American retirees are moving to #Vietnam to take advantage of cheaper healthcare and a decent living standard, the Los Angeles Times is reporting.
The Vietnam War ended in 1975 and now aging American boomers are living a lifestyle in the country reminiscent of that found in Florida, Arizona and Nevada, according to the newspaper.
John Rockhold, 66, was an enlisted petty officer in the Navy and operated boats that dropped off SEALs along the Vietnam coastline. Married, he now lives in Vietnam and has two children, 10 and 9.
Both kids were born via C-section in Vietnam. The cost, including a four-day hospital stay, was about $1,200.
He and his family live in a 20th floor, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath condo overlooking the Saigon River. He bought the unit for about $250,000 in 2011.
Rockhold said he rarely has encountered problems when discussing his past military service involvement in the country.
“The Vietnamese were extremely nice to me, especially compared to my own country after I came back from the war,” Rockhold said.
The newspaper noted Vietnam has relaxed its visa rules to convince American retirees to move to the country.
The government will not say exactly how many U.S. retirees live in Vietnam, the Times said.
Rockhold said some of his friends are Americans who never served in Vietnam.
“The cost of living is so low,” he said. “It’s a communist country, but if I blindfolded you and put you in downtown Saigon, you wouldn’t know it.”
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