✈️ Why Americans Are Leaving Their $75K Jobs for Vietnam – The Quiet Escape

🌿 Why Americans Are Leaving Their $75K Jobs for Vietnam
Not long ago, a friend from the U.S. texted me:
“I’m making $75K a year, but I feel like I’m drowning. You seem… at peace. What’s the difference?”

I didn’t know how to explain it in one message. Because it’s not just about money.
It’s about space. It’s about breath.
It’s about waking up and not feeling like you’re already behind.

More and more Americans are choosing to leave behind high-paying, high-stress jobs for a quieter life in places like Vietnam. And they’re not crazy.
They’re listening to something we all forget to: ourselves.

 
🔥 1. The Salary Was High. But the Cost Was Higher.
Many of them earned $70K–$100K/year in tech, law, healthcare, or media.
But they were also paying:

$2,200/month for rent in San Francisco
$700/month on insurance
60–80 hours/week at a screen
And their sanity.
Burnout wasn’t a buzzword. It was Tuesday.

 
🍃 2. They Didn’t Want More. They Wanted Less—but Better.
Vietnam offers something hard to describe in numbers:

Mornings without rush
Meals that don’t cost $20 but taste like childhood
Time to breathe, walk, cook, rest, think
In Saigon, Hội An, or Đà Lạt, you don’t need to “hustle harder” to feel alive.
You just need to slow down enough to notice you already are.

 
🧳 3. Real Life Costs Less Here—and Feels Like More
Most expats I meet here live on $800–$1,200/month and live well.

Expense                                           Average Cost (USD)
Rent (1-bedroom, central)            $300–$500
Street food / daily meals                  $4–$8
Healthcare (private clinic)              $20–$50 per visit
SIM, utilities, transport                   $50–$100
But the real savings?
Not needing to numb yourself every weekend just to survive Monday.

 
✨ 4. They Found Community—Not Just Connection
In Vietnam, cafés aren’t just remote offices. They’re living rooms.
You don’t network here. You sit. You share. You listen.

Whether it’s in a riverside market or a co-working space in Đà Nẵng, people here are often present—and that’s rarer than free Wi-Fi.

 
💭 So… Why Are Americans Moving to Vietnam?
Because burnout culture teaches us to measure success in exhaustion.
But Vietnam teaches something gentler:

That a $1 coffee shared slowly is richer than a $7 latte in a rush
That a small home with time to cook is more abundant than a luxury apartment you never rest in
That peace isn’t earned—it’s chosen
 
🔗 More from Living in Vietnam
– What I Spend in a Day Living in Saigon
– How I Eat Well on $10 a Day in Saigon
– 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Escaping Burnout
– Hoi An at Dawn – A Slow Morning in Vietnam’s Lantern Town

 
✨ Thinking of leaving the noise behind?
There’s a quieter path waiting here: 👉 thekimngan.com/living-in-vietnam