🌿 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Escaping Burnout – My Honest Expat Story in Vietnam

🌿 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Escaping Burnout – My Honest Expat Story in Vietnam
Two years ago, I was crying in a corporate bathroom stall.

On paper, my life looked "successful" — a stable job, decent salary, a small apartment in a big city. But inside, I was withering. I wasn’t living. I was just... functioning.

So I left.

I came home to Vietnam. I didn’t have a big plan — only a small hope that life could feel lighter again.
And it did. But not in the way I expected.

Here are 5 things I wish I had known before leaving burnout behind.

 
1. 🌫 You don’t have to hit rock bottom to walk away.
I kept waiting for a breakdown big enough to justify quitting.
But the truth is: quiet exhaustion is enough.

You don’t need a meltdown. You just need to listen to the whisper that says, “This isn’t it.”

 
2. 💸 Simplicity isn’t sacrifice. It’s liberation.
In Vietnam, I live on less than $800/month. And it feels full.

I cook meals. I take walks. I read books I used to “not have time for.”

Minimalism here isn’t about deprivation. It’s about clearing space for joy.

 
3. 🧍 You will feel lonely. But it won’t last forever.
The first few months were quiet — painfully quiet.

I missed the noise of my old life, even the bad parts.
But over time, the quiet became peace. And then the peace made room for real connection.

 
4. 📱 Slowness is uncomfortable at first.
I didn’t realize how addicted I was to urgency — to always checking, replying, scrolling.

But Vietnam moves differently.
Morning markets instead of grocery runs.
Coffee with friends instead of Zoom.

At first, it felt inefficient. Now, it feels human.

 
5. 🌱 Healing doesn’t come all at once. But it does come.
It started with sleeping through the night.

Then laughing again.
Then no longer dreading Mondays.

Burnout didn’t leave overnight. But slowly, it loosened its grip — the way morning mist fades as the sun rises.

 
💭 Living in Vietnam – Not a Fix, But a Beginning
Moving here didn’t “fix” me.
But it gave me a new rhythm, a different mirror, and a softer kind of ambition.

I no longer chase productivity for worth.
I chase sunlight on old walls. A good bowl of rice. A life that fits.

 
🔗 More from Living in Vietnam
– What I Spend in a Day Living in Saigon
– Why Americans Are Leaving Their $75K Jobs for Vietnam
– Hoi An at Dawn – A Slow Morning in Vietnam
– How I Eat Well on $10 a Day in Saigon

 
✨ Ready to slow down, too?
Begin here 👉 thekimngan.com/living-in-vietnam