Ho Chi Minh City is ranked among the top three Asian cities most suitable for foreigners to live in

According to the annual report of the InterNations website, Ho Chi Minh City is listed as the three most suitable cities in Asia for foreigners to live, second only to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, ranking third, far ahead of some famous big cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Beijing. and Shanghai.
  

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City’s global ranking (a total of 66 cities participated in the evaluation) is 19/66, while Singapore ranks 5th, Kuala Lumpur 8th, Shanghai 21st, Bangkok 30th, Tokyo 53rd, and Beijing 55th. . What is striking is that Hong Kong, once ranked as one of the most livable cities in Asia, ranks only 57th this year, only higher than Seoul in Asia (ranked 64th globally). In addition to Singapore, which often appears among the major liveable cities, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City are two cities in Southeast Asia that are increasingly popular with foreigners.

Ho Chi Minh City is highly appreciated for the friendliness of its local people, with 70% of respondents saying it was easy for them to make friends and integrate into the local area in a short period of time.  Ho Chi Minh City is also ranked as one of the top ten cities with the lowest cost of living in the world.  In addition, more than 50% of foreigners surveyed expressed satisfaction with the quality of jobs in Ho Chi Minh City.

Kuala Lumpur is considered the easiest city to settle in, with 70% of respondents finding housing prices here affordable.  Over 70% of respondents believe the city’s general cost of living is cheap, equivalent to the global average of 46%.

Bangkok is considered one of the most environmentally hostile cities in the world, ranking 5th in Asia and 30th globally.  Despite this, most foreigners living here are satisfied with the cost of living.

Immigrants in Shanghai and Beijing are satisfied with their financial situation. Foreigners in Tokyo rate Tokyo as the safest city.

The biggest decline in ranking was in Hong Kong. Six years ago, Hong Kong ranked among the top ten cities in the world.  However, the city fell to 52nd (out of 82 cities) last year due to political unrest caused by a series of anti-government protests.  Additionally, many expats in Hong Kong have complained about the city’s rising cost of living and housing.

Foreigners who settled in Seoul, a city rated lower than Hong Kong, found it difficult to make friends and adapt to the local culture.  However, the South Korean capital also scored highly on the Urban Quality of Life Index thanks to its advanced transportation and healthcare systems.

InterNations' ranking is based on a survey of 4 main indicators, including quality of urban life (recreation and climate, transportation, safety and politics, health and environment); ability to settle (indigenous friendliness, sense of welcome, friends and social contacts, mother tongue) ; Job quality (work and career, life-work balance, security); Finance and housing (finances, housing, living expenses).