36-year-old American Air Force vet lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City

While Markeiz Ryan, 36, was a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force, he took a trip to Vietnam that would set him off on a new journey — he just didn’t know it yet.

At the time, Ryan admits, he was feeling down after having gotten in trouble for breaking his curfew. He lost out on several months of pay, was restricted to his military base and demoted from staff sergeant to senior airman.

“After this, I was very depressed and very sad,” Ryan tells CNBC Make It. “But that depression and sadness make you think about where your life is going and it makes you redirect your life into the right direction.”

“[Vietnam] just looked like so much fun and it really lived up to all the hype,” he said. “I ended up having the best time of my life, and that depression was [just] gone.”

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 started planning his return to the country.

The veteran went back to his life in the Air Force and completed his service on a military base in Wyoming before being honorably discharged in 2019.

Soon after leaving the Air Force, Ryan relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he spends roughly $1,031 a month on expenses: $850 in rent for a two-bedroom apartment, $130 for utilities, $8.50 for his cellphone, $15 for gas and $27 for a VIP gym membership.

His other expenses include $96 a year for internet, $1,000 a year for health insurance, and $100-$400 a month on groceries. What he spends on groceries varies because he often alternates between cooking his own food and dining out.

To keep up with his life in Vietnam, Ryan’s monthly income comes from several sources and totals roughly $4,000, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

It includes approximately $1,500 from VA disability, $1,000 from the GI Bill while he’s pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration, and $900 to $1,300 from teaching English. Ryan also does occasional odd jobs like voiceover work, where his pay can range from $200 to $600 a month, and is an avid fan of day trading, where he averages about $300 a month.

“This might not sound like a lot in America but trust me, this is more than enough to be middle or even above middle class in Vietnam,” he says.

The one job he loves the most, though, is teaching English as a second language.

“ESL teaching is fun and very rewarding. I wanted to do it since high school. I felt like it was the only job I ever completely enjoyed,” he says.

“Vietnam is the number one safest place I’ve ever lived. I never have to look over my shoulder here. I noticed that there’s this great level of calm,” Ryan says. “People are more focused on their day-to-day life and they’re less focused on what’s going on politically. It’s a much more calm feeling.”

Ryan uses the extra income he receives to invest in the U.S. and Vietnamese stock markets. He says he also supports the local communities and always has money set aside for medical bills and visa runs.

When Ryan first arrived in Vietnam, he moved around quite a bit, but has been living in his current Ho Chi Minh City apartment in one of the country’s tallest residential towers for two years now.

“If I leave, it’s because Vietnam told me to leave. In America, I felt very unmotivated. 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 achieve,” he says.

“Here in Vietnam, it takes a lot of the monetary pressure out of your day-to-day. You focus on what makes you happy, who you want to become and how you’re going to get there.”

Since moving to Vietnam, Ryan has made an effort to learn the language, but he admits he’s still not the best at it.

“I can never claim that I’m fluent in Vietnamese, but I do a lot better than most of my peers here,” he says.

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