Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

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the-monk
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Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by the-monk » August 3, 2016, 10:04 pm

CAMBODIA NEW RETIREMENT HAVEN.

A recent NYT article described Cambodia as a New Retirement Haven for Americans,
where a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle can be had for about $1000 a month.
With the uncertain situation here, Cambodia could become part of a plan B or plan C.
Has anyone got a first-hand knowledge of the Cambodian situation ?
Thanks in advance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/world ... ement.html



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MrFixer
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by MrFixer » August 3, 2016, 11:52 pm

Visited Cambodia a few times and done some work for the government there.
Cambodians generally nice people, although there are quite a few issues with how the country is run - SOP in SE Asia really...
Lot of guns in circulation and access to decent medical care is an issue. I was staying in one of the smarter hotels in PP when a neighbourhood 'big shot' got a bit too drunk and fired off his gun in the lobby. Several patrons were injured and the most serious had to be airlifted to Vietnam for medical treatment. Locals seemed unperturbed by this turn of events.
Wouldn't be my preference over Thailand, but maybe OK as a refuge if things turn ugly in the LoS.

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Khun Paul
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by Khun Paul » August 4, 2016, 5:51 am

I am sorry if the really ill people have to be airlifted to Vietnam for treatment, surely that would highlight a major deficiency in Cambodia, regarding health care provision, I would rather move to Vietnam or Malaysia than Cambodia. health provision is not as yet a high priority but as one gets older it tends to be more important that the opportunity to fondle a female form or two.

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BobHelm
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by BobHelm » August 4, 2016, 6:37 am

I think that the New York Times piece is a very poor offering.
If, as the article suggest, cheapness of living is the only criteria then maybe Afghanistan & Somalia should be topping the desirable places in which to retire... :D

Any decent ex-pat package in the country has medical insurance that includes air lift to Thailand as an essential part of the deal. :(

While the cost of living can be very cheap I, personally, could see very little to occupy the time that a retiree would have on his hands.
Phnom Penh can certainly be quite a sophisticated city. However sophistication tends to carry a fairly high cost of living there, as anywhere else. It is also, even if a small, capital city with the general traffic chaos that results in.
Siem Reap certainly contains a site that I would recommend anybody in the vicinity to go & see at least once in their lives. However once you have done that there is little else to do in the town. Worse, the town is geared for high turnover tourists rather than long term retired stayers.
Sihanoukville is just about the only Cambodian place that caters for anyone who envisages a beach style retirement. I understand that the Authorities are currently cleaning up the beach side & removing the small businesses that used to invade it. However Sihanoukville has a real dark side that it is pretty hard to miss concerning alcohol & drug miss use amongst ex-pats. For many years the area was controlled by a couple of Russian families. That is certainly in decline - due to the state of the Russian rouble & the extradition of some 'criminals' back to mother Russia - however it has been replaced by a frenzy of Chinese building, based around the Casino & gambling industries. Sort of 'out of the frying pan, into the fire' scenario.
Outside these 3 main centres are some lovely small towns - Kep & Kampot immediately spring to mind. However after a week or so they do tend to become deadly dull for someone not actually working. :D

I would certainly return to Cambodia for a holiday or use it as a 'holding area' if it all went wrong in Thailand, but I would not entertain it as a future permanent home!!

glalt
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by glalt » August 6, 2016, 5:42 pm

Cambodia is probably the cheapest country to live in. The problem is VERY poor infrastructure and horrible medical care. A good friend of mine who lived there, (RIP). told me the corruption made Thailand look squeaky clean.

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Lone Star
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by Lone Star » August 6, 2016, 5:49 pm

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Last edited by Lone Star on October 18, 2019, 8:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Lone Star
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by Lone Star » August 6, 2016, 6:01 pm

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Last edited by Lone Star on October 18, 2019, 8:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BobHelm
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by BobHelm » August 6, 2016, 6:24 pm

That makes sense LS.
Apart from the shortish (& renewable only once inside Cambodia) Tourist Visa the only other offering was what used to be called, Business Visa, now usually referred to as E Visa. That could be renewed in up to yearly chunks internally for about $280.
Over a year ago Cambodia started to enforce the use of work permits on E Visa holders.
This clearly ended up in a rather confused & farcical state. The responsibility for obtaining the work permit resided with the employer - who clearly didn't exist in the case of retirees!! :D
Glad that they seem to be trying to resolve the matter.
I imagine that the use of 'financial stability' requirements might be useful in removing some ex-pats who are clearly currently living in Cambodia well below the poverty line...

I am, however, rather more interested if this might also cause Vietnam to consider creating a retirement visa of its' own. They (Vietnam) have certainly relaxed their visa requirements over the last 12 months but nothing in this direction yet...

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Zidane
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by Zidane » August 7, 2016, 8:38 am

Probably the only place I would consider staying long term in Cambodia is near the riverside in Phnom Penh.
This would be more expensive than other areas of the city but more scenic and liveable.
Not surprisingly traffic is a shambles in the city.
But nightlife is quite good and theres the fairly new Aeon Shopping Mall which has a cinema,bowling,supermarket,restaurants plus the regular shopping experience.
Theres the usual markets like the Russian market and the street nightmarket.
Quite a bit to do sightseeing wise but the traffic is crazy and its very hot during the day.
I did find beer a fair bit cheaper in Cambodia than Thailand which could influence a number of expats ! ;)
I think that the likes of Siam Reap,Sihanoukville,Kampot and Kep would be OK for just a vacation from what people say.
Decent medical insurance would be a must,including being taken over the border to Thailand for treatment.That said there is now a Royal Phnom Penh hospital which is Thai owned and part of the Bangkok Hospital group,I think ?
Just when I thought our chance had passed,you go and save the best for last.

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LoongLee
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by LoongLee » August 7, 2016, 8:16 pm

ลุงลี

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BobHelm
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by BobHelm » August 19, 2016, 9:39 am

A rather different perspective of the capital of Cambodia.
Phnom Penh Rated One of the World’s Least Livable Cities
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/phno ... es-116895/

In fairness some of the negativity comes from corruption, which, realistically, is probably going to have little to none daily impact on a retirees normal life.
The
poor health care and a lack of adequate infrastructure
is the crux of the matter though, I think..

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BobHelm
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by BobHelm » August 19, 2016, 10:10 am

On the 'other, other hand' :D
They appear to be making it so, so easy for people to stay in the country that I am sure it will be attractive to many..
Three-year Visas Available Next Month
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/28689/ ... ext-month/

The Cambodian government will soon allow foreigners to stay for up to three years on a single visa, in a bid to meet a goal of seven million overseas travelers annually by 2020.


The three-year multiple-entry visa, a new government strategy to encourage foreigners to come to the Kingdom, will allow foreigners to stay in the country for up to three years, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said on Wednesday.


The multiple-entry visa application will be available from September 1 to foreigners from all countries, Mr. Khon said, with different prices according to the length of stay although pricing details of the new visas were unavailable.


The new entry visa will allow tourists and businesspeople to enter and exit Cambodia many times during the visa’s validity period, Mr. Khon said.


“They can apply for a visa in Cambodia and can travel in and out many times according to the visa they apply for. Tourists and investors can apply for a two-year stay or three-year stay with multiple entries.”


Cambodia hopes to welcome at least 7.5 million foreign tourists by 2020, according to a newly announced goal. Of the targeted number, two million are Chinese and 300,000 Japanese, according to Cambodia Tourism Marketing Strategy 2016-2020.


Ho Vandy, secretary-general of Cambodia’s National Tourism Alliance, said the move to extend visas was part of a strategy to develop the country’s tourism sector.


“It is a strategy to make the target [of seven million tourists] come true after the private sector and government work together,” Mr. Vandy said.


It would really help to encourage both tourists and investors, and foreigners who provide training and work in social development to come to Cambodia, Mr. Vandy said.


For Cambodia’s tourism visa, people from Asean countries are currently granted a stay of 14 days to a month and tourists from other regions – the European Union and the US for example – are allowed a month. Businesspeople can currently renew their visa for a month, three months, six months or up to a year.
No mention of the cost, but the current ordinary visa costs $280 for a year.
As with current Cambodian visa it seems to come with 'no strings attached' - pay your money & collect your visa. Thailand take note... :D

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AlexO
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Re: Cambodia Retirement Haven !!!!

Post by AlexO » August 19, 2016, 3:26 pm

Spent 2 one month holidays in Sihanoukville and was really considering a permanent move there from Pattaya. However, became quite seriously ill in Pattaya which required a weeks stay in hospital and many outpatient visits. This made me reconsider as, if you have anything more serious than cuts and scrapes or just needing an antibiotic from the local "clinics" then its a minimum 4.5 hour drive to decent hospital in PP. Worth thinking about.

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