Let’s be honest: life as an expat in Vietnam is pretty easy. As much as we like to stoke our egos by comparing our exciting and “unique” lives with friends and family back home, there really isn’t much difference, minus the obvious. Yes, the culture and infrastructure can make for some interesting and frustrating experiences. The food is cheap, housing is cheap, and bars are aplenty here. And most of us can fairly easily get a job, one that pays far more than the average local.
But after a while the novelty begins to wear off, and deep down we start to realise that what was at first exciting and new, is starting to become mundane. I’m not trying to trivialise the countless reasons there are to live in Vietnam — there really are too many to list — but rather point out how easy it is for most us to live comfortably here.
With such an easy life, and with more disposable income than we’re used to, it’s no wonder some expats slip into a world of drug and alcohol abuse and often spiral out o
