Before 36-year-old Marchece Ryan left the US Air Force in 2019, he traveled to Vietnam, and the experience changed the course of his life.
“It looked like it was a lot of fun and really endured all the hype,” Ryan says CNBC will make it. “I’m going to have the best time of my life and that depression (just) went away.”
Ryan says his first visit to Vietnam and how happy he was there, and he didn’t want to let go of the feelings. He began planning a return to the country.
The veteran returned to life in the US and Air Force, completing his service at a military base in Wyoming before being discharged from hospital in honor of 2019.
His favorite part of Ryan’s apartment is his view.
CNBC’s Louis Corallo makes it
According to CNBC Make reviewed documents, Ryan moved to Vietnam shortly after leaving the Air Force, where he lives for around $4,000 a month. His monthly salary comes from several sources, including the VA disability, GI bill since completing his master’s degree, and teaches English. Ryan also takes on weird tasks such as voiceover work and is an avid fan of day trading.
Ryan suffers from spondyloarthritis, respiratory problems, hearing pain, and mental health challenges from the military era.
“This may sound a lot in America, but trust me. This is more than enough than the middle class in Vietnam,” he says.
When Ryan first arrived, he worked with a longtime friend and a real estate agent to find his first apartment. He made a lot of movement at first due to all the noise pollution. He also wanted to take advantage of the low rent prices during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“A lot of cries, street cellars, and sometimes karaoke is really loud, so if you’re very intolerant of noise, this may not be the place for you,” he says.
Ryan says he has no plans to leave the apartment.
CNBC’s Louis Corallo makes it
In 2023, Ryan moved to a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment and currently lives in Ho Chi Minh City. It is one of the tallest residential towers in the country. Ryan says that what he loves most is his views.
“The views are very good here. I can’t give it to everything. I’m not going to resign unless they kick me out,” he says.
His utility closes down to about $130, including electricity, water and housekeeping.
This is Ryan’s fourth apartment since moving to Vietnam in 2019.
CNBC’s Louis Corallo makes it
Ryan has been in the space for two years and has no plans to leave his apartment or Vietnam.
“If I leave, that’s because Vietnam told me to leave. In America, I felt very unmotivated. No matter how hard you work, you are still in poverty. You’re always following standards that you really can’t achieve,” he says.
“There’s daily financial pressure here in Vietnam. You’ll focus on who you want to be, who you want to be and how you get there.”
Ryan lives in one of the tallest residential towers in Ho Chi Minh City.
CNBC’s Louis Corallo makes it
He says this experience is the exact opposite of his life returning to the US.
“Every day, you wake up with a long list of things you want to do, not something you want to do, and it’s a completely different way of life. Even if you need to work here for 40 hours a week, you’re doing it as an investment in the future.
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