Why Teach English in Vietnam In 2025?
Vietnam just celebrated its 50th Reunification Day, which marks the day that the North and the South of Vietnam reunited and began the last 50 years of peace and prosperity.
This makes it a great time to discuss what it’s like living in Vietnam right now, and why you might want to consider moving here, whether you’re coming to Vietnam to teach English or otherwise.
During the Reunification Day holiday, there was lots of positivity and festivities. There was a parade with different groups representing various parts of the government, all the way from the army to education.
Veterans wore their uniforms and medals. Many people got up as early as 3:00 a.m. to go watch the parade, and there was lots of smiling, cheering, and general good vibes.
There was also an air show with jets doing stunts, helicopters, and the firing of cannons.
And of course, Vietnamese flags everywhere. People wore traditional ao dai dresses and men’s outfits.
Then in the evening, there was a fireworks show which lit up the skyline in front of the skyscrapers of District 1 which looked really impressive.
The whole day showed the Vietnamese people’s national pride, as well as how far things have come in the last 50 years.
Personally, that’s something I really like about Vietnam: the forward-thinking, enterprising, optimistic nature of the Vietnamese people, looking to build a better future with smiles on their faces all the while.
That makes those of us non-Vietnamese living here feel very welcomed. And as long as you remain respectful, Vietnamese people show a lot of warmth and friendliness.
With this focus on the future, there’s been a lot of rapid development in Vietnam. That means living here gives you the comforts of modern society, as well as the vibrance of Southeast Asia.
On one hand, you can go to modern malls. On the other hand, you can go to a local Vietnamese restaurant and get an amazing meal for a couple of dollars.
The reasonable cost of living here allows you to eat out pretty much as much as you want, go out and enjoy yourself, and live a really comfortable lifestyle.
When I ask the people that we help start teaching English in Vietnam why they decide to do it, there’s a variety of reasons. These include travel, wanting to do something meaningful, or just wanting to change their lives to a certain degree.
But a big one is often the cost of living crisis in their home country, where normal folks—not the ultra wealthy—are just struggling to live really comfortable lives and enjoy themselves. Everything just seems to cost so much.
I noticed a trend on YouTube recently where travel YouTubers were putting “the cheapest country in the world” in their video titles for Vietnam.
First of all, that’s definitely not true. Vietnam is a lot more developed than a lot of countries in the world.
And secondly, it’s kind of disrespectful to be calling it “the cheapest country,” when a lot of Vietnamese people work really hard and are just getting by.
What I am saying is that if you come here as an English teacher, you can live a really comfortable and balanced lifestyle. You’ll have enough to enjoy the best things that Vietnam has to offer—like the food, travel, nightlife, and things to do.
I think that’s what attracts a lot of people who want to come start teaching English in Vietnam.
We have a lot of interviews of the people we’ve helped start teaching English here, who say similar things. They express that Vietnam gives you the chance to live a really balanced and enjoyable lifestyle.
Food-wise, Vietnam has some of the most amazing cuisine—and there’s far more to try here than just pho and banh mi. There are hundreds of different dishes that are just incredible.
I think you really just have to come to Vietnam to experience all the dishes here, whether you’re just traveling or coming to live. Vietnamese food is just so good!
Travel-wise, there are so many opportunities to travel within Vietnam, as well as to nearby countries.
Just this holiday, I went down to the coast to Ho Tram. It’s just a little bit up the coast from Vung Tau, which is the closest beachside city.
There are some really nice beaches there and you can stay in a hotel on the beach. I just went down for two nights, saw some amazing sunsets, ate some delicious seafood—and that’s absolutely something that you can do when you’ve got time off while teaching in Vietnam.
You can explore the country, as well as nearby countries. I’m always seeing our alumni posting about their recent travels on Instagram, posting pictures and videos of their travels around Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Vietnam also has a very strong emphasis on education, which could be part of the reason why the country has developed so quickly over the last 50 years. This is really ingrained in the culture.
If you go and visit some of the historical sites in Vietnam, like the Temple of Literature, you can see a long history of this focus on education going back hundreds of years.
That strong emphasis on education has continued up until now, where parents want their children to get the best possible education.
With a population of 100 million people—10 million in Ho Chi Minh City, and 10 million in Hanoi—there’s really this strong push for education.
Vietnam invests a lot in education. The parents invest a lot in their children’s education. So there are a lot of employment opportunities in the education sector.
That’s partially what makes it possible for us to help over 100 people start teaching English in Vietnam every year.
I think it’s a combination of these factors that make many people really love and enjoy living and teaching English in Vietnam.
No one’s claiming everything is perfect—because that’s just not the case anywhere in the world.
But after Reunification Day, and seeing a lot of things that reminded me why I really like Vietnam (and why a lot of people do), I thought I’d share some of these reasons with you.
That way, you can get a sense of what myself and many others think about living in Vietnam.