Digital Nomads in Vietnam – A New Way to Live in 2025

Jul 10, 2025·By Kim Ngan

Digital Nomads in Vietnam – A New Way to Live in 2025
By Kim Ngân

I didn’t move to Vietnam to escape work. I moved to escape how we work.
There’s a difference.

The kind that reveals itself not in resumes or tax brackets,
but in the mornings when your alarm doesn’t jolt you awake —
because you’ve already been gently stirred by the scent of coffee
and the sound of scooters humming in the distance.

That’s what life has become for many digital nomads in Vietnam.
Not a pause, not a break —
But a slower, softer reimagining of what it means to live and work.

Why Vietnam? Why now?
In a world burned out by hyper-productivity,
Vietnam is quietly — and steadily — becoming a haven for those seeking more balance, more meaning, more breath.

And it’s not hard to see why.

- A warm bowl of phở costs less than your morning latte in New York.
- You can rent a sunlit studio with a balcony in Đà Lạt for under $300/month.
- Fast internet is standard. So is hospitality.
- And then there’s the rhythm of life — slow, circular, deeply human.
As someone born in the Mekong Delta and now living in Saigon,
I’ve watched this shift unfold with quiet wonder.
More than just remote workers — people are coming here to remember themselves.

The New Nomads – Who’s Really Moving Here?
They’re not just twenty-something backpackers on a layover from Bali.
They’re:

- Burnt-out tech workers from San Francisco
- Freelance writers trading gray skies in London for sunrises in Hội An
- Teachers, marketers, healers, solopreneurs
Some are in their 30s, some in their 60s.
Some stay for 3 months. Others, 3 years.
What they share in common isn’t just a laptop.
It’s a longing.
A longing for life, not just a livelihood.

Best places for Digital Nomads in Vietnam
🏙️ Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
If you crave energy, diversity, and endless cafés with fiber-optic WiFi — Saigon is for you.
It's not slow, but it has layers — and if you know where to look, you'll find quiet pockets tucked inside its chaos.

🧘 Đà Lạt
The air is cool, the tempo slower, and the coffee stronger.
Perfect for deep work mornings and hammock afternoons.

🎨 Hội An
Cobblestone streets, riverside coworking spots, and enough charm to inspire any creative.
A magnet for writers, designers, and anyone tired of concrete.

🌊 Đà Nẵng
A balance of beach and city. Affordable, clean, and quietly cosmopolitan.

🛶 Mekong Delta (yes, even here)
Fewer nomads, but more nature.
If your work thrives in stillness, you’ll find beauty in the slow drip of river life.

But what’s it really like? (No rose-colored glasses)
✅ Internet is fast. Coworking spaces are growing.
✅ Visas can be a dance — but manageable.
✅ You’ll meet people — but also confront your own silence.
✅ Not everyone speaks English — but kindness is a language here.
✅ You’ll get more done — but feel less like you’re racing.

A Story From the River
A friend of mine — Sarah, from Chicago — arrived in Vietnam two years ago after quitting her $75K/ year job in a corporate PR firm.

She didn’t come for a fresh start.
She came because she was tired of waking up with dread.

Now she lives in Hội An.
She works four hours a day, writes quietly in the mornings, walks to the market barefoot, and teaches English to a neighbor’s kid just because she wants to.

“I didn’t know I could feel like this again,” she told me.
"Alive. But not exhausted."

Why I Believe This Life Matters
I’m not a digital nomad.
But I’ve watched enough of them pass through the coffee shops, the riversides, the yoga mats of this country —
and I’ve seen something unspoken bloom in their eyes.

A slowness.
A gratitude.
A soft reclaiming of enough.

And I think Vietnam has something to do with that.

Not because it’s perfect — it’s not.
But because it doesn’t demand that you be, either.

Vietnam isn’t just a place to live. It’s a place to relearn how to live.
And in 2025, that might be exactly what many of us need.

So if you’re looking not just for a change of address —
but a change of pace,
a change of rhythm,
a change of being...

Vietnam will meet you halfway.