While Markeiz Ryan, 36, was a high-ranking airman in the U.S. Air Force, he took a trip to Vietnam that would start him on a new journey, but he didn’t know it yet.
At the time, Ryan admits, he was feeling depressed after getting in trouble for violating his curfew. He lost several months of pay, was restricted to his military base and demoted from sergeant to senior airman.
“After this, I felt very depressed and very sad,” Ryan tells CNBC Make It. “But that depression and sadness makes you think about where your life is going and makes you redirect your life in the right direction.”
“[Vietnam] It looked like a lot of fun and really lived up to all the expectations,” he said. “I ended up having the time of my life and that slump was [just] missing.”
Ryan says Vietnam is his home now and he has no plans to leave.
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Ryan says he didn’t want to let go of the good feelings he had on that trip, so when he got home he almost immediately began planning his return to the country.
The veteran returned to life in the Air Force and completed his service at a military base in Wyoming before being honorably discharged in 2019.
Shortly after leaving the Air Force, Ryan moved to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he spends approximately $1,031 a month on expenses: $850 on rent for a two-bedroom apartment, $130 on utilities, $8.50 on his cell phone, $15 on gas, and $27 on a VIP gym membership.
Their other expenses include $96 a year for Internet, $1,000 a year for health insurance and between $100 and $400 a month for groceries. How much you spend on groceries varies because you often alternate between cooking your own food and dining out.
To keep up with his life in Vietnam, Ryan’s monthly income comes from various sources and totals approximately $4,000, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
Ryan’s favorite part of Ryan’s apartment is his view.
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It includes approximately $1,500 for disability from the VA, $1,000 from the GI Bill while pursuing an MBA, and between $900 and $1,300 for English language instruction. Ryan also works odd jobs as a voiceover artist, where his salary can range from $200 to $600 per month, and is an avid fan of day trading, where he earns an average of around $300 per month.
“This may not seem like much in the United States, but believe me, it is more than enough to be middle class or even above middle class in Vietnam,” he says.
However, the job he likes most is teaching English as a second language.
“Teaching ESL is fun and very rewarding. I’ve wanted to do it since high school. I felt like it was the only job I fully enjoyed,” she says.
“Vietnam is the safest place I’ve ever lived. I never have to look over my shoulder here. I noticed there’s a great level of calm,” Ryan says. “People are more focused on their daily lives and less on what’s happening politically. It’s a much calmer feeling.”
Ryan uses the extra income he receives to invest in the US and Vietnamese stock markets. He says he also supports local communities and always sets aside money for medical bills and visa paperwork.
When Ryan moved to Vietnam, he bought a motorcycle to get around.
Louis Corallo for CNBC Do It
When Ryan first arrived in Vietnam, he moved around quite a bit, but for two years he has lived in his current apartment in Ho Chi Minh City, in one of the tallest residential towers in the country.
“If I’m leaving, it’s because Vietnam told me to leave. In America I felt very demotivated. I felt like no matter how hard you work, you’re still in poverty. You’re constantly chasing a standard that you can’t really reach,” he says.
“Here in Vietnam, a lot of the monetary pressure is removed from your day-to-day life. You focus on what makes you happy, who you want to become and how you are going to get there.”
Since moving to Vietnam, Ryan has worked hard to learn the language, but admits he’s still not the best at it.
“I can never claim to speak Vietnamese fluently, but I do it much better than most of my peers here,” he says.
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