Moving to Ho Chi Minh City is a lot easier when 220,000 people have your back. That's roughly the size of Vietnam Is Awesome (VIA), an online community founded in 2017 by Vietnamese businessman Đỗ Kim Long and an American friend, and it has become one of the biggest hubs for English-speaking foreigners and locals in the country.
The idea came from a simple frustration: Long noticed that expats' Facebook posts about Vietnam skewed negative, so he wanted a space that highlighted the good stuff instead. Over the years the group grew into something more substantial than a fanpage. Members swap stories about hidden gems well away from the standard tourist trail, share practical tips on settling in, and during the pandemic even organised charity work and mutual aid. One member's video of him singing Vietnamese songs in flawless Vietnamese remains a favourite memory for Long.
VIA has since expanded beyond social media. Its website lets people ask questions, arrange meetups and promote events, with a calendar that runs from business skills workshops and stand-up comedy sessions to casual sports competitions. The organisers also stage bigger gatherings themselves — panel discussions on business topics, outdoor activities and charity sports events, sometimes in partnership with small expat-owned businesses.
Long sees three groups using the community: foreigners building a life in Vietnam, overseas Vietnamese returning home, and locals who work with both. All of them, he says, need trusted information and real people to ask. The next step is a set of free guides covering the four topics members ask about most: temporary residence cards, work permits, setting up a company and buying property.
The human results are the real story. Mark Dickens, a Canadian who arrived in HCM City three years ago, credits VIA with helping him settle. Through the group he has joined a street photography outing, a yoga event and a cycling tour, meeting people from all sorts of backgrounds along the way. In his words, the community pushed him out of his comfort zone and made the city feel like home.
For travellers, this is worth knowing about even if you're not moving abroad. If you're staying in Ho Chi Minh City or elsewhere in Vietnam for a few weeks or months — remote workers, long-stay holidaymakers, anyone considering an extended stint — a community like VIA is a shortcut to local knowledge, social events and friendships that a guidebook can't provide. And it works both ways: visitors who get something out of it are encouraged to give back by sharing their own experiences with the next arrival.
