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Journalism of Courage
Workplace toxicity is often brushed off, with many professionals welcoming tags like “workaholic” or “hardworking” rather than addressing mounting stress. An American woman named Susan has caught the Internet’s attention after sharing her transformative journey from a high-pressure career in the United States to a simpler, stress-free life in Vietnam.
Featured in a video posted by @Rosstheflaneur, Susan opens up about the dramatic shift in her lifestyle.
“My name is Susan and I’m from the US. In Vietnam, the food is so fresh, and there’s food everywhere. It’s inexpensive, nourishing, a meal for two dollars,” she says, highlighting how accessible and affordable daily life is in her new home compared to what she left behind.
Before moving to Vietnam, Susan worked as a software consultant, a job that took a serious toll on her health and well-being.
“I was a software consultant. A lot of stress, and I could not sleep through the night. I kept thinking, just work harder. And one day, my body did not feel well. The doctors said this is stress-related. I went to a psychologist. She said, I’ve seen people like you, and they’ve died,” Susan recalls in the video, emphasing on the immense mental and physical exhaustion.
“My plan was to take a year off work, figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and go back to work. And that was ten years ago, and I’ve never come back,” she says in the video.
Now, ten years later, Susan describes her life in Vietnam as something truly unexpected. “Now, having a whole experience that I could never have planned, that I could never have purchased, because it’s completely organic, but it came as a result of making that first decision. Take the leap. You’ll make friends. You’ll be changing the way that you think. Life is so rich. Enjoy your life, wherever you want to live in or navigate in,” she concludes.
Watch here:
The video amassed a deluge of reactions, with a user commenting, “I agree with her. I came to the USA as a 14 year old and now I’m here as a seasonal worker and living in Asia in my off season, a user wrote. “ugh i love vietnam. currently sitting in my high rise corporate office, feeling these same things. i will save enough money until i can live a life that i actually want,” another user commented.
“If i have enough money i would rather lived in Vietnam too,” a third user reacted.
