Moving Aboard Series | Vietnam: The New Calculus of Home

There's a conversation happening quietly in cities across the developed world: at dinner tables, in group chats, on Reddit threads running into the thousands of replies. It sounds something like: What if I just... didn't?

Didn't keep grinding to cover rent. Didn't keep delaying the life they actually want. Didn't stay out of inertia.

For a growing number of people, Vietnam has become the place where that question turns into a plane ticket.

Who's Actually Making the Move

The image of someone moving abroad tends to conjure a specific type: young, untethered, laptop and passport in hand. And yes, digital nomads are part of this story. Vietnam's major cities, particularly Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, have become well-established hubs for remote workers drawn by fast internet, walkable neighborhoods, and a cost of living that makes London, Sydney, or San Francisco feel like a fever dream.

But the profile is broader than that. Across YouTube channels and online forums, the voices telling the Vietnam story now include former factory workers, retirees, nutritionists, and career-changers: people who arrived for a vacation, did the math, and simply didn't leave. YouTubers like Isaiah Ashley, who documents life across Thailand and Vietnam, have helped bring this world into the mainstream, offering a candid window into what daily life actually looks like on the ground. And it's resonating. These aren't aspirational travel fantasies. They're practical dispatches from people living well on budgets that wouldn't cover rent in most major Western cities.

Chad Dunn, a former Hyundai plant worker from Savannah, Georgia, now runs a relocation business in Da Nang. He told NPR: "I can pick you up from the airport, set you up with a phone, a bank account, and get you settled in an apartment in under a week." Vietnam, he says, is becoming very popular. Fast.

The Number That Changes Everything

Let's talk about money, because that's often where this conversation starts.

Vietnam consistently ranks among the lowest cost-of-living destinations for global citizens worldwide. Here's what the real-world comparison looks like for someone coming from a higher cost-of-living country:

Expense	Western Country Est. (e.g. Florida)	Vietnam (Monthly Est.)
1-BR apartment (city center)	$1,800–$2,500	$400–$700
Dining out (per meal)	$18–$25	$2–$5
Monthly public transit	$60+	~$7
Health insurance (expat plan)	$400–$600	$50–$100
Comfortable total monthly budget	$3,500–$5,000+	$1,000–$1,800

Sources: International Living, MyLifeElsewhere, Expatis 2025 data

For context: the average Social Security retirement benefit in the U.S. is around $1,900/month, and comparable pension amounts in countries like the UK and Australia tell a similar story. In a high cost-of-living country, that barely covers rent. In Da Nang, it covers rent, daily dining out, occasional travel, a cleaning service twice a week, and still leaves money at the end of the month.

Mia Moore, a holistic nutritionist from Northern California, described the shift to NPR this way: back home, every day was about figuring out how to make more money to sustain her quality of life. In Vietnam, that pressure eased. The beach is minutes away. The math finally works.

And for those with remote income, the advantage compounds further. Many countries offer tax exclusions or favorable treatment for income earned abroad. Combined with Vietnam's low cost of living, the financial picture can look dramatically different than anything available back home.

The Real Trade-offs (Because This Isn't a Brochure)

No relocation story is complete without the honest part.

The visa situation: Vietnam doesn't currently offer a formal long-term retirement visa the way Portugal or Costa Rica does. Most long-term residents navigate through a 90-day multiple-entry e-visa (available since 2023), business visas, or sponsored long-stay arrangements. The rules have improved significantly in recent years, but they require ongoing attention. This is manageable, but it's real work that shouldn't be underestimated.

The distance: Flying from Vietnam to Europe or North America takes anywhere from 12 to 24 hours and can run $800–$1,500+ round trip. When something happens at home (a parent's health, a sibling's wedding, a friend in crisis) getting there isn't a quick hop. Most people making the move budget for one or two trips home per year. It's worth sitting with that honestly before making the leap. Though it's also worth noting: people miss things even when they live two hours away. Distance alone isn't the whole story.

Healthcare: Major cities have strong private hospitals, with specialist consultations running $25–$40 and international health plans available for as little as $600–$1,200 annually. Outside urban centers, access becomes patchier. Serious medical events often prompt travel to Bangkok or Singapore. Plan for this.

Language and integration: Vietnamese is a tonal language with significant regional variation. Most global citizens navigate well in English in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, but learning even basic phrases earns genuine warmth. The bubble of familiar faces and routines is real. Stepping outside it is a choice that has to be made actively.

Is It for You?

The people who tend to thrive in Vietnam share a few things in common: comfort with uncertainty, genuine curiosity about a culture different from their own, and a definition of "home" that isn't tied to a zip code.

If you're a retiree looking to stretch a fixed income without sacrificing quality of life, a digital nomad ready to plant roots somewhere with real character, or someone who's simply burned out enough to consider a genuinely different path, Vietnam is worth serious consideration.

It won't be perfect. No place is. But as a growing number of global citizens are discovering, "far from perfect but financially and emotionally sustainable" is a surprisingly good place to build a life.

Want to explore what a trip to Vietnam looks like before you commit? Check out our travel guide.