This is Niall Mackay, The Podcast Guy. I am the host of this show, Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast.
This is a very special episode, when I have a family of 4 as guests, including 2 kids. It’s incredible!
I knew this was not going to be a normal conversation. The parents, Dennis and Emily, were accountants in Texas, but they quit their jobs and traveled around the world with their children.
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?”
From Texas to Vietnam: A Family’s Journey Through 30 Countries
When I met Dennis and Emily Nguyen in my Saigon podcast studio, I knew their story was going to be different.
I’ve interviewed many people over the years, but this time I wasn’t just speaking with one or two adults. I was speaking with two adults, two kids, and a journey that had already covered more than thirty countries.
The Big Idea: Leaving the 9-to-5 Behind
We’ve all had those moments where we dream of a big trip. For Dennis and Emily, it became a reality. They were tired of the usual two-week vacations where they felt like they couldn’t truly relax and see the world. As accountants, they had limited time off, and it was hard to feel like they were making real memories. They wanted to travel while their kids were still young enough to enjoy it and remember it. So, they made a brave choice: they quit their jobs, packed their bags, and took off.
What started as a simple idea for a short getaway quickly became a year-long adventure that changed their lives forever. Dennis said that the idea started small, just to go to Vietnam. But then they thought, “Why not a few other countries on the way?” A “couple” turned into five, then ten, and now a little over thirty. This wasn’t a planned-out escape; it was an idea that grew as they talked about it, fueled by the desire for something more than their normal routine. I found that so inspiring that a big, life-changing decision can start from a small, simple question.
Life on the Road with Kids
Traveling as a family isn’t easy. I’ve seen parents stress on a two-hour flight, never mind a trip around the world. So I asked them: how was it really?
Homeschooling came up quickly. They thought teaching math and reading would be easy. After all, they were accountants. But as Emily laughed, being a parent and a teacher at the same time was harder than they imagined.
They had to adjust. Instead of a strict daily schedule, they learned to be flexible. Some days, school happened in the morning. Some days it happened in the afternoon. Some days it didn’t happen at all.
The kids’ answers made me smile. Their favorite things weren’t always the “big” sights. Sometimes it was drawing on an iPad, eating banh mi, or just playing. It reminded me that for children, travel isn’t only about seeing the Eiffel Tower or skiing in Japan. It’s about being together, feeling safe, and discovering little joys.
And yes, the Vietnamese stereotype came up again. Aiden, the son, said his favorite subject was math. Of course.
The Joys and Challenges of Family Travel
Before they started, Dennis and Emily worried about safety, sickness, and food. Would the kids get sick? Would hospitals be good enough? What if something went wrong?
These are real fears for any parent. But as they traveled, most of those fears never came true.
They also discovered something I often notice in Vietnam: people love kids. In many places, staff in restaurants would happily pick up their children, play with them, and give them space to be themselves. Dennis told me, “In America, it sometimes feels like people don’t want kids around. Here, everyone welcomes them.”
That difference stood out. Family travel is not just about logistics. It’s about culture. Some places make you feel like kids are a problem. Other places make you feel like kids are part of the community.
Of course, there were practical challenges too. Finding food that worked for everyone. Living in hotels. Keeping kids entertained during long journeys. But the fears that stopped other parents from even trying turned out to be smaller than they thought.
Vietnam Compared to the World
Dennis and Emily had seen the Maldives, Japan, Korea, Tanzania, and many other places. So I asked them: how does Vietnam compare?
They told me Vietnam was as easy and enjoyable as Paris or Tokyo. More people speak English now than even a few years ago. Tourism was better organized. And food, of course, was everywhere.
Infrastructure could improve, yes. But overall, Vietnam surprised them with how smooth travel had become.
What also surprised them was the Vietnamese diaspora. They kept finding pho restaurants in the most unexpected places—Helsinki, Tanzania, Hong Kong. It was a reminder of how far Vietnamese people had spread, and how culture travels with people wherever they go.
More Than Just a Trip: Finding Cultural Connection
Dennis and Emily both have Vietnamese roots, which added a special layer to their journey. They talked about how they would find little pockets of Vietnamese culture in the most surprising places, like a small phở place in a town where they didn’t expect to see anyone Vietnamese. I was particularly amused by the story of a friend who was talking to a taxi driver in Vietnam. He complimented her Vietnamese, but when he found out she was Vietnamese-Australian, he immediately changed his mind and said her Vietnamese was “so bad.” It just showed how important those small moments of connection can be, even with funny misunderstandings.
Lessons from Their Journey
As I listened to Dennis and Emily, I kept pulling out little lessons:
- Timing matters. Don’t wait until retirement. If you want to travel with your kids, do it while they still want to travel with you.
- Big changes start small. A summer trip can grow into a life-changing adventure.
- Culture shapes us, but doesn’t trap us. They respected their parents’ values, but they also created their own path.
- Flexibility beats perfection. Homeschooling, travel schedules, even meals—everything worked better when they stayed flexible.
- Family is the real destination. Whether in Vietnam, Japan, or Tanzania, the biggest reward wasn’t the country count. It was the time spent together.
What This Meant to Me
I’ve lived in Vietnam since 2016. I started this podcast in 2019. I’ve heard so many stories, but this one stayed with me.
Dennis and Emily reminded me that travel isn’t about ticking off countries. It’s about connection—family, culture, and the chance to see life differently.
When I moved here, I planned to stay six weeks. Nine years later, I’m still here. Their story echoed mine in a way: sometimes the plan changes, and that’s the best part.
Final Thoughts
Listening to Dennis and Emily reminded me that travel is not about how many countries you visit. It’s about who you share it with and what you learn along the way. They didn’t wait for retirement. They didn’t wait for the “perfect” time. They chose to do it while their kids were still young, and that made all the difference.
Their story made me ask myself, and now I’ll ask you too: what small step could you take today that might grow into something bigger? Because sometimes the biggest adventures start with a simple question: “What if?”