Moving to Vietnam can turn your life upside-down and somet  imes put you in real danger. As soon as you land, you face two tests:

Test 1: Cross a street full of fast scooters.
Test 2: Eat a bánh mì that might hide yesterday’s pâté.

But today’s story is not about fear. It’s about resilience and reinvention. I’m sharing my personal journey: why I moved to Vietnam, how I got my Vietnamese passport, the accident that changed everything, and how I rebuilt my life here. No filter, just real talk.

A Booming Economy and the Call to Southeast Asia

It’s no secret that Vietnam’s economy has been booming over the past 15 years. Back in the early 2010s, we saw the potential and seized the opportunity to expand our California law firm to Southeast Asia, focusing on Thailand and Vietnam. I moved to Vietnam in twelve years ago as a U.S. citizen and lawyer. Basically, blue passport in one hand, client dossiers in the other.

You see, Vietnam may not have the most developed visa programs in the world, but one thing it has that Thailand does not is a foreign lawyer visa, a golden ticket granting you a five-year stay in the country.

Why Does This Matter?

The reason is simple: Vietnam needed and still needs to develop its legal framework after the 1995 reopening of US-Vietnam relations. Let’s be real! It wasn’t exactly robust back then. Fast forward to now, it’s still evolving but moving in the right direction.

Sure, I could have moved to Vietnam under the five-year visa exemption Vietnam as a Vietnamese descendant. But I wouldn’t have been able to legally work under that visa. Imagine a lawyer working illegally under a non-working visa while advising clients on immigration, business, and work permits! Hard pass.

Plus, with the five-year visa exemption Vietnam, you can’t open a fully functioning bank account or buy a car under your name. Cherry on top? You have to leave every six months. So not happening.