, is it difficult to find evening babysitters?

Thanks!

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Posted by ldldjr (758 days ago)

Many xpats with kids live in the west lake area - not quite halfway between Ciputra and Hoan Kiem lake. I remember someone from the US embassy had a nice house downtown some years ago, but I believe they are hard comeby. You can find apartments downtown. My guess is that most of your kids school mates will probably be in the west lake area. I live in Nghi Tam (you can find it on a decent map) and there are lots of xpat kids. From there towards the north there is a lot of xpat housing. I don't know how many people actually live at Ciputra - my colleague was talking about moving there but decided against it. I think there is a bus that runs kids from Nghi Tam to UNIS.