The celebration of the Lunar New Year took my family and me to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, where we celebrated a semi-vacation visiting my wife’s side of the family in Vietnam. While there, it was both exhausting and exciting. I say “semi-vacation” because it had, at some points, become less about vacationing and more about simply hanging out with family, especially since this is the first time my in-laws have interacted with our daughter face-to-face!

I previously visited Vietnam in 2016 and 2018. While those visits were much more fun being that it was mostly just my wife and I going around the country as carefree as a childless couple can, it involved a lot more adventure-focused activities and being able to stay out past a certain time without worry. Having brought our then-19-month-old daughter on this year’s trip, it had a different kind of vibe to it. During the trip, we experienced a unique set of joys and challenges associated with having a child in tow. The experience had been a simulation of domestic family life in Vietnam (hanging clothes, doing laundry, getting groceries, etc).

What has remained consistent, however, is the economic disparity within the country and amongst its citizens. I don’t remember seeing so many cars on the road as opposed to scooters during my previous trips. It’s not surprising scooters outnumber four-wheeled vehicles by a great margin, given the lack of space to navigate a car or park without worry, not to mention the heavy import tax levied on vehicles purchased overseas. While only very well-off families can afford a mid-sized family economy car, it appears the middle class in Vietnam has been expanding rapidly over the years and they are doing well for themselves. Why yes, big European brands like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz can be spotted as well!

While riding on a scooter to get breakfast for the family here in Vietnam, I opportunistically took a discrete photo of a family sitting on the side of the road. Obviously not knowing the circumstances of the family’s situation, the photo I did manage to snap made me put my own life into perspective.

It’s rather easy to get caught up in wanting the next item on the shopping list, the upgraded electronics, the best food, and clothes, or getting on the plane for a wild exotic vacation, especially given today’s culture in the West. When traveling, however, your eyes are opened to other situations that are happening around the world. Sure I didn’t need to come to Vietnam to force introspection and think about my own situation. It’s fairly obvious there are problems back in the United States as well. For some reason, however, this photo stuck with me. Perhaps because it’s the first time I really took street photos, or perhaps because financial disparity outside of the US “stands out”.

All this to say, sometimes our problems aren’t really problems. Not having the newest iPhone is definitely a “first-world problem”. Imagine complaining to the family in the photo about your lack of iPhone newness. Not happening.

Stay humble, enjoy what you have, and be grateful once in a while. It’s definitely ok to aspire for financial greatness, but when you get there, make sure to give back. The success of getting to the top of the financial mountain means more when you’re able to help others.