In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Within One Block of Our Suite

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

How much adventure do you find within one block of your home? Do you have street restaurants, outdoor garden altars and people sitting on children's chairs on your sidewalks?

You can visit our neighborhood in this fascinating city by taking a look at the photos below.

Japanese restaurant

We have a Japanese restaurant on our block with some delicious and affordable offerings. The prices on the above menu run from less than $3USD (the California Roll) to a little over $5USD a plate. This menu is written in both English and in Vietnamese, as we are finding most are here in this international city.

Garden altar

It is an every day occurrence to see altars in Asia. This one has lotus flowers, dragon fruit, candles, incense and other offerings to a favorite deity.

Outdoor sidewalk restaurant

This restaurant has everything you need to open up shop. Table, chairs, prepared food dishes, a heat source and a cooler to keep drinks cold. Notice the steamer (double boiler) on top of charcoal, with extra charcoal on the side. Restaurants such as this offer a surprisingly delicious variety of foods.

Packed cooler

Every streetside vendor has their own cooler filled with various beverages. Do you notice some familiar brands here? Mountain Dew, 7Up, ice tea, bottled waters and more. We notice many western brands of items here in Asia.

The young set hanging out

These kids are just hanging out having fun with each other and having a soda. Most young people have a variety of digital gadgetry and are connected to social media.

Family on motorbike

Motorbikes are a favorite means of transport and in fact, we see more motorbikes than cars on the streets. Often there will be 4, 5, and even 6 people on a bike, as this is the "family sedan."

Compass Parkview Residence Building

This is our apartment building. Our studio suite is on the left side, four floors from the top. We have great views of the city below.

A conversation between friends

This bicycle vendor has her front basket filled with cold drinks and her box in the back has food items she has for sale. The red chair you see on the right is tied to her bicycle and she can untie it as need calls. Notice her face mask made of a kerchief. We often see motorbike riders and even those walking the streets wearing a face mask to avoid air pollution.

Wide sidewalk has many uses

These wide sidewalks are used for parking spaces for motorbikes, little sidewalk restaurants, a walking area for pedestrians, and for short rides by motorbike as well.

Greenery in the city

We have noticed that there is a lot of greenery in Saigon. These calla lilies run the whole length of the sidewalk. Trees are mature and give shade in the hot climate.

For more stories and photos of Vietnam, click here

About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

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