Blog

Niall Mackay’s here. I am the founder of Seven Million Bikes Podcasts and the host of this show. I’ve lived in Vietnam for almost ten years now, but I’ve never experienced being a parent here. So when I got to sit down with my friend Claire Simpson, who has also lived here a decade and … Read more

I always knew they were strong, but our conversation showed me just how much they carry while still building amazing businesses in this country.

Let’s take a deeper look at CNBC’s viral “$4,000 in Vietnam” video. We talked about visas, real living costs, and what it truly means to build a life in Vietnam. Honest insights, not headlines.

We talked about how Vietnam has changed from a backpacker stop to a global lifestyle hub, why so many of us stayed longer than we planned, and what makes Saigon feel alive in a way no other city does.

Over the years, I learned that cheap living is possible, but long-term comfort and security require more planning. Let’s discover the real cost in Vietnam.

That moment set me off on a financial journey that led to some of the worst mistakes of my life. I lost tens of thousands of dollars because I trusted the wrong person.

This blog isn’t just a retelling of what happened. It’s about the lessons I took from those setbacks: the power of focus, the importance of saying no, and why resilience matters more than talent.

This episode wasn’t just about acting or moving countries. It was about the deeper question: where do we belong?

As we talked, I kept thinking about how their story wasn’t just about travel. It was about timing, family, and the courage to step away from what’s “normal.” Their journey showed me that big changes don’t always start big. Sometimes they start with a small idea: “What if we tried this?”

Jane Ha lives with diabetes, which made me think about Vietnam’s food culture in a completely new way. It also opened a wider conversation about health, consumer behavior, and culture in Vietnam today.