Vietnam -“Land of Ascending Dragons.”
A country that is turning struggle into strength.
” Say it out loud. There’s a reason it sounds like the opening line of a legend—because it is one. Back in 1010, legend says King Ly Thai sailed up the Red River to find a new capital, and as he approached the site, he saw a golden dragon rising up out of the earth. He took it as a sign and named the city Thăng Long — "Ascending Dragon." That city later became Hanoi, and the name has carried through a thousand years of Vietnamese history ever since, a country that traces its own mythology back to a Dragon Lord.
That's the spirit I stepped into: a country that's been rising, again and again, and it's still rising — an emerging market pulling investors from every corner of the globe, with 3,000+ islands most people don't even know exist.
Vietnam is a top destination globally for foreign direct investment relocation. The country is vast and long, stretching along the coast, with a population of 102.2 million people and a strong ancestral culture with amazing food!
I’ll be honest--- When I mapped out my journey through Southeast Asia, Vietnam wasn’t at the top of my list. Like most Westerners, the word “Vietnam” comes preloaded with one association: the war. And for neither country, it’s not the most pleasant of memories. But since I was already on this side of the world, I said to myself: why not?
The experience was worth the trip!
Culture as the Anchor
Vietnam is a country where culture and customs are the anchor to civilization. Family is the way of life. Community is stitched so tightly you can feel it in the street before anyone says a word to you. And like anywhere in the world experiencing rapid outside interest, opinions on foreigners are mixed — some welcome it, some don't, and both reactions make sense once you see what's at stake. When demand from outside rises in a city or town, it reshapes the local economy fast: on one side, longtime residents get priced out of what they've always known; on the other, fresh capital pours in to build and grow the place into something new.
My experience in Vietnam moved across the whole spectrum. But one thing stayed constant—one thing that always connects people, no matter where you are in the world — food.
Food is Community. Food is Culture.
The food in Vietnam is, hands down, some of the freshest, most organic, most delicious food you will ever taste.
Two dishes kept me hooked every time I sat down to eat. The first was Gỏi Cuốn — fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. Unlike the fried version most Americans grow up on, these are wrapped cold in a soft rice paper, packed with shrimp or pork, vermicelli noodles, and a handful of fresh herbs, then dipped in a peanut sauce or nước chấm sauce. The second was Trứng Chiên, the Vietnamese omelet– pan-fried eggs folded around minced pork, scallions, and sometimes vegetables, savory and simple, the kind of dish that tastes like someone’s grandmother made it.
I lost count of how many plates of these I went through. And here’s the part that sold me for good: when you’re full off Vietnamese food, that’s it—you’re full. No sluggishness, no heaviness after. Just light, full, and airy—your body thanks you instead of punishing you.
Investing in Vietnam
As a Certified International Property Specialist- with a master's in International Real Estate, I don't look at a country and go off a vibe. I look at the legal framework, the capital flow, and the signals the government itself is sending about where it wants foreign money to land. Vietnam is telling a clear story on all three.
Start with the money. Vietnam pulled in approx. $27.62 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025 alone — a 9% jump year-over-year and the strongest year the country has posted in the past five years. That keeps accelerating into 2026.
Now look at the legal groundwork underneath it. On August 1, 2024, Vietnam rolled out a new Land Law, Housing Law, and Law on Real Estate Business, built specifically to bring more clarity and protection to foreign investors than the old framework offered. New conversations– ownership of a condo or apartment in an approved development is very much possible, capped at 30% of the units in a given building, under a renewable 50-year leasehold.
Where is the capital actually landing? Ho Chi Minh City. (Also known as Saigon). Ho Chi Minh City neighborhoods like Thao Dien and Phu My Hung already have the expat infrastructure — international schools, established communities — that make a market livable, not just profitable on paper. Da Nang used to be a tourist stop; now it's anchored by a new Free Trade Zone and a major port expansion that's turned it into a legitimate commercial hub with year-round demand.
This is exactly the kind of due diligence I walk clients through before their first move into a market like this — because the opportunity is real, but so is the fine print. Knowledge is power, and in a market moving this fast, it's the only real edge you have.
The hidden gem right now in Vietnam? Phu Quoc. A place where the beach is breathtaking and the vibe is restorative. It's the one place in the entire country where travelers of any nationality can land visa-free for 30 days — no application, no waiting on approval, just a direct flight into Phu Quoc International Airport.
Phu Quoc has been designated a Special Economic Zone, and the capital already knows it: hundreds of investment projects and hundreds of trillions of Vietnamese dong have poured into the island's infrastructure, hospitality, and residential development. There's even a proposal on the table to extend foreign land leases here to 99 years, nearly double the standard term available on the mainland. If that passes, Phu Quoc stops being Vietnam's best-kept secret and becomes the headline.
This is exactly the kind of market you want to be watching before everyone else catches on — and if you're reading this, you already are.
Vietnam didn't make my list because I expected to fall for it. It made the list because I was already here — and I've learned that the biggest opportunities, whether in a market, having a meal, or visiting a country you thought you already understood, show up the moment you stop waiting for the "right" time and just make the educated decision. That's the whole idea behind Unlocking Local and Global Opportunities: you don't find them by staying comfortable. You find them by exploring.
Where in the world would you like to Invest? Tell me in the comments.
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