About US

The Facebook group, Expats in HCMC is the largest in its kind in Vietnam. Today, it has more than 150 000 members mostly in and around Ho Chi Minh City, but also across the entire country. Everyday thousands of members look for new apartments, want to sell items, start learning Vietnamese, want to meet up and make new friends, learn about the country and know about the latest activities in the city and in Vietnam. 

The group was founded back in 2007, by the Swedish Expat Tom Holgersson. In 2007 Tom moved to Ho Chi Minh City and started working for the Swedish government’s business development agency The Swedish Trade and Investment Council (today Business Sweden). 

“I started the group because I wanted to get know new people in a similar situation. I wasn’t new to Vietnam itself, because I had previously studied at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi and done research for my Master’s thesis in Vietnam, but was new to Ho Chi Minh City.”

 “I still remember the first meeting at a small restaurant on Hai Ba Trung Street. I think it was called the Lion bar. At the first meet up we were around 20-30 expats from Australia, USA, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and a few other countries. Even a few local Vietnamese asked if they could join and sure they were welcome to participate as well.” 

“We usually met up at different restaurants in the city to talk about challenges of being an Expat. The language, the traffic, business life, activities, how to deal with local staff, law and regulations and everything else that you can possibly imagine.  We also made a few excursions outside Ho Chi Minh City. Even today I still keep in contact with many of the people I met at that time. Nowadays, most of us have returned to our home countries, but a few still live and thrive in Vietnam.” 

In 2007 it felt like I knew all (but of course I didn’t) the Expats in Ho Chi Minh City after a few months. I know this has changed a lot in the past few years since there are numerous foreign companies and organizations in Vietnam these days. The number of Expats must have increased tenfold since back then. 

Even in 2020 the Expats face the same challenges as back then, but it’s easier to access information via internet web pages today. I think that the Vietnamese government could do a lot more to accommodate Expats moving to Vietnam. The information sought after is not well organized and managed. It could be extremely useful for foreigners moving to Vietnam. Expats are usually highly trained, educated and the kind of expertise a country like Vietnam need and want. 

The government should be smart and take care of the people going there. Expats that love Vietnam like myself are great ambassadors. Vietnam is a country to love and to hate at the same time. The key insight to enjoy a long-term stay is to find the right crowd to hang out, find a few peaceful restaurants and cafés, exercise, study and travel a bit instead of just staying in the city all the time. Vietnam has a rich culture; history and most people are very friendly. 

Today, the group contains of more than 150 000 members and it has grown a lot faster than ever expected.