American tourists choose Vietnam among 4 favorite countries

Traveler Norm Bour's article posted on BusinessInsider clearly states why he chose these 4 countries:

I am an American, spending my retirement living in different countries around the world with my wife since 2019. We have traveled to 50 countries, and Vietnam, Italy, Croatia, Malaysia are our favorite places.

Tourist Norm Bour spent many months traveling in Da Nang.

PHOTO: N. TU

We've stayed in some places for just a few days and others for months, but the "ideal destination" is four to six weeks, which gives us time to get a taste of the local culture.

Of the many questions we get asked about our full-time nomadic lifestyle, the most common is probably: “What is your favorite country?”.

The question is simple but one of the most difficult because we love so many places and consider some places as "home".

However, if we had to choose, these are the countries we love the most.

Vietnam is a paradise for foreigners

We spent 17 months traveling around Southeast Asia and fell in love with many places in the region, especially Vietnam.

This was our second visit to Vietnam and we stayed for the full duration of our 90 day visa. We felt we got the most out of our time in the wonderful city of Da Nang .

Hoi An is also a favorite destination for American tourists.

PHOTO: Getty Images

The city is popular with expats, perhaps because of its affordable prices and proximity (about a 30-minute drive) to Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site with an incredibly preserved history and charming canals.

As an expat, Da Nang is also a great city to transition into Southeast Asian culture, as it still has many Western-style services, such as grocery stores with services reminiscent of home.

The country's relatively low cost of living made it easy for us to live comfortably, explore, and eat well during our stay.

The city has a lot of great, affordable food (especially fresh fish). I eat banh mi meat regularly for less than a dollar and pho breakfast for not much more.

My wife and I never have a dull day in the countryside, as there are also plenty of stunning views, rivers, and beaches. And with the convenience of affordable scooter rentals for $45 a month, nothing feels too far away in this coastal city.

Italy is magnificent and full of history.

It's easy to see why Italy is on so many travelers' wish lists, and we've lived there twice.

Scenery in the medieval town of Tivoli

PHOTO: Sazonoff/Getty Images

The country has many historical buildings, churches and museums that are wonderful to explore.

One of the first places we stayed was the small medieval town of Tivoli, about 20 minutes east of Rome, where we lived in a 500-year-old apartment. That blew me away, since the apartment was nearly twice as old as the United States.

This ancient town was also founded hundreds of years before Rome, and it was the first punch in the gut for me to realize how little of the world I had seen.

Medical Tourism in Malaysia

Over the years, one of the biggest drivers for us coming to Malaysia has been the high quality yet affordable healthcare.

Kuala Lumpur Capital

PHOTO: Britannica

As full-time tourists, this is where we go for medical tests and scans. After all, Malaysia's medical tourism market is quite large.

We have had positive experiences with high quality clinics in this country, which are more affordable than the ones we have been to in the US and most other countries we have lived in.

We can easily pay for all our medical expenses here without having to navigate complicated insurance policies and red tape, which is almost unheard of in the US.

And finally Croatia

Although we have spent time in about 50 countries, Croatia is at the top of our list. We spent almost two months there in 2019 and have been back three more times since.