re: Americans retiring to Vietnam

My wife and I have lived in both Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur and could easily move “part time” to the region when we retire... I say part time because things in Asia can drive you crazy so we’ve discussed downsizing our house here once the kids go to college and getting a townhouse in a big city in the US as a base but then spend 6 months a year in a rented place in select cities in Vietnam, the Philippines or Thailand (as well as some places in Europe as I also have an EU passport).

Malaysia is ok in KL but the rest of the country sucks in terms of medical and general living conditions. For $3500 a few years ago, you could get the cartilage in your knee regrown using your own stem-cells that is only being done in the US now... there are some fantastic doctors in BKK and Sillypore as well, Jakarta is still fantastic except the traffic and the fact you are toast if the locals decide Christians must die...

We survived the 5 years of living out there without any of us catching any of the nasty bugs that are common in the tropics because we were very cautious about what we did outside... Lots of bug spray, coils, screens and netting. We joked that we kept our A/c at 17C and blowing full blast to create a positive air pressure whenever the door was opened so mosquitos couldn’t get in... our idiot friends who would open all the doors when having a party or slept with the windows open shocking all came down with denge or yellow fever more than once...

If you have enough saved to plan ahead and to book tickets enough in advance and make long term rentals can live in cool locations in top notch housing and still fly home when you’ve had enough of the craziness of living in Asia...