RE: Americans retiring to Vietnam in droves
"the main motivating factor is that USA, and the rest of the west, is friggin expensive!"
Haha. I figured that out at age 20! and never looked back. What I find highly disturbing when I go "home" (Albany New York) is that if I want to eat healthy I better empty my savings account and get a job! Friggen SAD! pun intended (standard American Diet) and it boggles my mind after two months in Thailand where I can get a healthy tasty meal for two bucks waited on me beach front! No wonder I gave up on living in my home country for the past 17 years and I'm only 37! In fact I had asthma growing up in the US. The doctors just gave me drugs and told me to continue eating crap, because "nutrition has nothing to do with it" I leave the country, go to Asia, eat an Asian diet and my asthma "magically" just goes away.
Let me continue reading....That sentence in your first paragraph apparently triggered me. haha
$2000 to stay here in Thailand for the past year! Damn! I just payed 60 bucks to to extend my visit for another month; where I just got a three month visa to Vietnam for 50 dollars total. I'm also researching and EVERYTHING seems to be about 1/3 less expensive. Not saying Thailand is expensive compared to the west, but I do see a significant increase in costs compared to just a few years ago.
So we are leaving tomorrow to Ho Chi Minh. Buying a motor bike, heading west through the Mekong Delta then a week or two in Phu Quoc Island. Than back through the entire country up to Ha Noi. So we will probably be around Danang in February. I'll certainly hit you up when we get close.
Very interesting post. I'm sure you will be really happy with your decision.
Any reason specifically on why you chose Danang? Good expat community?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
-Dan
i chose Danang exactly for the expat community. They have a massive one. I shouldn't be worried about it, but i am worried about the fact that I don't speak any Vietnamese. Most people that just moved there don't but I"m so accustomed to being able to speak the language here that I probably worry about it too much.
Plus, i heard that Danang has a surf scene, and I have always wanted to learn that so here's my chance.
I hear you about eating healthy in USA, it's expensive AF. When i'm visiting my family in NYC i just tell them "if we eat out, it's either you guys are paying for it or we're getting slices of pizza!"
My Visa only cost me that much money when i factor in everything including the cost of one year of ninja school.. the visa itself wasn't that much of course.
Indeed eating out at a nice place in NYC will burn a whole in your pocket crazy fast! I think you will like Danang a lot. Knowing the language is great, but it's no deal breaker in a place like that.
I learned Spanish for my couple years in Ecuador and Latin America. It's a great language to know, but like you mention. Learning Vietnamese....Thai I'm impressed enough.
Ninja School. Know that is something else I'll have to look into!