Quality of Life in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Traffic is dense, but not congested like Bangkok (or even US). Traffic jam is actually rare during rush hour. Most of the roads in the city actually flow during rush hour, you won't get stuck for hours in traffic jam.

Pollution is actually no worse than Bangkok or Seoul. During rainy season the exhaust fumes from motorbikes are washed away by the rain, so it's not that bad.

Healthcare is decent. You can get very sophisticated procedures like MRI scans, colonoscopy, full blood tests, etc... for less than $50 and have it done the same day (no such thing same-day MRI scan in US (all appointment only), where I'm from, and the US hospital gave me $2000 bill for a MRI scan). The city have specialists that can treat really bad disease like hearts or cancers at only a fraction of the cost in US. Private hospitals have really nice beds and facilities.

Very safe city, no robberies, no car-jacking, no car-breakins, no shootings, no guns, nothing. Foreign female solo travelers can explore the whole city in peace. (ok, maybe you have to worry about a cheating/scamming taxi driver or street vendor, but this issue is very much everywhere in Asia, including South Korea/Japan/Thailand, yes, I do run into scamming vendors in Seoul during my travel)

I rate quality of life in Ho Chi Minh City at 80-85% of US San Francisco Bay Area (where I live for 20 years and still live) at 20-25% of the cost. The only downside I can see is the air pollution coming from motorbikes exhaust. Other than that quality of life is quite pleasant if you have income of just above $2000/month, you live life large there.

My own personal feeling is that it's fairly safe here. There isn't the same anti-social undercurrent feeling that is found in UK cities for example. People are gentle, open and friendly which makes for a very pleasant living environment, despite the city's drawbacks.

No, the pollution is not that bad. Around autumn when there is less wind there are quite a few moderate/high days. It depends on the wind and how close to a major road you are.

This is a bit inaccurate. Here are a few things to change:
1. Traffic: Roads are congested most times of the day. Public transport is almost non existent.
2. Climate: Very hot and humid
3. Healthcare: Awful.

The commute is much quicker than in Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila or even Yangon. I take Grab Car and arrive at work in another area of the city within 15 minutes (Binh Thanh to District 3) by motorbike it would be even faster.