This Expat Life (February): Saigon in the Time of Coronavirus
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty-gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts: December and January.
As the title suggests, this post is all about the coronavirus, because it literally impacted every aspect of my life in February – and it will continue to do so for months to come.
Just a few weeks ago, life was so relaxing. I spent my days working remotely in Bali and Lombok, floating in the bluest of oceans, soaking up the sun, and just appreciating how lucky I am to have a job that lets me work remotely.
At first, the coronavirus was just a blip on my radar. At the time I was isolated on the tiny Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan. But once I re-entered the real world in Bali and then Saigon at the beginning of February, it was clear the fear was real. And since I work for a media company in Shanghai, it’s quite literally my job to write about the coronavirus daily. It was obviously having a huge impact on the city early on. So I’ve been tracking the news closely every day since the outbreak started making headlines in January.
Little did I know how serious it would get. I didn’t know that ultimately the economic struggle caused by the coronavirus in China would impact me and my job. The rapid pace at which everything has unraveled is mindboggling.
I wrote this in an Instagram post on February 20.
“The company I work for in China is struggling, as so many businesses are in China and the rest of Asia. I learned today that I might not have a job in a month or maybe two or even next week. Who knows. All I know right now is that my pay has suddenly been cut in half until this blows over or my company decides to call it quits. In the meantime, my generally reliable company has been slow to pay me for the past two months. I have yet to receive my last paycheck…”
Twelve days later and my company officially filed for bankruptcy. They owe me (and all of my coworkers) thousands of dollars that I’m guessing I’ll never receive. While I knew things weren’t looking good, I thought I’d have more time to explore other options and obtain new clients. I thought I’d have more of a buffer financially to ease my mind. But that’s just not the case.
I know I’m not the only one suffering the economic impact caused by the coronavirus. This stretches far and wide. And my heart goes out to all of you who are sick or hurting financially. I’m hoping, REALLY hoping, that this thing passes as quickly as possible.
All that being said I’m lucky to be healthy and I know that I’ll be fine in the long run. It’s only been three days since I lost my job and it’s still sinking in. But it is what it is. Now it’s time to start exploring new options, perhaps taking some online courses to beef up my skillset and get to work. Despite being in a state of shock and super disheartened, I know I have to stay motivated and positive. Truth be told, I’m not always good at doing that.
One thing that’s helped me through unemployment during my move to Jakarta and later to Phnom Penh was this blog. It gave me purpose, community and support then. I’m hoping it will help me through this too.
So what’s it like living in Vietnam right now?
I’ll probably write a whole post soon about what life is like in Vietnam during the coronavirus outbreak — I have a lot to say about it. For those who are concerned about me (dad), I’m doing just fine. Aside from a palpable sense of angst in the city, it’s life as usual(ish) here in Ho Chi Minh City.
That’s not to say that things aren’t weird on the ground here. Since all schools and universities are closed indefinitely, we spend most of our time in our apartment. It’s a lot less crowded in the streets (at least where I live in the suburbs) since people are spending a lot more time at home these days. Not to mention tourism has dropped drastically throughout Vietnam, which is really sad. (There are still people traveling to Vietnam, and in no way do I discourage people from doing so! Though I’m not a health expert…)
The plus-side is that the air quality has been astonishingly good during the past few weeks since there is way less construction and far fewer people on the roads. Silver linings?
The mood is a bit strange in my neighborhood. I can’t really speak to what things are like downtown, where most tourists are. In my neighborhood, I’d say 70% of people are wearing masks outside, even when there’s no one around. And people are really making an effort to keep their distance from others. It’s a bit dystopian-esque to see so many people in masks. Like I said, it’s just kind of weird here these days.
For the record, I’m not freaking out. And no I’m not going back to the States. While I am not wearing masks around, I’m definitely being hyper-vigilant about washing my hands and not touching my face. If I do get sick, I will for sure wear a mask for the safety of others.
While only 16 cases have been reported in Vietnam thus far (all cured), I’m expecting those numbers to go up soon. Let’s just say the testing/reporting in Vietnam is pretty curious for a country that borders China and has large populations of Korean and Japanese expats. Given that all those countries have been hit hard by the coronavirus, it’s only a matter of time before Vietnam will start to report their cases.
Here’s to hoping this all ends soon. In sum, February kind of sucked for me and I’m glad it’s over. Onward and upward?
Travel
Given my newly unemployed status and the temporary closure of my partner’s university, we’re going to do a little bit of traveling in Vietnam this month. Being cooped up indoors for the past month has us going a bit stir-crazy. Also, my neighbors are renovating their apartment and it’s super loud. So yeah, get me out of here now!
We’re thinking either the mountain town of Dalat, which we haven’t been to in years or the beach town of Vung Tau. I’m leaning towards Dalat! Because tourism is very low in Vietnam right now, it’s actually going to be interesting to see just how quiet these places will be. I know a lot of businesses are suffering so we might as well get out there and support small businesses!
A look back at the first week of February in Amed, Bali and Kuta, Lombok. I want to go back!
How did your February shape up? Hope it was better than mine!
So sorry about the job, Justine! Glad you’re taking the time to travel a little and I hope new job opportunities arise soon. Never mind about Coronavirus but will you ever escape noisy construction in neighboring apartments?! 😉
Seriously though, I hope the cases of the virus stay low in Vietnam (and everywhere else!). I do really worry about elderly and vulnerable people who wouldn’t survive catching it. With that and the economic impact, it’s scary. But on the other hand, we can’t do much other than wash our hands and stay home when sick. There have been no cases in DC yet so we haven’t had to change much, but I’m sure it’s coming. The US is also just not really testing people so I think there have been more cases here than reported too.
Oh and my mum is doing a tour of Cambodia and Vietnam this month! She was determined still to go! 🙂
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Thanks Joella! It’s so crazy that you’re the reason I found the job four long years ago! I mean, it was time to move on but I loved being able to work remotely. Those jobs are tough to find. Yeah, it’s a bit of an odd time to be job hunting in Asia considering the whole world is going to have a hard time economically. But luckily Aaron is being super supportive and I have some savings. Haha, the noise will ALWAYS follow me. I’m cursed!
We’ve actually had a few more cases over the weekend in Hanoi so they’re reporting again and people are getting very nervous in the north. The government is taking these cases really seriously, which is good. I feel like I don’t know what the vibe is for travelers because I live in the suburbs and it’s just super quiet here (well, aside from my apartment!). We’re actually holding off on travel because Aaron had to give up his passport to deal with visa stuff. But hopefully, things don’t get too weird and we can do a bit of traveling later this month. Wow, good luck to your parents. It’s an odd time to visit these places. But rumor has it ultra-touristy places like Hoi An and the beaches are great to visit right now because no one is there! Just warn them that they’ll see a lot face masks! I have yet to wear one. I see a lot of tourists that are but a lot of expats are not. But yeah, we’re still going out, eating at restaurants, etc. Keep me posted on their travels. I’m curious!! You should have them do a guest post on your blog about their travels, haha!
Stay safe and here’s to hoping the US can start doing a better job dealing with this!
Oh no.
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your job, hopefully, there will be some good news that the Coronavirus is dying down, in a couple of months.
I was actually supposed to go to Italy for a conference, but it was cancelled.
I lost some money on the flight and trains that I had booked, but better to be safe than sorry!
I live in Germany and they’re very much on top of things and are somewhat prepared, although people have been hoarding disinfectant and stored goods.
Mind you, it hasn’t been as bad as Australia & New Zealand where people have been fighting over loo roll!
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Aww, thanks Victoria. You’re always so sweet. I’m hoping it goes away and fast! Bummer about your conference. Yes, better safe than sorry. I’m guessing a lot of things will be canceled through the summer. Weird times. I saw that there was a small outbreak in Germany but glad to hear they’re on it. Yeah, I heard that everyone in the US is also hoarding toilet paper (or loo roll as you would say)! I was at the store the other day and people were stocking up on food like crazy. In Hanoi whole stores are empty, or so I’ve read! I don’t like the mass panic. Stay healthy and safe 🙂
Sorry about the Job, I am sure you come out of the best from this, wish you the best… 🙂
I hope things might have eased up by now for you Justine since it has been quite a while and countries have now opened up despite the rising cases. But you have made a right decision by shifting to a low cost country that would sustain you well during your low times.
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