[santoriv]

Well, I think this strategy might work if you want to keep your burn rate unbelievably low while you are writing v 1.0. But to be honest 300 Euro per week for space is actually not optimal.

I've been in the mountains of Vietnam for the last year and rent has been between $50 and $125 per month, which has made it possible for me to be unemployed for a long time and write v1.0 of my startup's app.

I think that Southeast Asia is a pretty ideal location if you want to go the bootstrapping route - the people are super nice and friendly and everything is unbelievably cheap. You really can get a lot done.

The serious downside is that you are not really connected to the tech scene - you can't really meet that many hackers (i.e. potential cofounders) and of course there is zero funding. And when you talk to tech folks stateside you feel pretty disconnected when you in a different part of the world.

Nevertheless I think it's a viable way to go solo.

[theunixbeard]

Some points re: SE Asia tech scene, it does exist in some of the hotspots such as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ubud in Bali (that's where I am currently) etc.

Check out http://www.tropicalmba.com as a good starting point to learn about this "scene".

As another point, after coming out to Asia while working a remote programming gig for a US company I discovered that I love the severe time zone difference. I have 1 Skype meeting per day and exactly 0 disturbances for the rest of my workday. Really plays well into the "Maker's Schedule" as described by pg: http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

[banino]

Hey! It's also pretty far from Europe, Morocco is 3hrs away from Paris and London. And a lot of people simply don't want to live in Asia, they'd rather go to Africa.

[WhitneyLand]

What is the fastest Internet connection you can get while paying $125/month for rent?

[santoriv]

12 mbps for ~$10 a month. Arguably that's burst and in the evening I can't Skype effectively because of the congestion. But it's good enough for what I'm working on.

[codyb]

Wow $50 - $125 a month? Sounds like a great way to set up for six months and just have a crash pad to explore Asia with for a while.

Any pointers on visas?

[tim333]

>Any pointers on visas?

You can get a 3 month multiple entry tourist visa pretty easily. It cost's about $140 for the various fees. You have to google visa agencies and fill the form online. Sometimes you can get 6 month visas also though I can't seem them on line at the moment. When it runs out you can fly to Singapore or similar and apply for another. The Vietnamese don't seem to worry too much what you do once you are there. I'm probably off there soon to hang out in Saigon which is quite fun but more expensive.

[santoriv]

Yes Saigon is quite a bit more expensive than where I live. But there is a lot more going on there too.

Regarding visas - the parent is correct. I would only add that you can also make border runs to Cambodia from Saigon - which is a few hour bus ride and quite a bit less expensive than flying some where (around $10).

[codyb]

Wow thanks. Maybe I'll come live in Vietnam for a few years. Cheers.

[tim333]

No worries. A few years is a bit of a commitment but it's a fun area to travel / do some coding for a few months. Chiang Mai is also popular with startup types and not that far. I liked it there and Angkor also was kinda fun.