Visiting cousins in Vietnam really changed my perspective

Hi all!

My family immigrated here in 2004 to pursue the American dream like many others. Growing up here I thought we were sold the American dream of working hard in school, get a job, and life will work out for you. In the past few years I think we all came to realize this isn’t true anymore, and I too grew bitter with the narrative. After visiting my family in Vietnam though, it really opened up my perspective on how we are still doing much better here than other places.

My cousins are all working very hard but are still struggling. The education system is still as intense as ever, however, colleges are very expensive for the average salary. Many had to drop out as they couldn’t afford it. Job prospects are slim for graduates, and salary remains stagnant. Many graduates are working for driving and delivery apps similar to Uber. Only wealthy families can afford to give their children oversea educations for a decent job prospect. Childcare is very expensive, and real estates in Saigon are more expensive than an average city in the US making family planning very difficult. My cousins are new graduates making $400-500 USD a month, and our grandpa’s house where they are still currently living in cost around $750k.

Overall I was thankful that I visited again as it really made me realize how I took a lot of things for granted here.