jonmy

Meh, "design is a team sport" - great, everyone gets to jump in and play decorator and backseat drive. There are a lot of people with knives, but that doesn't make them a brain surgeon.

My design team and myself will take the sanctity of a native app to create quality work any day versus a "design" free for all in the browser with everyone playing decorator.

Haha, I was a vegetarian for 20 years -- 15 to 35 years old. For 4 of those years I was vegan.

I've mostly done some form of fitness and athletics all my life. That certainly helps.

Though, when I was vegetarian it was hard for me to build muscle.

That changed when I started eating meat and switched to a mostly paleo style diet. I suddenly built more muscle and found it easier to maintain.

The one thing that being vegetarian all those years probably helped with is it helped me be more conscious of food. Also, it helped me skip a lot of the bad dietary habits you form in your 20s and pay for when you get older.

I see a lot of my 20 something friends making that mistake and putting off the effort to form the right habits now.

It'll catch up. I'd say start getting the right habits in place immediately.

Anyhow, I caught a lucky break there.

In terms of losing strength, I don't think so. I might be in better shape than in my 20s.

Squats are pretty consistent at 150 - 170kgs. Bench is still strong.

One thing I'm big on is the habits and routine.

I mostly work from home everyday and work in pomodoros (30 - 45 min focused sprints) with 5 - 10 min breaks.

I keep a 30kg kettle bell and another free weight in my office. So when the timer goes off - take exercise breaks.

I also work most of the day standing, which helps a lot.

I'm also pretty competitive, so things like sprints at the track and basketball help with the cardio side.

The last full body analysis I did in Bangkok at Bumrungrad Hospital, it took me 13 minutes to hit my target heart rate on the treadmill.

And, I drink too much, smoke too much shisha, go out too much, occasionally dabble in substances I shouldn't and dance too much. lol

So, who knows. Find a balance that works for you I guess.

Saigon, by the way is a great place to find that balance.

I found the lifestyle optimizations from the food to fitness and fun easy to sort out here.

One reason I decided to base here.

Thanks buddy. Price alone really wasn't the impetus for me writing the article. For $1,000/ month you can look at most asian cities - and yes, you can look at US cities. You could bootstrap in Columbus, Ohio - Detroit or Omaha for a similar price point.

What I was getting at is - the scene - the people here, the combination of factors and overall value.

That coupled with a lot of the other factors - is the distinguishing point not just price.

Like I said below though, a lot of things have change - imo - for the better. I need to update the article soon.

I need to get back to India. I lived there for a year in 1999. I can't imagine how it has changed now.

Cheers.

LMAO thanks mann, I will take that as a compliment.

I'm 42 years old.

I don't know if it is flattery and bullshitting - lol - but, when most people meet me they are quite surprised by my age.

I still do read all the blogs, am immersed in programming culture, and feel as if the world is my oyster.

The average age of my friends here is probably around 26 or 28. However, I have good friends that are 21 and I have other friends older than me.

Really doesn't cross my mind much.

I usually do some form of training everyday. Usually strength training, though I've been in hiatus with mostly body weight exercises, as I wait for the new gym at Vincom to open. I used to box and do martial arts, and have been able to maintain staying in good shape. That is very key.

Being physically active, combined with always meeting new people - helps you avoid becoming the angry, old expat who knows everything and wishes for the good old days. Mental fitness.

I've got my skateboard here and still skate occasionally, but not in that ex-skater mid-life crisis way. lol - I've never stopped. Can still bomb stairs, ride fast and am fine keeping up with the younger local guys I skate with.

Still surf (thought I still suck at it) - when I get the chance. Took a surf trip to Sri Lanka year before last, when I had to be in Dubai for a project.

I avoided the trifecta of Marriage, Mortgage and Children, all of my adult life. I've been focused on three things - bulding relationships, mastery of what I love (design) and building businesses.

That latter part, relationships, design and business hasn't changed. I still love those things. I still welcome new people. I still make new friends everyday and I still love what I do.

The marriage part - I'm more or less an atheist for all sense and purpose, and really never thought about marriage.

Over the years, I never settled.

Then I met my match.

I still go out with my friends all the time, tonight, Friday night, I will go out with my friends and probably be out til 4 or 5AM.

That's not my wife's thing - but we have trust - and we give each other space and freedom. If I get home at 2AM - she might say - "why are you home so early, everything ok?"

She has her space, I have my space, we have a good foundation - and we compliment each other well.

If you're in Saigon, hit me up.

I always love meeting new people.

I agree on working out of a cafe.

I came to that conclusion and have doubled down on my home and home work situation.

That decision has paid dividends.

This old picture is a bit crap - and looks barren on the outside because of the ugly construction at the time (we put up trees out on the porch and construction is done) - but I put together this office in the house. Hard to get a feel for the scale of this space, but it's quite nice to work in.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10051350/jon-myers-home-...

In fact, if you get tired of working at home, you're welcome to pop over.

Cheers.

I agree.

Unfortunately, in Saigon - we get a lot of the BroPackers and they tend to all convene in the Backpacker Area, Bui Vien.

I also have local friends.

I did a motorbike trip with my local friend to the Southern Vietnamese city of My Tho in the Mekong Delta a few weeks ago.

Quite normal to have local friends.

Hey Hacker News,

What a nice surprise to see this oldie pop up.

I'm Jon Myers, the guy who wrote the article. Nice to meet you all.

Hard to believe, I wrote that article over 2 years ago. Some things were a bit naive, I need to update it.

I've planted roots now in Saigon and am here for the near future.

I told my friend the other day, Saigon is like an onion wrapped around a sweet lychee.

Initially a bit harsh on the eyes, makes the eyes water and then, once you get past the layers, you're rewarded with a sweet surprise inside.

A lot has changed since I wrote that article.

In my opinion, for the better.

The biggest, most visible change - construction has begun on the city's massive above and underground metro system.

It's a huge, ambitious project, designed and financed by the Japanese.

Sure, it will have delays in construction, but it will get there.

It's hard to imagine how this project will change the culture and dynamics of this city.

However, I can and have a bit of perspective on this matter.

I started my mobile entrepreneurial journey over 20 years ago (I know, dating myself) in Taipei, Taiwan.

I lived there for a year, and at that time, Taipei felt a lot like Saigon now. Ugly duckling, underrated motorbike dominated city.

Oddly, Taiwan's gross GDP then was similar to that of Vietnam's now - in the 175 billion range. Yet, Vietnam has a lot more people.

And, back then they were hard at work building Taipei's metro system.

Contrasting the Taipei of then and now, it's hard to overstate the impact of the metro system on that city.

Similarly, I believe Saigon will undergo a similar transformation on a much larger scale.

Aside from the metro system in Saigon, I've witnessed yet more, massive construction projects and change.

Yes, of course, there is speculation as well.

The other, most notable change in Saigon - the network and quality of people has grown significantly.

Some stay, some stay for awhile, build and have to move on, and others just pass through.

A few people come to mind who have had large successes. A friend was base here last year, hunkered down on his business, and had to move back to the U.S.

His business is now doing 7 figures in gross annual revenue.

I've seen others get similar lifts in their businesses who have based themselves here. It's the power of the network.

In some ways, everyday is like Shark Tank. We help each other, we critique, push and challenge each other.

The actual startup scene is maturing.

Personally, my pool of opportunities has widened since I've been here. I'm working with a venture capital firm here and helping them launch a new bank.

On the downsides.

Yes, costs have gone up since I've written that article.

I think too often those in this movement or toying with it become too fixated on "cheap".

If you're fixated on "cheap" or "cheapest", Saigon is not for you.

The focus should be on value.

If you want high value and an adult urban lifestyle while you're working and building your business, Saigon is still an incredible value.

Additionally, there are things of intangible value one must consider. Particularly, connections and the breakthroughs from those connections.

My expenses have risen considerably since I've written that article, but that is a personal choice I'm ok with.

I'm now married to a local (couldn't be happier) and am in the enclave of District 2. We have a beautiful, 3 story modern home, designed by a well known local architect, my design studio occupies the top floor, and the cost of monthly rental is a steal for the quality.

Yes, the visa situation has changed, and is in flux, however, it still trumps a place like Thailand by a long shot.

My friends here who are here for a longer stretch all have gotten 1 year multiple entry business visas for $700.

None have been denied.

You pay, you get the letter in a week, you have to pop over to an embassy outside Vietnam, for example in Cambodia to pick it up.

That's a bargain when you consider all the visa run hassles, hoops and what not in a place like Thailand.

For shorter term stays, it's still easy to get a 3 month multiple entry visa. You just can't renew in country like before or if you do, it might be costly.

I'm married, so I have a 5 year resident visa. That cost $75usd...

I really need to update that article.

Thanks.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me.

If you're in Saigon, please hit me up.

Cheers!

I'm in Saigon, use Google DNS and it's still down for me.

Before when I tried a query on Google, I got the standard SSL warning, which blocked the site and said "your connection is not private".

Now, when I try a query the site just hangs and nothing happens.

Something is certainly up.

Maybe our neighbors way up North are messing around.

I'm a location independent UX/ UI, startup guy who has been doing this for a long time. Over the years, I've raised capital for one startup, worked with high-profile clients on complicated projects, and worked on my own stuff, all while being more or less unattached to a location.

I've clocked time in South America (Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay), Mexico, Taiwan, India, China, and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand) and the list goes on. I'm not dropping these locations or the info above to show off, I'm simply lending perspective.

I slow travel - meaning I usually set up for at least 3 months, if not longer. My most recent stint was on and off Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for 6 months+ where I was lucky enough to get embedded in the local startup scene.

The biggest flaw with the article and the idea of the digital nomad as presented in general is prioritizing lifestyle over business.

It makes being a "nomad" seem like a wandering soul hopping gig to gig taking advantage of low cost locations without much strategy or purpose. Additionally, I sense the job or employee mindset in the tone of the article, which is fine, but I wouldn't hit the road with that mindset.

If you're going to take on this lifestyle you can't have an employee mindset. It won't work, and most will end up broke or bored trying to sustain the lifestyle and scrambling to try and find remote work.

A whole point of being location independent, which the article neglects is how you can be more strategic about your location, expand your network by being exposed to serendipitous opportunities that would have otherwise not presented themselves, and grow your business.

The opportunity to expose yourself to places and people on an upward trajectory, and how you can add value to those situations and take advantage of them should be a priority at the top of the list. Not just a beach hammock, backpacker ghetto or a cool place to work and Instagram.

Otherwise, what's the point.