Florida To Vietnam

Florida To Vietnam - My New life As A Vet In Vietnam

Hello my name is Jacob and I left Florida for Vietnam in 2006 to become a vet out here. I thought I would share my story to maybe inspire others to come and try doing what they love in a whole different environment.

I had been working as a vet in Orlando for almost six years when I heard that vets were required in Asia through a friend and that large companies were willing to pay for your flights out and give you accommodation too while you got yourself sorted out. I had recently broken up with my girlfriend and now seemed as good a time as any.

Four months later I was on a plane to Vietnam, which was my first choice in destination. I had spent much time looking up a lot of information and decided Vietnam was right for me. Once I landed in Vietnam I got a huge culture shock, having never left the US before I really had no idea. I landed and was taken to my apartment, basic, but very clean and very nice....first thing I did once arriving in my apartment was a snake check! Paranoid I know, having lived in Florida I was use to seeing snakes, we all know the swamps are filled with them, however, the variety out here is something else and so I made sure I did a thorough check, something I did daily for the first month or so until my nerves calmed.

For those wondering, Vietnam has sea snakes, vipers, cobras, kraits, water snakes, whip snakes, pythons, you name it...Vietnam has it!

So after a few free days getting my bearings I finally started work, my first animal....a blood python! A strange looking snake that I had never seen before, however, it was just the start of the weird and wonderful animals I would see! In my first few weeks I would see a gibbon, a jackal, a critically endangered Indian vulture as well as take a trip to a tiger sanctuary where they keep dozens of amazing tigers, one of my favourite animals.

What I must say is everything is slower out here, it's much more relaxed, that goes for everything! I ordered some new equipment after I had been here a month, this included basic supplies as well as a new stethoscope as mine magically vanished one evening. It took me hours of researching stethoscope reviews to find the one I wanted, then it took another 4 weeks for it to arrive! It is actually quite difficult to slow your pace down after more than three decades in the rat race, however, I am loving how chilled I have now become.

I head out on an expedition next month to the deep jungle where I will be working on a variety of different animals, however, I have been warned that you will most likely come across krait snakes...something I am not looking forward too!