Chad Dunn used to work on the floor of a Hyundai plant in Savannah, Ga., watching the clock and wondering how long he could keep going. “Life in America was pretty unfulfilling and pretty stressed out,” he says. Now he lives in Da Nang, Vietnam, and runs a relocation business helping other Americans move — from airport pickups and phones to bank accounts and apartments, often within a week. Many of his clients first find him on TikTok, watching videos of daily life abroad and asking how they can do the same.
Global expat surveys rank Vietnam and Thailand highly for affordability and quality of life. Estimates based on U.N. data show Americans living in Southeast Asia rose from about 32,000 in 1990 to nearly 88,000 in 2024 (figures likely undercount the true total). And for the first time in decades, the U.S. may be seeing negative net migration, with a Brookings Institution study estimating net migration turned negative in 2025.
Brooke Erin Duffy, a communications professor at Cornell, says the trend has been building, especially as remote work grows. People increasingly try to integrate work into lifestyles rather than structure life entirely around work. Social media, she notes, accelerates this by pairing aspirational imagery with relatable creators showing remote work against attractive backdrops. But she cautions that online portrayals can be misleading: content is often filtered and glossed over, hiding practical challenges.
Expats often hype Vietnam for affordability. Mia Moore, a 37-year-old holistic nutritionist from Northern California, moved to Da Nang after years traveling through Southeast Asia. She says the decision built over time. In Vietnam she pays about a fifth of her former rent, utilities are minimal, and meals like a bowl of pho can cost around $2 to $4. “People say it’s cheap, but that makes it sound low quality,” she says. “It’s actually a really high quality of life. It’s just less expensive.” On TikTok, Americans stream their days from beachfront cafés, city apartments and evening walks, conveying a simple message: life in Southeast Asia can look easier.
In Thailand, influencers similarly highlight lower stress. Chris Michaels left his corporate toy-industry job in Chicago and, after a trip to Bangkok, retired early at 46. He’s spent more than seven years in Thailand and posts regularly on TikTok and livestreams. The most common question he gets is, “Help me leave the United States and move to Thailand.” For many viewers, the appeal starts with cost: rent, food and transport in cities like Da Nang and Bangkok can be a fraction of U.S. prices, especially for those earning or saving in U.S. dollars. That difference reshapes daily life; people restructure days around personal priorities instead of financial pressure. Dunn describes more community, less of the relentless stress he left behind.
But TikTok doesn’t tell the whole story. Many expats benefit from earning in U.S. dollars while spending in local currencies — an advantage not shared by most Vietnamese or Thai citizens. Working locally can be difficult; in Vietnam, foreigners are usually limited to a narrow set of jobs, commonly teaching English, where pay is often lower than in the U.S. Consequently, many rely on remote work, savings, or U.S.-based income streams, which lets them enjoy lower costs without fully participating in the local labor market.
Health care costs can be lower; Moore paid about 200,000 Vietnamese dong (roughly $8) for a dental cleaning, X-rays and a checkup. But access and quality vary, especially outside major cities. Long-term matters like schooling, visas and residency are often complicated. Many Americans in Vietnam live on tourist visas valid up to 90 days, requiring regular border exits and returns (so-called visa runs). Thailand offers various visa options, but long-term residency remains complex. Michaels emphasizes his status as a guest: “I will always be a foreigner.”
Other trade-offs include distance from family, time zone differences, and rebuilding a life from scratch. Adjustment can be hard: Michaels recalls waking at 2 or 3 a.m. wondering what he’d done, and it took months to feel settled. The promise of a lower-stress life isn’t automatic; many move with the same stress they had before. “You have to let go of that,” he says.
Despite caveats, the trend is moving from curiosity to commitment. Dunn says when he first announced his move people thought he was crazy; now they’re calling him asking how to come. Michaels notes a reversal: people who once asked why he left now ask how to follow. For many Americans living in Southeast Asia, the move feels permanent. “There’s no going back,” Dunn says. “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”