The rental agent initially told me I could sign a 3-month contract, but when I approached her, she insisted it had to be 6 months and cheaper. This was confusing and led to a discussion about the disparity between what I'm paying and what the other tenants are paying. Additionally, the property was originally presented as an apartment but is now being referred to as an apartment/hotel. I found out that there are no balconies on any floors and an extra fee is required for weekly cleaning. After speaking with other residents in the area, it seems like what I'm paying is higher than the standard rate. Finally, there is a renovation happening nearby that looks very promising. Once it's complete, I will investigate the rates and share the details. My friend who I stayed with at an Airbnb said a lot about this, but it won't deter me. I plan on finding something closer to the beach so I can enjoy my work with her. with her.
Still in learning Mode...but my eyes are wide open
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  -@eddyjw07
It's hard to know what to say since you pretty much ignored all of the advice I gave you in your first post to the forum:
You may recall I referred you to another post of mine where I said...
(This is the same advice I give to everyone):
First, try to determine the neighborhood you want, then search Google maps for inexpensive hotels (and "Hotel/Apartments") that you can book through Agoda or BookingDOTcom for 3 Days to 1 week.
That will give you a confirmed reservation without having to commit to a one month or longer stay before you ever enter the country.
I don't normally recommend Airbnb in Vietnam because it is so hit and miss.
However, when searching for long-term lodging of 28 days or longer (that will almost always get you a lower monthly rate on Airbnb) I find that it's a useful tool to get the general sense of the "high" rental rate in a certain area for the specific thing you want, such as a studio or 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartment or full house/villa with even more rooms.
I say the "high rental rate" because face-to-face you can almost always get a lower rent negotiated than the Airbnb rate.
The way I recommend people use it is to identify places they might want to live, but don't contact the landlord until you are actually here in country staying for a few days to a week in an affordable hotel or motel.
On Airbnb, use the function to contact the property owner for further information before actually renting.
Explain to them in a private message that you are here locally and you want to come and view their property before you rent.
If they will agree to that, you can go and see the place in person.
Then you have the opportunity to negotiate with them directly for rent over a certain period of time.
You will also probably be able to avoid the higher cost of finding a place through a rental agent that way.
Another thing you can do is to go ahead and rent the place for one week through Airbnb and then, if you are happy and the landlord is happy, you start talking about renting by month or more.
Keep in mind that even if you are here on a 30 or 90-day tourist visa, it's legal for you to sign a much longer lease with the landlord.
It's totally up to the landlord.
Then you can do Visa runs and exit the country and reenter and you still have a place to live.
Whatever you do, don't send any deposits long distance before you get to Vietnam and actually set eyes on a piece of property.
So now I repeat:
6 month leases are quite common.
Since you didn't accept the previous offer of a 3 month lease, there's absolutely no reason to expect the landlord to honor the same offer now.
This is quite common in all negotiations here and around the world: if you don't accept the good offer when it's given, be prepared to receive a worse offer if you don't secure the deal and return later, hoping to get the same deal.
You are paying a higher price because you didn't negotiate a lower price face-to-face.
Nobody's fault but your own.
You were obviously uncertain as to whether you negotiated a good price because you immediately asked the forum if you could have gotten a better deal.
Perhaps the other tenants didn't use an agent, so their rental rate was lower.
What do you mean, you "found out that there are no balconies on any floors and an extra fee is required for weekly cleaning"?
You mean you didn't inspect the building or take a look at the outside before you signed a lease and you didn't ask common questions?
Where in the heck did you find the "agent" you used?
Probably it was the sister or cousin of the landlord "Carol".
Also, all of the photos and signage at your place call it an "Apartment/Homestay" which one of us would have explained to you if you'd asked before signing a lease.
It's hard to help someone who can't decide where they want to be (First, center city, then riverside, and now, the beach...)
Also, if you've been here this short of a time period and you are now willing to choose to move closer to a new female friend, you'll likely need more than simple good luck to survive here.
Still, hopefully all will work out for you.
