Living thoughtfully in Vietnam

[homeschoolingfamily]

Hello everyone. New to the forums, but not new to ERE thinking.

I first discovered ERE back in 2012/13, which included reading the book at least once. At that time, I was just beginning my accumulation of assets. I recently reread the book and am diving into the community with a different pair of eyes.

Many things have happened in the ensuring decade, but I write today from my home in central Vietnam, which I share with my wife and toddler son. We recently bought a house in the city where we live (paid in cash) and have a liquid nest of low-six digit USD in index ETFs. My wife works part time and I currently work full-time fully-remote. We do not track household expenses presently, but they are approximately $1500-1600 / month.

I plan on writing a journal here, primarily as a self-exercise in writing out my thoughts and reflections. Feedback is welcome but not my primary objective. I am interested in a variety of topics, some of which are below:

- home education for my son
- substituting meaningful, local (but lower paid) work to quit the rat race before hitting FI
- regaining my personal fitness and pre-fatherhood body composition
- learning new skills related to home ownership, gardening, and parenting
- becoming a thoughtful husband
- chronicling my life-long journey to improve as a chess player
- whatever else comes to mind

Happy to be here.

[NewBlood]

Welcome! looking forward to reading more about your family's ERE journey in Vietnam.

[C40]

Xin chào bạn mới. Mình chúc bạn trở nên giàu sớm. Bạn là người Việt hay người nước ngoài? Mình đến từ nước Mỹ và sống ở Việt Nam.

Hello. I was curious when reading your post - are you Vietnamese, Viet Kieu, or from somewhere else? From your writing style, I'm guessing you're from elsewhere, but it's hard to tell for sure.

If you'd like writing about these, I'd be curious to read:
- How is your remote job? Do you enjoy it? Is the money good?
- What type of work would you like to do locally? In what ways do you think it could be more fulfilling?

[homeschoolingfamily]

Thank you both for the well wishes.

To answer some of C40's questions, I am a North American expatriate with a Vietnamese spouse. I have been living in Vietnam for ~5 years now, and internationally for ~ 17 years.

My remote job pays moderately well by international standards and very well by Vietnam standards. Niche consulting in the communications/PR sector. I do not really enjoy the work, although it is among the very best full-time jobs I've had over the years. Mostly I lament all the other things I could be doing with my time.

I have two ideas/opportunities initially. One is proven already, to teach chess to children/youth in my city. The other is actually a set of environmental/eco-tourism/education opportunities with a trusted friend who is established in this field. The income generating potential is unknown at this time.

I envision a substantial improvement in time freedom and reduced mental load/stress related to endlessly serving clients. I feel that all of my creative energy and potential for discovery and serendipity is suppressed by the two headed hydra of FT work and FT parenting.

[suomalainen]

I feel that all of my creative energy and potential for discovery and serendipity is suppressed by the two headed hydra of FT work and FT parenting.

Yeah. I mean, some parents seem to be fulfilled solely by the "discovery and serendipity" that their kids (and work) provide. Some seem to have boundless energy to provide full attention to their children (and work) and yet continue to have sufficient energy for themselves (or perhaps including work). Yet others seem perfectly content to abandon and/or ignore their children (perhaps even work) in pursuit of their own self interests (perhaps including work). And some of us are in no-man's land in between those three. It's a shame, really, that it's so hard to know which one you are until after you already have them. Too bad "they" don't flip the switch to fertility until after you've passed a self-awareness test and been able to apply it to life-long caregiving. Puberty, unfortunately, is no such test. At least work is slightly more flexible in that you can trade one in for another if you don't like it. In any event, best of luck finding your path given the, as of now, initial conditions.

[homeschoolingfamily]

Yeah. I mean, some parents seem to be fulfilled solely by the "discovery and serendipity" that their kids (and work) provide. Some seem to have boundless energy to provide full attention to their children (and work) and yet continue to have sufficient energy for themselves (or perhaps including work). Yet others seem perfectly content to abandon and/or ignore their children (perhaps even work) in pursuit of their own self interests (perhaps including work). And some of us are in no-man's land in between those three. It's a shame, really, that it's so hard to know which one you are until after you already have them. Too bad "they" don't flip the switch to fertility until after you've passed a self-awareness test and been able to apply it to life-long caregiving. Puberty, unfortunately, is no such test. At least work is slightly more flexible in that you can trade one in for another if you don't like it. In any event, best of luck finding your path given the, as of now, initial conditions.

I have a nearly boundless energy to provide full attention to my son (that's one of the core foundations that I'll seek to explore here in our lifestyle design), but I have very little energy or enthusiasm for FT work that is solely income generation focused. I am seeking a lifestyle where my work is designed into a web of goals that places home education and personal development in a prominent position. I am much more focused on an ERE lifestyle than I am on achieving FI.