How long did you live in Hanoi?
 This is my first overseas posting and I have stayed here for nearly 4 years.

    What do you like about living in Hanoi?
 The 4 seasons! Especially the cool weather during autumn/winter, however the July to August summer period is quite unbearable. That’s when I reconsider my fondness for Hanoi

    What do you dislike about living in Hanoi?
 I particularly dislike the air and noise pollution caused by all the motorbikes and cars on the streets. The noises start so early in the morning, I used to get woken up by it. It was so annoying especially when I need to catch up on my sleep.

   What was the biggest challenge when you moved to Hanoi and how did you overcome it?
 I had to be away from my lovely wife and 2 kids for relatively long periods of time and I missed them a lot. Fortunately, technology has evolved greatly and we learnt to communicate through Skype and used its chat and webcam functions to keep updated on what’s happening at home and with each other. I also try to make regular trips home as seeing them in person beats seeing and chatting with them on screen.

   What did you do to adjust to differences in work culture?
  The Vietnamese way of living and their work standards are vastly different from what I had been used to in Singapore and I had to learn to adapt and accept it. The most difficult and challenging part of this is to manage the gap between the expectations of my bosses in Singapore and work standard of the locals.

   Do you have a favourite spot/pastime in Hanoi?
 I like to play tennis, badminton and sometimes a few games of golf during my downtime. Of course there is also the Vietnamese coffee and foot massage that are good value for money.

   How different is life in Hanoi compared to Singapore?
Life in Hanoi generally runs at a slower pace compared to Singapore. People here are more laid back and know how to take time out to have fun and relax. There is also hardly any rush from one activity to the next during the weekend due to the serious lack of activity and entertainment. Sometimes we cannot even find anything to do for the weekend so we’ll just gather at a café and do nothing together.

Finding quality goods in Hanoi can pose quite a challenge as well. To get an item of quality in Hanoi means you either have to pay a bomb or get fellow Singaporeans to bring back from Singapore on their trips back home. So I have to learn to do without some luxuries or make do with something of lower quality.

   Can you relate an incident that happened to you in Hanoi/Vietnam that you will remember for the rest of your life?
 One time, I brought my family who was visiting me, to the Hoan Kiem area for sightseeing and suddenly, my young son broke away from us and ran across a busy road! It was peak hour and the road was jam packed with motorbikes and cars rushing to go home after work. My son’s action nearly caused an accident but miraculously, the motorbikes managed to stop in time and prevented what might otherwise be a tragic accident. My wife and I had a bad fright but we learnt our lesson to keep a closer eye on him throughout the rest of their stay here.

   Tell us what is going through your mind as you prepare to move back to Singapore.

  Having spent a good 4 years in Hanoi, I am most concerned about re-adapting to the Singaporean work environment and culture as its pace is much faster and more hectic. There are also the peculiarities and office politics that I’ll have to deal with in the Head office in Singapore.

I have also noticed from the experience of fellow Singaporeans who were posted back to Singapore from here, that some of them subsequently left their jobs due to problems with re-adapting to the work environment.

Costs have also gone up pretty drastically in Singapore and news of the recent additions of ERP gantries is not very comforting.

   What is the one thing you will look forward to most on moving back to Singapore?
  The fact that I will be back in Singapore permanently and spending quality time with my family and 82-year-old mother.

   What will you miss most about Hanoi?
  I have kick-started and established the Great Eastern Life office in Vietnam and hope that the company would take off under the leadership of the new senior management team. I think I will miss the excitement of seeing the growth of what I have started here.

   What advice would you give to Singaporeans relocating to Hanoi?
 Get in touch with and stay connected to the Singaporean network in Hanoi and work on your IT knowledge so that you can connect to your family and friends in Singapore through the internet.

Having said that, it is essential to get hold of a good laptop and webcam to facilitate that.