For the most part Ho Chi Minh City is safe but like any large city you need to pay attention to what's going on around you.

For the most part Ho Chi Minh City is safe but like any large city you need to pay attention to what's going on around you.

For me making friends with locals is hard, mostly because my lack of Vietnamese language skills and being retired I have limited access to locals in the work place. Though for me it is hard meeting expats as well, as most expats work here and make friends through their jobs.

I'm divorced and have a son and a grandson and it is a problem being away most of the time. Living as I do, if I had a wife and children I think it would be really hard to do.

Indochina gets into your blood and once you have a taste you'll find it's impossible to stay away.

Overall the cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City is cheap and if you can stay away from Western restaurants and use just local products in your everyday life it's really cheap.

On my discharge, I had the challenge of putting my life back together but Vietnam stuck in the inner recesses of my mind.