My first two weeks in Vietnam have been so incredibly busy it's hard to even remember everything that has happened. I've learned so much since my arrival, and what I've learned both excites and scares me at the same time! Let's start with the first three days.
I arrived to Danang the evening of September 6th. Huy, my new boyfriend whom I met back in January, met me at the airport. Danang is located about 40 minutes north of Hoi An. We arrived to the hotel I booked for three nights. Our plan was to stay here until my three friends from Seoul International School arrived. They would be spending a week in Hoi An so last spring we reserved rooms at the Sunrise Premium Resort, a large hotel on the beach. Last time I visited Hoi An with friends, I actually never saw the beach in Hoi An, even after having spent five days here! The beach is about 5 miles away from the Old Quarter, and since we had a such a great villa we never felt the need to see the ocean.
My first goal upon arrival was to find a place to live. I had already made contact with a real estate agency while in the States, so I had an appointment set up for the very next morning. Thanks to generosity of my friend Mao - AKA Hoi An's best tailor - we were able to borrow his motorbike. Ha, our lovely real estate agent, met us at the hotel and off we went. The first apartment was directly around the corner from where we were staying. It's set off the main road down a narrow alley. It has a great set of wooden gates that lead into a very private courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by lush plants, and includes a stone barbecue area with an outdoor sink. There is a built-in cement bench as well, big enough to fit eight people.
The apartment is the ground floor of a two-story house. The owner is Italian and he completely remodelled the place in a very modern style. Much of the interior is made from poured cement, including the sofa (which has a cushion, of course). The kitchen is large and open to the dining area. The bedroom is gigantic, and the bathroom has a rain shower in the middle of the room. As soon as I saw the place I fell in love, but it was a bit pricy ($500 - $450 if I rented for six months) and it didn't have an air-conditioner in the living room. Temperatures in Hoi An have been averaging around 92 degrees each day, with 75% humidity. Though the bedroom was air-conditioned, the rest of the apartment wasn't. Loudo the landlord seemed shocked when I suggested putting in another air conditioner. He said in his thick Italian accent "Why woulda anyone want to do that?" Well, because it was damn hot!
We said we would think about it and went to look at two other apartments. As soon as I left I told Huy the following: "Here's what's going to happen. We are going to spend the day looking at apartments, but ultimately we're going to choose this one." Huy didn't believe me, but I was right. We saw another great apartment on Cam Nam island (right around the corner from the business I want to buy), but it was too small. It was while visiting this apartment that I found out that unmarried foreigners cannot legally live with someone who is Vietnamese. Police could have the right to enter my property and throw me out if they chose to do so. Well, obviously this news was a bit distressing - even Huy was surprised to hear it. Fortunately, the owner of the second apartment came to our rescue. She is a lovely Australian women from Melbourne. We sat down with her and she made arrangements for me to meet two other gay couples who are mixed (white guys dating Vietnamese guys). We arranged a dinner date at her son's restaurant. As it turned out, it wasn't such a big deal. We did have to register our names with the police station, but no bribes had to be exchanged, at least not yet.
The third apartment was also on Cam Nam island but so far away it was impossible. So, I decided I wanted the first apartment so I asked the owner if I paid for the air conditioner, would he mind installing it. Huy came up with the great idea of asking a reduction in rent by $50 dollars if we signed a year lease as well as paying for the a/c. The owner agreed, so my friend Mao bought the air conditioning and it was installed without any difficulty. My monthly rent is $400 dollars.
Thursday we spent some time looking at properties to purchase. Huy met a man who owned several properties, so once again we borrowed Mao's bike and tour around the city. The first property was on An Hoi, which is located across a small bridge. It is the sight of many restaurants and the night market. The lot was narrow, but long and located on a very residential street. It had possibilities, but it didn't seem to have a enough room for a pool. The second property was located near the Sunrise Hotel, 5 miles outside of the town. It's not on the ocean side (oh how I wish), but it's on the river side, with direct access to the river. It's large (900 square meters) and has already been approved for a 15-room guest villa. Huy negotiated the price down to $200,000 dollars. Another person whom we would later meet at the Sunrise introduced us to the government ministry in charge of that part of Hoi An and he looked at all the paper work associated with the property. He said it all seemed legal and legit.
Friday was the day I was to meet the owner of the Sleepy Gecko. Since his property is located around the corner from where I was to meet my new friends, we combined visits. The Sleepy Gecko is a fully operational bar/restaurant and guest house set in an ideal location. It's directly across the river from the Old Market - a short ten minute walk away. It's large and already has a pool, though, the pool is filled with weeds and frogs right now.
I had to keep an open mind as I toured the property. First off the place was filthy. Dust from the road coated everything. The pool is a good size, but as I said, filled with slimy water, lotus plants, frogs, and even some fish. Supposedly it still works. Off the pool was one very large room that was abandoned and dirty. It could easily be converted though into a nice suite. The main building has a bar and lounge on the first floor. The second floor has another terrace with a great view of the city. The living quarters are located behind the terrace, but they are dark and windowless. A third floor can be reached by a steep set of ladder stairs, and upstairs is stifling hot and also very dark. How anyone sleeps up there is a mystery.
Next to the main building is another building that has the bedrooms. The first floor has the kitchen, which is actually quite large, but it also has four or five shower rooms and two very gross bathrooms. Upstairs are three ensuite bedrooms that actually aren't bad. They wouldn't need much renovation at all. Back to the first floor, the front of the building has great french doors that lead into two more rooms that were once filled with bunk beds for back packers. These rooms could be converted to ensuite bedrooms as well. A third bedroom is located above those two rooms. With some imagination, I could easily see seven ensuite bedrooms. The property could be renovated and would look quite nice. But it's at least $100,000 dollars worth of renovation.
The owner is asking $400,000 dollars for the property, which is ridiculous. Everyone I met who ever saw the property said it's ridiculous. Then there's the problem with the license. The owner leased the property for two years and during those two years the lessee converted it into a back packers home stay and broke every Vietnamese law possible. The Vietnamese government got so pissed off they took away their licenses. This has created problems for anyone who wants to buy the property. I'm currently doing research on whether I can get a license back or not. I believe I can get the place for $275,000 dollars. If I can resolve the license issue, it's a strong possibility.
After our meeting, I went to meet Karen (the owner of the apartment), her son Sinh, and the two gay couples. We met at Sinh's new restaurant, which is located along the river overlooking the old town. It's a lovely spot and the food is quite delicious. One of the people I met is Andrew. As luck would have it, Andrew used to be the General Manager of the Sunrise Hotel. He is a wealth of information and has been a great resource so far. That night his boyfriend had to work, but I would have a chance to meet him the following week. We also met Stephen and Tuan, a couple that lives on Cam Nam Island. Tuan was in the process of applying for a job at Sunrise (which he fortunately got). His partner is from New Zealand and worked many years as a teacher. All in all we met five great people that evening and I hope these folks will develop into good friendships.
All this happened in three days. Three days! My next entry will be about the great visit I had with my friends from school!