After his father was robbed at gunpoint at a convenience store, Zach, 30, from Oregon, USA, immediately planned to move to Asia to live for a safer environment.
As a language teacher, Zach had many options such as Japan, Korea, Thailand. But once he accidentally read the safety stability index in Vietnam and some friends suggested that the cost of living here was cheap and the people were friendly, in early 2023 he pressed the submit button and moved to Ho Chi Minh City.
Becoming an elementary school teacher in Go Vap district, watching the children playing carefree day and night, Zach realized he had made the right choice. In the US, he was familiar with gun violence. Last year, his high school in Portland had to be evacuated due to a nearby shooting. Students are always taught escape skills from a young age. "Guns and bullets are still a scary obsession for Americans," Zach said.
The only unsafe place in Ho Chi Minh City that Zach was warned by his friends was not to answer the phone on the street, but he has not been robbed yet. During Tet 2024, Zach's friend had his pocket cut open and his money and phone stolen while watching fireworks, but the perpetrator was quickly arrested.
"Robbery and fraud crimes occur in every country," Zach said. "But here, I always feel safe."
After nearly two years living in Hanoi, Maximilian Rolf said he was happy to enjoy the peaceful pace of life here. In Vietnam, the nightlife is quite vibrant. Shops are open late at night, people sell food on the sidewalks. Maximilian confidently took his camera and walked along the streets of Hanoi to record life, unlike when he was in Germany, he usually returned home before evening.
Once, Maximilian was shocked to see Vietnamese people together to catch robbers. In Germany, only the police dare to do this because it is very dangerous. "I feel like I live in the protection of the people here," he said.
In 2023, a survey by the world's largest expat network Internations recorded the results that Vietnam was in the top 15 best countries for foreigners, in which the highest rated index was safety and security. In Asia, Vietnam ranked after Taiwan (China), UAE, Singapore, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and ranked 35th globally in this index.
Andrea Gallo, an Italian, admitted this. He came to Hanoi 12 years ago with a university scholarship. He often goes backpacking by motorbike whenever he has the chance, something Andrea could not do in his hometown, Naples.
Andrea said that above all, the safety in Vietnam allows him to do that. If he were to get lost in his hometown, he would worry about robberies and scams and have to return to his accommodation before dark. But in Vietnam, getting lost can give him an interesting discovery about the alleys, the people are always friendly and are not threatened by any danger.
In winter in Italy, Andrea often sees homeless people taking shelter at train stations, trying to beg for money or steal from tourists. It forms a more popular wave, leading to the saying Opportunity makes a man a thief.
The young man believes that he can still live a stable life in Italy, but in Hanoi, he finds that society is more community-oriented, rather than individualistic, making people feel safer.
I think that is why many people choose Vietnam and consider it their homeland," Andrea said.
Comments