'Every day on vacation': I left the U.S. to live in Vietnam and only need to work 15 hours a week.

Kavi Vu, at the age of 3, left her home country, Vietnam, with her family due to a prolonged war. Now, after 30 years, she has returned to Vietnam to "slow down" and immerse herself in her native land.

Last year, Vu relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and now works remotely as a freelance creative consultant and videographer, earning approximately $11,000 per month, according to CNBC Make It's review of her financial documents. She only needs to work around 8 to 15 hours per week.

"I was able to significantly reduce my workload compared to if I were living in the States," she said. "I am very fortunate in that, in Vietnam, I have the freedom to determine my weekly work hours, which is unheard of. As someone who comes from the States, I used to work 10 hours a day."

"Vu stated that his main reason for coming to this place was to work less and observe more. He feels that the U.S. is focused on doing a lot, while here, it's more about being present and simply existing. This change of pace is nice because it provides the necessary space to clear one's mind and untangle knots in one's head."

Not the American dream

In the 1990s, Vu and her family left Vietnam for the United States to avoid the aftermath of the Vietnam War, commonly referred to as the "American War" in Vietnam.

"My sisters were boat people who fled Vietnam by boat and were in refugee camps in the Philippines. They came to the States and were able to sponsor my parents and me over from Vietnam," she said.

Vu's family resided in Florida for 10 years before relocating to Georgia, where they owned a small chicken farm. Despite being a minority in the U.S., she never experienced a sense of belonging, as she shared with CNBC Make It.

""We were the only Asians living there, so it was jarring to always feel like a foreigner," she said."

As she became more involved in politics in 2016, her feelings of being an outsider intensified. For six years, Vu worked as a freelance videographer on projects aimed at mobilizing minority voters in Southern states, but she eventually became exhausted.

Juggling a million different things at once and feeling like her brain is constantly churning, Vu said she was exhausted and the American dream was dwindling. She just needed a break from America.

In August 2023, she decided to take a risk and move from the U.S. to Vietnam.

'I'm on vacation every single day'

Vu resides in a lavish 1-bedroom apartment in the Bình Thạnh district of Ho Chi Minh City, which costs $950 per month.

The apartment complex where Vu lives provides various facilities such as swimming pools, fitness center, eatery, bar, and spa.

"I feel incredibly fortunate, as if I'm living like I'm on vacation every day," she stated. "When I interact with people daily, I undoubtedly have a more luxurious and pleasant lifestyle. And when I discuss the cost of my rent with various groups, I realize that I pay some of the highest rents."

According to reviewed documents, Vu's monthly living expenses amount to approximately $1,500, which covers costs such as food, transportation, and rent.

She typically utilizes the ride-hailing app Grab for transportation around the city, with rides costing between 50 cents and $4. Her meals are usually obtained from local food stalls and restaurants, which have an average cost of $2 to $5 per meal.

""Making American dollars in Vietnam is the best life hack for budgeting," she said."

Life in Vietnam

Vu is a creative consultant, content creator, and poet who enjoys documenting her life in Vietnam. She now has more time to work on her passion for poetry.

She said, "In the States, everything was moving at double speed, and I never realized it because I was always immersed in it."

Vu, while residing in the U.S., was always occupied with paying her bills and achieving the "American dream," which made her feel rushed and compelled to maximize her time, as she stated.

Vu said that life feels slow after moving to Vietnam, despite Saigon's bustling atmosphere. She remarked that people spend hours sitting in coffee shops and she hasn't done that in the US for minutes.

She said, "It's so luxurious to sit and ponder life while writing it down. I never felt like I had the time or an empty mind to truly do it."

Vu's move back to Vietnam has allowed her to slow down and gain mental clarity, enabling her to explore and understand her family's history and heritage.

"One of the biggest things I'm grappling with is feeling closer to my family despite being farther away," she said. "I'm gaining a deeper understanding of my parents by observing their lifestyle here," she said.

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