Stories & Field Notes
Lessons, stories, and practical notes from remote life in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Featured GuideHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Great weather, affordable living, and a growing digital economy. A photo-rich look at what it's really like to work remotely from Ho Chi Minh City — from apartment offices and connectivity to life outside work.
Read the guide
Vietnam Transportation
A practical guide to choosing the right transportation app, comparing fares, and getting around Vietnam without paying more than necessary.
Living in Vietnam
Discover what to wear in Vietnam by season, month, and region. Compare clothing needs in Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam, including packing tips for expats and travelers.
Living in Vietnam
Learn how foreigners can legally drive in Vietnam, obtain a Vietnamese driver's license, convert an eligible foreign license, use an International Driving Permit, and understand why eID is not a driving license.
Travel Safety
A practical, Vietnam-focused guide to identifying and avoiding online job scams, fake recruiters, task scams, and overseas employment fraud. Learn how to verify any job offer, protect your CCCD and personal documents, and recognise the warning signs behind "việc nhẹ, lương cao."
Living in Vietnam
Gold shops in Vietnam are no longer a reliable option for exchanging U.S. dollars. Learn what changed under Decree 340/2025/ND-CP, where to exchange money legally, and how to avoid problems.
Remote Work
A practical, verified guide to 15 companies and platforms for finding remote, freelance, contract, and AI-assisted work — including how AI is changing the job market, what to watch for in scams, what it costs to find work, and how to pursue remote jobs while living in Vietnam.
Travel Safety
After watching the Vietnamese film Trại Buôn Người (The Journey of Heroes), I reflected on the everyday habits that help travelers, digital nomads, and expats reduce unnecessary risk in Vietnam — from transportation apps to identity protection.
Living in Vietnam
Vietnam has no single nationwide off season. This practical guide explains how off-season, rainy-season, and shoulder-season travel differs across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, and Da Lat — covering weather, crowds, costs, packing, and what to actually expect in each city.
Visas
A practical guide to Vietnam's Decree No. 320/2026/NĐ-CP on electronic identification (eID) for foreigners, expats, and digital nomads — covering registration, biometric collection, processing times, and key dates.
Living in Vietnam
A comprehensive guide to Vietnam weather by city for remote workers and expats — covering Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, and Da Lat, with seasonal breakdowns, month-by-month comparison, and practical advice.
Vietnam Housing
Foreigners can rent apartments, houses, and serviced apartments in Vietnam. Learn about rental contracts, deposits, temporary residence registration, and police inspections.
Living in Vietnam
A practical, experience-based guide to crossing streets, reading addresses, and getting around safely in Vietnam — written for travelers and expats seeing Vietnamese traffic for the first time.
Apps
The essential apps for Vietnam: VNPAY and Moreta Pay for QR payments, Grab, Be, and Xanh SM for rides and deliveries, Pharmacity for medicine, WhatsApp for messaging, and Vexere for inter-city bus and train booking — with official download links for each.
Vietnam Lifestyle
A Westerner living in Ho Chi Minh City shares why the cool breeze before the rain—and the refreshing air after—are some of his favorite parts of Vietnam's rainy season.
Vietnam Transportation
Compare a Vietnam sleeper bus with a Greyhound bus in the USA, including comfort, sleeping space, berth length, and why height matters for tall travelers.
Lifestyle
Experience a night of authentic Vietnamese street seafood and discover why everyday experiences like these make living in Vietnam so memorable.
Information is provided for educational purposes only. Laws, tax rules, visa requirements, banking policies, and residency rules change. Always verify current requirements with the applicable government agency and consult a qualified tax professional, CPA, EA, attorney, or immigration professional for advice about your specific situation.
