Part-time Job Opportunities for Students in Tân An (and Why You Might Actually Like It Here)
okay, so look. i'm a touring session drummer, right? which means i'm always broke between gigs. and i just spent a week in Tân An, Vietnam, because… well, a friend of a friend needed a drummer for a weird tea ceremony performance art piece. don't ask. anyway, i had to figure out how to eat, and i started asking around about student jobs. it's not exactly a booming metropolis, but there's stuff. and honestly? it's way less stressful than trying to navigate the LA music scene.
right now, it's that humid, sticky kind of heat where you feel like you're walking through soup. it rained earlier, a proper downpour, and the air smells like wet pavement and… something floral? jasmine, maybe? it's a far cry from the perpetually grey skies of London, which is only a long flight away.
so, jobs. the biggest thing i noticed is that english teaching is huge. like, everywhere. not necessarily formal school stuff, but tutoring centers popping up all over. i overheard someone at a *pho stall (seriously, the pho is amazing - check out TripAdvisor reviews) saying they're paying around 300,000 - 600,000 VND an hour, depending on your experience. which, okay, isn't gonna make you rich, but it'll cover rent and a lot of pho.
there's also a surprising amount of demand for people who can translate or do basic administrative work for small businesses. a lot of them are trying to get online, and they need help with social media or just answering emails. i saw a post on a local facebook group (link to a Tân An Facebook group - replace with actual link if found) about a textile shop needing someone to manage their online orders. pay was… negotiable, which is always a red flag, but still.
here's the thing about Tân An: it's not super expensive. i was talking to a student at the local university (i think it's called Long An University? i'm terrible with names) and she said a decent room in a shared house goes for around 1.5 - 3 million VND a month. that's… shockingly affordable. but, and this is a big but, safety is something to be aware of. it's generally safe, but petty theft happens. don't leave your motorbike unlocked, and be careful with your phone at night. a local warned me about scams targeting tourists near the market, so just keep your wits about you.
blockquotes time, because i'm a chaotic mess:
> "oh, the english centers? they'll hire anyone with a vaguely western accent. seriously. i saw a guy teaching who looked like he'd just rolled out of bed."
> "don't trust the 'cheap' tailoring. you get what you pay for. my friend got a suit made and it fell apart after one wear."
> "the best banh mi is from that little cart near the train station. don't tell anyone i told you."
there's also a growing tourism scene, which means opportunities for tour guides (if you speak vietnamese, obviously) or working at hotels. i checked out Yelp for Tân An hotels and a few of them seemed to be actively hiring. and if you're creative, you could always try busking. i saw a guy playing a traditional instrument near the river* and he was doing pretty well.
look, Tân An isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. it's not a party city. it's… real. it's a place where you can actually live without spending a fortune, and if you're willing to hustle, you can find a part-time job to keep you afloat. plus, the food is incredible. and honestly, after a week of weird performance art, a little bit of 'real' is exactly what i needed. oh, and check out this subreddit for more local info: link to a Tân An subreddit - replace with actual link if found.
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