International student resources

Buddy for international students

Buddy team is a group of RMIT student volunteers who dedicate their time and commitment to support international students with on and off-campus services. As local students, buddies have strong knowledge and understanding about Vietnamese culture and would be a great hand to help you make the most of your time in Vietnam. Therefore, buddies can be the first contact point prior to departure from your home country and will stay in contact with you for the whole semester.

Buddy team plays a fundamental role in organising activities for International Students together with RMIT staff throughout your first semester in Vietnam. The activities include airport pickup services, international student orientation, city tour, cooking class, welcome dinner, Vietnamese language classes, Vietnamese culture sharing, community engagement trip and city wandering trips.

Prior to your arrival, RMIT will introduce your buddy to you via email with full details of contact information. Your buddy will contact and support with information that you would need before arriving in Vietnam.

See our activities with new international students

Becoming a buddy

You might be interested in boosting your employability and increasing leadership, interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills by becoming a member of the Buddy team and assisting new international students.

As a Buddy, you will experience both personal and professional growth, and develop skills in a diverse range of areas. You will:

• Building your leadership, customer service and cross-cultural communication skills
• Getting experience working with both small and large groups of students
• Gaining better understanding of how RMIT assists students and how to refer them to the appropriate support service
• Improving your awareness of transition processes and how students adjust to new cultures.

“Even though we joined this team with different backgrounds, we still have some common hobbies, common weird jokes and common goals such as to improve English, to explore different cultures, being a Vietnamese ambassador as well as making friends all over the world” – Quoc Anh, Buddy team.

If you wish to become a buddy, please contact us at international.students@rmit.edu.vn

Ho Chi Minh City

Formerly known as Saigon, this fast-moving, ever-growing modern city is the economic centre of Vietnam, and is populated by almost 10* million people, and over 7 million motorbikes. In January 2017 HCMC was named as the world’s second most dynamic city.**

The city is open 24-7, and is home to many cafes and restaurants serving food from all around the world. The traffic is dizzying and life happens at full-speed. But beyond that are glimpses of history and culture in the gentle quiet of Chinese pagodas and the creativity of the Fine Arts Museum. Other attractions include the Opera House, French colonial-style hotels, museums and galleries, and Ben Thanh Market. The market will thrill and confuse you with its flurry of merchants pressuring you to buy everything from bread to bedding.

Accommodation

If you want to live off-campus we will link you with a recommended agent who can help you find accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City. Renting serviced and furnished apartments is far more common in Vietnam than in westernised countries. Don’t worry - we will link you with a Vietnamese student who will become your ‘buddy’ and help you out. HCMC has a wide range of guesthouses, houses, and apartments catering to all budgets, depending on location, lifestyle and individual circumstances.

Living near the RMIT Saigon South campus also gives you a great opportunity to enjoy cuisines from other countries. This modern residential area is quieter than the city and has a high population of foreigners and a variety of well-priced cafes and restaurants. Of course, the local supermarkets and convenience stores sell everything you need to prepare your own, inexpensive meals.

Explore the region

HCMC is an ideal base; it’s centrally located and has budget airlines serving all major cities in the region. During the semester break you can take the opportunity to explore beyond Vietnam. Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Singapore are less than two hours from HCMC. Hong Kong, China, Laos, the Philippines, and Taiwan are also easy to visit - within three to four hours direct flying time. Travel in and around Vietnam opens a world of discoveries.

Food

HCMC has a vibrant food scene, from cafes and restaurants to street food. Vietnamese food is cheap and tasty, but you can also ‘splash out’ at upmarket restaurants and bars.

You can sample the wide range of street food such as Vietnamese sandwiches, grilled seafood, rice paper salads, crab soup, sweet desserts and many other dishes served in small food stalls located at almost every street corner. You will quickly become an expert in Vietnamese food and its best-known dishes, Pho and Bun Bo, noodle dishes made tangy and satisfying when you add a squeeze of lime and a few leaves of Vietnamese mint. You’ll never be short of drink options either - there are coffee shops to tempt your tastebuds on every street corner.

If you love cooking you’ll be surprised by the number of cooking classes available; they are usually combined with a trip to the market to buy produce. Spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet - it’s all here in Vietnam.

Shopping

There are modern, air-conditioned shopping centres with top brands and cheap food courts throughout HCMC, and most items are readily available. However, it’s best to bring your own medications and special toiletries. One problem is buying clothes in larger sizes, but this can be overcome cheaply by having your clothes made to measure at one of the many tailors. If you love shopping in markets then you’ll love Vietnam. Admire fresh flowers, colourful lanterns and foods and spices that you’ve never seen before!  Be ready to bargain!

Transport

The most popular way to get around is by motorbike. You can rent a bike, or for individual trips you can call a motorbike taxi. To ride a motorbike of more than 50cc you need a license, and helmets are compulsory. Buses and taxies are also available, and fares in Vietnam are very cheap. Longer distance travel to other Vietnamese cities or into the countryside can be done by long-distance bus, train, and by air.

Health

Among the wide range of hospitals and different standards of health care, private hospitals are generally on par with those in the Western countries and accept international health insurance. The majority of doctors are from the US, Korea, Japan and France, as well as overseas-trained Vietnamese doctors .

At RMIT Vietnam, the health and safety of the students is a top priority. We have 24-hour security, health centres and counselling services on campus.

Climate

HCMC’s tropical climate, with its two seasons of wet and dry, brings temperature highs of between 31 and 35 degrees celsius.

 *Ref: CIA World Factbook 2017, **JLL City Momentum Index 2017

Hanoi City

Culture and history are the key aspects of this 1000 year-old city. Walk the narrow historic streets of the Old Quarter, with shops selling everything from red candlesticks to lacquerware and water puppets, and take in the sights and sounds around Hoan Kiem Lake. The lake is the focal point of Hanoi life, especially on weekends. Ngoc Son Temple was built in the 18th Century and is located in the centre of the lake, on a small island. You’ll find plenty of street traders, cafés, restaurants, tourist shops and art galleries in this historical area.

Food

You could spend a week eating your way through walking the maze of bustling streets in the Hanoi’s Old Quarter and never eat the same meal twice; dozens of street hawkers sell a staggering variety of street food. Vietnamese food is cheap and tasty, but you can also ‘splash out’ at upmarket restaurants and bars. You will quickly become an expert in Vietnamese food and its best-known dishes, Pho and Bun Bo, noodle dishes made tangy and satisfying when you add a squeeze of lime and a few leaves of Vietnamese mint. You’ll never be short of drink options either - there are coffee shops to tempt your tastebuds on every street corner. If you love cooking you’ll be surprised by the number of cooking classes available; they are usually combined with a trip to the market to buy produce. Spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet - it’s all here in Hanoi. 

Accommodation

RMIT will link you with a recommended agent who can help you find accommodation in Hanoi. Renting serviced and furnished apartments is far more common in Vietnam than in westernised countries. Don’t worry - we will link you with a Vietnamese student who will become your ‘buddy’ and help you out.

Transport

The most popular way to get around is by motorbike. You can rent a bike, or for individual trips you can call a motorbike taxi. To ride a motorbike of more than 50cc you need a license, and helmets are compulsory. Buses and taxies are also available, and fares in Vietnam are very cheap. Longer distance travel to other Vietnamese cities or into the countryside can be done by long-distance bus, train, and by air.

Health

Among the wide range of hospitals and different standards of health care, private hospitals are generally on par with those in the Western countries and accept international health insurance. The majority of doctors are from the US, Korea, Japan and France, as well as overseas-trained Vietnamese doctors. At RMIT Vietnam, the health and safety of the students is a top priority. We have 24-hour security, health centres and counselling services on campus.

Explore the region

Outside the city centre you can visit many traditional handicraft villages in the suburbs. In the past when there were not many providers of handicraft, a lot of Vietnamese people in the countryside had to make handicraft works to meet their own needs. Each village specialises in a type of handicraft and the techniques were always kept secret. When visiting these villages, you will see the process of making products and even have chance to do handicraft yourself. It is a great way to escape from the stressful daily life in the city and enjoy fresh air in the countryside.

Hanoi has budget airlines serving all major cities in Vietnam, and 53 cities worldwide. During the semester break you can take the opportunity to explore beyond Vietnam; Hanoi has direct flights to many countries in the region, including Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.

Climate

Hanoi has a humid sub-tropical climate with four distinct seasons. 

The hottest months are May-September, with highs of 30-40 degrees Celcius during the day and lowest temperatures around 25 degrees Celcius at night. Winters are comparatively cold and dry. The coolest months are December to March, with highs of around 20 degrees Celcius and lows of 13-15 degrees Celcius at night. However some days may drop to below 10 degrees. The hottest and wettest months are May to September, and daily afternoon/evening downpours are common.

Accommodation for international students

The standard of accommodation in Ho Chi Minh is very good with a wide range of guesthouses, houses and apartments catering to all budgets, depending on location, lifestyle and individual circumstances.

Buddy team is a good source of reference and support for all new international students.

Short term accommodation

International students still living overseas can book their temporary accommodation pre-departure (prior to them leaving home) by booking through Agoda or TripAdvisor. Please read carefully the review/evaluation from the past customers for your reference before making the booking.

If you would prefer to prearrange your accommodation from overseas make sure you are aware of the terms and conditions of the agreement. Accommodation providers may charge fees for cancellations or breaking a lease. You will need to check these fees and charges with each provider as they are independent of RMIT. If you have any queries or concerns please email international.students@rmit.edu.vn for further support.

Long term accommodation

Ho Chi Minh

Three minutes from the campus, Phu My Hung is Ho Chi Minh City’s “satellite city” which is home to international residents from all over the world including Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, American, Australian and more. Apartments, villas, condos are surrounded by green spaces and are well-equipped with sports facilities, swimming pools, shops, cafes and restaurants.

For those who enjoy the liveliness of the city centre, Districts 1 and 3 are the places to live. Their narrow, multi-floored townhouses are ideal places to experience a dynamic, colourful day and night-life with bars, cafes and street food stalls open until early morning.

Ha Noi

International students have a wide range of accommodation options in different locations with well-equipped apartments close to historical areas and modern amenities.

RMIT University Vietnam's Hanoi City campus is at the Handi Resco Building on the banks of one of Hanoi's most picturesque lakes. The campus location is fitted with the latest state-of-the-art learning facilities, including the use of multimedia technology and other innovative features to allow small group learning in an informal, collaborative setting.

We offer international students a wide range of accommodation in different locations, with well-equipped apartments  from historical areas and modern locations. We will provide you with housing support to search for the accommodation that best suits you. In addition, when you arrive in Hanoi you may choose to stay in a short-term rental house and find your ideal house later.

You are encouraged to set up a local bank account as soon as possible. There are a number of international banks operating in Vietnam. These include HSBC, Shinhan and Standard Chartered as some of the most prominent international banks. Vietcombank is a local bank recommended for its good banking services.

You can withdraw USD and VND over the counter at banks. VND can also be withdrawn from ATM machines around town, however, you cannot withdraw USD from ATMs. It is common to make payments using VISA/Mastercard debit or credit cards at supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels, etc., but cash remains the most common form of payment for goods and services.

It is possible to make international transactions from a local bank account to your account in your home country. Your local bank can provide information on this, including advice on online banking services.