Xin chào! I’m Anaïs, 23, from the UK, and I just landed in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, as the locals call it) to start a new adventure as a TEFL teacher.

A few months ago, I was offered a finance job in London. Safe. Sensible. Boring. And the thought of spending my twenties stuck on a grey salary in a grey office? Absolutely not. I want adventure, something worth looking back when I’m old without thinking why I didn’t just got for it. I need space to figure out what I actually want, which, yes, sounds like the classic “finding myself abroad” cliché, but sometimes clichés exist for a reason.

I’m hyper independent, which is brilliant for booking one way flights but less so for dating. A bit of a coffee snob, I’ll admit I’m still loyal to my iced lattes in a country famous for it’s coffee. I’m happiest when I’m moving, whether that’s running, hiking, scuba diving, or just wandering Saigon for hours.

This blog is one thing I’ve always wanted to do but never gave myself the push to start. It’s my unpolished corner of the internet, a behind the scenes look at life as a new expat in Saigon. It’s the highs, the mistakes, the surprises, and everything in between, life abroad without filters. So think of it less as a guidebook and more as a diary you’re invited to read.

Grab a coffee and come along as I share the stories, and little lessons I’m picking up as I try to figure out life in Saigon.