Marquez Ryan, 36, is an American from Maryland who has been living in Ho Chi Minh City for six years. He joined the military at 20 but left after a difficult incident made him feel depressed. A trip to visit a friend in Vietnam changed everything, and the feeling of happiness made him decide to stay.
Marquez earns around $4,000 a month from multiple sources. He receives $1,500 from VA disability, makes up to $1,300 from part-time teaching, and gets a $1,000 stipend for his master’s degree. He also day trades, which is risky. This income allows him to live an upper-middle-class lifestyle. He rents a high-end apartment with a beautiful view for $850 a month, with very low utility costs.
He owns a motorcycle, which is affordable to buy and use, with a full tank of gas costing only $3. While he dislikes the city’s noise pollution, he loves the culture, the strong Vietnamese coffee, and the friendly people. He feels more at home here than anywhere else and plans to open a bar to bring locals and foreigners together.