Becoming the Local ‘Foreigner’: When Expats Outstay the Newbies

When you first arrive in Vietnam (or any foreign country), everything feels new and exciting. The street food is an adventure, the chaos of the traffic is thrilling, and you happily fumble through greetings in Vietnamese with the enthusiasm of a child learning their first words. You find yourself bonding with other fresh arrivals, united in your confusion about how to cross the road or where to find real cheese.

But fast forward a few years, and suddenly, you’re not the new one anymore. You’ve figured out the shortcuts, you have a favourite street food vendor who knows your order, and, most noticeably, you start noticing waves of new ex-pats arriving, making the same mistakes you once did.

Congratulations—you’ve become a “local foreigner”, part of a unique group of expats who have outlasted the newbies and now see Vietnam as home. But how does this shift happen? And what makes long-term expats so different from fresh arrivals?

Inside This Guide

Stage 1: The Bright-Eyed Newbie

*The newbies are easily spotted standing at the edge of the road waiting for a local to cross so that they can walk alongside them*

We all start here. Arriving in Vietnam feels like stepping into another world. The colours are brighter, the smells are stronger, and every day is an adventure.

Signs You’re a Newbie:

You still wear a helmet with the chin strap undone like a tourist.
You take Grab everywhere because motorbikes still seem terrifying.
You attempt to haggle but end up overpaying for everything.
You join every expat Facebook group and ask questions like, “Where can I find peanut butter?”
You go to Bui Vien (Ho Chi Minh City) or Ta Hien (Hanoi) every weekend.

Newbies tend to travel in packs, eager to explore every tourist attraction. They’re obsessed with cheap street food, but they haven’t built up the stomach strength to avoid occasional food poisoning. They’re also extremely optimistic, assuming they’ll pick up fluent Vietnamese in a few months.

Long-term expats see newbies everywhere, and while they might be helpful, they also find their questions and struggles a little amusing.

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Stage 2: The Settled Expat

*When you start to complain about the heat you are entering the settled expat stage*

After about 6 months to a year, the excitement wears off, and reality sets in. You’ve learned the basics—how to drive a motorbike without panicking, how to eat street food without getting sick (most of the time), and how to navigate daily life with a mix of English and broken Vietnamese.

Signs You’re a Settled Expat:

You now complain about the heat instead of just being amazed by it.
You know which pho place is good and which is just for tourists.
You’ve mastered Grab Bike, but you still get nervous in crazy traffic.
You start judging tourists who struggle with basic things.
You attempt Vietnamese, but you’ve accepted that tones are your enemy.

Settled expats still go out and explore, but they stick to routines and have local spots they love. They’re no longer trying to see every pagoda and waterfall—they’re more focused on finding a good coffee shop with WiFi.

This is when the first shift happens. Instead of being part of the “newbie group,” you start rolling your eyes at them.

Stage 3: The Local Foreigner

*Avoiding tourist areas and complaining about how things have changed are signs you are a local foreigner*

Somewhere between year two and year five, something strange happens—you stop feeling like a visitor. You’re not just an expat anymore, you’re part of the landscape.

Signs You’re a Local Foreigner:

You complain about how much things have changed, even if you’ve only been here a few years.
You switch between Vietnamese and English effortlessly, especially for food orders.
You never ask for prices because you already know what things should cost.
You’re annoyed by newbie expats who think they discovered hidden gems.
You have local friends, not just other expats.
You avoid tourist areas unless you’re playing tour guide.

By this stage, Vietnam feels like home. You might not speak perfect Vietnamese, but you know enough to handle daily life. You have a solid friend group, which includes locals, and you’ve stopped converting prices into your home currency.

More importantly, you now see waves of newbies arriving, making the same mistakes you once did. And let’s be honest—you probably feel a tiny bit smug about it.

Stage 4: The Jaded Long-Timer

*When you no longer even notice the traffic and do not find things cheap you are well onto the way to being a jaded foreigner*

Once you hit five years or more, you either fully embrace Vietnam as your permanent home, or you start feeling frustrated with the things that used to charm you.

Signs You’re a Jaded Expat:

You complain about expats who only stay for a few months and act like experts.
You hate the way your city is “changing”, even if change is inevitable.
You no longer even notice crazy traffic—it’s just normal now.
You roll your eyes at newbies who call everything “so cheap” because they haven’t adjusted yet.
You’ve been through multiple visa crises and survived them all.

At this point, you’re probably running a business, married to a local, or just so comfortable that moving home feels like a foreign idea. You’ve seen new expats come and go, and you probably don’t make much effort to befriend fresh arrivals because you assume they won’t last.

But deep down, you also remember being new, and sometimes, you miss the excitement of that stage.

Continue Learning: Street Vendors in Vietnam: The Heart and Soul of Everyday Life

The Strange Thing About Long-Term Expats

What’s interesting is that every long-term expat was once a newbie. But over time, you become part of a small, unspoken club—the people who actually stayed.

You start recognizing faces at your favourite spots, you know which businesses are run by long-term foreigners versus those that are just passing through, and you develop a deep appreciation for Vietnam beyond its surface attractions.

Newbies come and go, but you stay. And that, in itself, is a badge of honour.

Not every expat stays long enough to become a local foreigner. Some people burn out after a year, some move on to new adventures, and some find that Vietnam isn’t for them.

But for those who stick around, Vietnam becomes more than just a place to live—it becomes home.

So if you’re still here after years and you find yourself watching another group of newbies struggle to order banh mi, just smile. Because not too long ago, that was you. And who knows? Some of them might just stick around long enough to become the next generation of local foreigners.