Here is how that exact conversation usually plays out between two buddies over a couple of beers:
Tom: “Alright, man, I’m doing it. I’m packing it up and retiring to Vietnam next year.”
John: (Sets his beer down, staring) “Vietnam? Are you out of your mind? Tom, you’re 62, not 22. You’re not a backpacker anymore.”
Tom: “Hear me out. I can rent a luxury condo overlooking the beach in Da Nang for $600 a month. My entire budget—food, massages, beers, utilities—is going to be under two grand. I’ll live like a king while my 401(k) actually grows instead of draining away here.”
John: “Great, you’re a king until your appendix bursts. What’s the plan then? You think the local clinic down the street is going to handle your bypass? You don’t speak a lick of Vietnamese. How are you going to tell a doctor what hurts?”
Tom: “They have world-class international hospitals in Saigon and Hanoi. Tons of expats go there, and the doctors speak perfect English. Plus, Bangkok is a one-hour flight away for major stuff. The healthcare is dirt cheap compared to the madness we pay here.”
John: “Yeah, until they change the visa rules overnight and kick your ‘royal’ butt out. They don’t even have a retirement visa, Tom! What are you going to do, a ‘visa run’ to Cambodia every three months at age 75? You’re going to get exhausted and stressed out playing games with immigration.”
Tom: “There are legal loops—business visas, five-year visas if you know how to set it up. People do it every day.”
John: “It’s a gamble, man. And what about your kids? Your grandkids? You’re going to miss Thanksgiving, Christmas, soccer games. It’s a 20-hour flight! You think Sarah is going to pack up three toddlers and fly across the Pacific just to visit you on a beach? You’re going to be completely isolated on the other side of the planet.”
Tom: “We have FaceTime, John. And with the money I save, I can afford to fly back first-class twice a year to see them. Here, I’m just grinding away to pay property taxes and heating bills.”
John: “Look, the food is great, the beaches are nice for a two-week vacation. But living there? The traffic is pure chaos, the air pollution will choke you, and you can’t even buy your own house outright. You’re trading total stability for a cheap tropical fantasy. I think you’re crazy.”
Tom: “And I think staying here and watching my savings evaporate while staring at a gray winter sky is crazy. Drink up, man. Next year, the beers are on me—and they’ll only cost a buck.”
We are CamHong and Paul, and look, we get it—taking that first big leap to travel or retire abroad can feel intimidating. We live in a world where life holds more excuses than actions.
It still blows our minds how often people try to talk us out of it! The moment you mention moving or spending real time overseas political social engineering takes over as everyone parrots the party line we’ve been fed our whole lives: ‘The world is a scary place! Just take your two-week vacation, stay inside the resort, drink your umbrella drinks, and head home to your bills and focus on the quality medical care from the greatest country on earth.’
We would really enjoy the opportunity to help push past that fear, step outside the scope of political social engineering, and see how welcoming, beautiful, and doable the world really is when you take that first step together.
The smartest man in the world sitting at the pool side bar in a resort, might not be the best source of information.