Manisha, David and Khôi are seated in a 20-square-meter meeting room in Ho Chi Minh City as I introduce them to a project called Just Show Up. This project aims to answer the questions often swirling in the minds of those considering a move to Vietnam: Should I live in Vietnam? Are there opportunities for me? Is it safe and fun?
These three already have the answers. In a parallel universe, David might be strolling through a scenic Danish city, Khôi sipping coffee in a New York café, and Manisha having a fine dining experience in a Dubai skyscraper. But they’re here, taking just two seconds to accept to my spontaneous interview invitation.
This is a story of an expat, an overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu), and a overseas student—each finding a unique path to life in Vietnam.
Chapter 1: Manisha in the Superficial World
When was the first time you traveled alone? College? Your first business trip? For Manisha, it was at 6 years old.
During the hot summers in Mumbai, a little girl with springy curls would board a three-hour- flight on her own to visit her parents in Abu Dhabi. Her father, a GM for companies like Sony and Blaupunkt, and her mother, who also worked in corporate, were busy building careers abroad.
Growing up with her grandmother in India, Manisha eventually followed in her parents' footsteps after graduation. She moved to Dubai and joined a series of large advertising firms. Her apartment, complete with a gym and pool, sat in Bur Dubai, a historic district with an average rental cost of around $17,000 a year. With Dubai’s limited public transportation, Manisha went through three personal cars over her years there. She switched between Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Massimo Dutti for formal events, and straightened her hair to look more “professional”. Looking back, Manisha describes that phase of her life with one word: superficial.
"I changed so much from being a person who didn’t care much about brands,” she said. “Eventually, the labels took over because of my work, the people, and the environment. By the end of my 12 years in Dubai, I was losing a bit of myself.”
Dubai, with its foreigner-heavy population (around 80%), brings together people from the Middle East, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Australia, the UK, the US, and more. Everyone’s there to work and make money, but this diversity also means the city lacks a truly authentic culture of its own. One day, Manisha realized she was tired of the glamorous events with hundreds of people where she showed up polished but felt especially empty inside.
She decided it was time for new challenges. A two-month networking trip across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos came up, and she took a job in Vietnam, eager for the learning opportunities. “Vietnam is growing, and I want to be part of the growth,” Manisha said. Breaking away from the concrete jungle, she settled in Vietnam and spent five years as CMO for a young digital bank. She also worked with small businesses and startups, from a familiar café in Tân Bình District to a rising media company like Vietcetera.
More than anything, Vietnam helped Manisha reconnect with her independent, original self. She updated her LinkedIn profile to "Fractional CMO and Independent Marketing Consultant," a reflection of her choice to own her business and work on her own terms. These days, she rides a 50cc scooter to work, embracing her natural curls and wearing bright, colorful dresses.
After our chat, Manisha mentioned she had to get back for a workout with her neighborhood group at a little studio down the street from her home. It's a small group of locals who do yoga, Pilates, hip-hop, and salsa together. She also has a group of close friends for weekend barbecues, movie nights, and baking sessions, and an Indian community from the chamber and consulate. With them, she joins in Indian cooking, festivals, and volunteer work, blending pieces of her heritage with her life in Vietnam.
As you can see, that's a colorful life!
Chapter 2: David finding mission
Imagine a calm, suited man holding his first-born daughter meeting a wild teenager ready to skydive from 3,000 meters at the Argentina-Brazil border. Surprisingly, they’re the same person. Just two different versions of David.
David is a Vietnamese Dane, raised in Fredericia city along the coast of the Little Belt. Among 50,000 residents of this fairy-tale town, David was a wild teenager who loved sports, partying with friends. You could easily spot 9 shirtless photos of young David within just 3 minutes scrolling through his social media. But if you lingered one more minute (hopefully, not too creepy!), you’d also notice a palm-sized tattoo on his left chest, a beautiful woman. His late mother.
David’s parents had immigrated to Denmark in the 1980s, after the Vietnam War. In 2003, while his mother permanently moved to a nice place in his heart, his father grew up alongside him, becoming the most powerful influence in David’s life. His father had always been there, supporting David’s decisions. Until David, at 23, made a choice that gave his dad pause.
"I’ve never seen myself as one of the elite, so I had to take a different direction to stand out," David admitted. That “different direction” meant flying straight to Vietnam after graduation to find a job, while 95% of his friends went on to master’s programs. Deep down, David didn’t want to be just one of many thousand millions of people. He wanted to stand out. But it’s nearly impossible to stand out in Denmark’s highly specific and structured job market.
To David, Vietnam was a land full of opportunity. But to his father, it was not. “His last memory of Vietnam was unfortunately bad. He was afraid I wouldn’t fit into the lifestyle here because I came from a relatively secure place,” David shared.
It took David a few years to prove to his father that Vietnam deserved a fresh perspective. His professional, organized Nordic style, mixed with the adaptability and cultural respect he learned in Vietnam, became his ticket to success in every role he took on. This country was fast-paced and brimming with opportunity, with an economic growth rate averaging 7% annually over recent years, and welcomed over $20 billion in foreign direct investment last year alone.
In 2022, when David married his Vietnamese girlfriend and started a family, his father returned to see Vietnam again. His perspective began to shift. David’s dad realized that Vietnam was indeed safe and convenient. His son was now a happy matured man, with a job he was passionate about and a family he cherished. That was the moment his love for Vietnam came back.
The father’s acceptance awakened something in David. “If I can change my dad’s mindset, I can change many others’. So this is my passion to show people what Vietnam really looks like.”
David continues his work, connecting Vietnam with Denmark, the Nordics, and the world. Now, he truly stands out. Not just as a man with a mission but as a man with a purpose. And if he hadn’t shown up, I would never have known!
Chapter 3: Khôi and the American Dream
Khôi was a "con cầu tự," a child born after his parents prayed for years to have him. In Vietnamese culture, these kids are believed to need extra care or they risk fragile health. True to that belief, Khôi had asthma from an early age, and his family watched over him closely, keeping him sheltered and safe.
Growing up, he was hardly ever allowed to do anything independently. The most "dangerous" thing he did as a kid was sneaking out to buy snacks by himself. For the most part, he stayed indoors, reading books and learning the names of cities on a globe. “Did you know Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein are all capitals of South Africa?” he challenged us.
Then came Disney Channel in his teenage years, casting America in vivid colors through High School Musical. America, to him, looked wild and free, and he was set on going there. A top student, Khoi easily earned a scholarship to a university in Ohio. But months before he was supposed to leave, his family lost billions of VND in a financial crisis. Undeterred, Khôi set his sights on America again, finally landing a spot at the University of Rochester in New York a year later.
The days before his flight were thrilling. But once he arrived, a sense of homesickness hit hard. America— or at least his city—felt cold. Studying film, he found that his surroundings were nothing like the movies. Making friends was hard. The individualism here was unlike the tight-knit community he’d grown up with.
“There were classmates who’d be so friendly one day, I thought we’d become friends. But the next day, I’d wave, and they’d just ignore me,” he said, “I find that really weird.”
His struggles only grew when COVID-19 hit. He turned to stress eating and gained 30 kg in two years. Once, he stayed in bed for three days straight, not eating or even showering. It was only after he returned to Vietnam that he recognized these were signs of depression.
Khôi came back during the peak of the pandemic. After years of chasing the American dream, he felt lost with it now gone. Surprisingly, just a few weeks back with family and friends lifted that weight. He admitted he didn’t fit in with his old environment, realizing he needed the simple pleasures—café chats, good friends, and a strong sense of community.
Shortly after, Khôi joined a Google documentary project in Vietnam, training 300,000 students across rural provinces to code. He realized then that his dream wasn’t America; it was the freedom he’d imagined. He let go of his American degree to study film back home.
“I’ve spent seven years in university,” he laughed. It was a tough road, but he finally knew what he wanted and saw he could reach it in the place he started, with a completely new mindset. Hollywood classic hero’s journey, isn't it?
Is Life in Vietnam Worth It?
Manisha: 9/10.
Great quality of life, work satisfaction, friendly people, and natural beauty. Minus 1 for extra regulations in banking and visas, and healthcare access for foreigners.
David: 9/10
The opportunities, culture, people and in general the optimism. I love that! Minus 1 for the sometimes complicated processes for foreigners in terms of residential paperworks and settling down in Vietnam.
Khôi: 11/10.
About Overseas Vietnamese Summit 2025: Crossing Over
Participate in our homecoming reunion, where Vietnamese professionals from around the world share their experiences and perspectives on seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges in building careers and settling down in Vietnam.
Date: January 2-4, 2025
Location: Ho Chi Minh City
Buy your tickets here!
Special thanks to our sponsors & partners for accompanying us in this event, including Ninety Eight (Title Sponsor), Janus Executive Search & Talent Advisory (Recruitment Lead Partner), and Vietinvest.au (Engagement Partner).