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Anni, 31, once ran a pharmacy in Oberstdorf, Germany. Years of business pressures and constant expectations eventually left her emotionally exhausted. She closed the pharmacy in late 2022 and set off on a backpacking trip across Southeast Asia in search of a fresh start.

Vietnam quickly became the highlight of her travels. While eating banh xeo at Ho Thi Ky Night Market in Ho Chi Minh City, she watched a vendor tirelessly cooking over a blazing hot stove while smiling and chatting with customers.

“She looked genuinely happy doing such a simple job, and I realized I had lost that feeling a long time ago,” Anni recalled.

As she explored Vietnamese food and connected with local people, she gradually regained her sense of peace. In July 2023, she sold her remaining belongings and returned to Vietnam, embracing local life with morning coffee and dishes such as sour soup and fermented shrimp paste with tofu.

After nearly a year traveling around Vietnam, she briefly returned to Germany to accept a job in Kassel. But Vietnam remained on her mind. She began learning Vietnamese, cooking Vietnamese dishes, and earned a certificate to teach English before deciding to move back once again.

By the end of 2024, she had settled in the Mekong Delta. During a visit to Rach Gia in the delta’s Kien Giang province, she met 34-year-old Khanh Tuong, a native of Ca Mau who had recently left his position as a software company sales team leader. Over the next week, he introduced her to floating markets, riverside cafés and everyday life across the delta.

Their friendship soon turned into romance. When Anni’s visa expired, she returned to Germany for Christmas. After seeing her off from Can Tho, Tuong realized almost immediately that he did not want to let her go.

The following morning, despite heavy rain, he rode his motorbike from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City—a journey that normally takes about four hours but nearly doubled in length because of the weather—to see her one last time before her flight.

“I don’t know what the future will bring, but I don’t want you to leave without knowing that I truly love you,” Tuong later recalled telling her.

A month later, Anni returned to Vietnam. “It wasn’t only because of Tuong,” she said. “I realized this country reflects the values I want in life.”

Although her parents initially worried about her decision to leave Germany, they eventually supported her after seeing how happy she had become. She moved to Can Tho, where the couple rented a modest hotel room while renovating a property they hoped to turn into a homestay.

A German girl found love when she came to Vietnam for treatment

More than a year after settling in Vietnam, Anni can communicate in Vietnamese, is learning to ride a motorbike, enjoys wearing the traditional ao dai, and often visits local pagodas.

Visa renewals, however, have remained a challenge. Every few months, she has had to travel to neighboring Laos, Cambodia or Thailand to extend her stay.

In July 2025, she became pregnant before the couple completed their marriage registration. The repeated visa trips left her physically drained, and at one point she considered returning to Germany.

Ultimately, her commitment to Tuong and their growing family convinced her to stay. Tuong said facing the difficulties together made him more mature and responsible.

Khánh Tuong and Anni with their daughter in Can Tho, 2026. Photo courtesy of the family

Today, the couple are raising their daughter, Mai, while building Villa Binh An in Can Tho into a homestay where Anni hopes to organize language and cultural classes and Tuong plans to introduce international visitors to life in the Mekong Delta.

Looking back, Anni says Vietnam gave her far more than a change of scenery. “I didn’t just find a new place to live,” she said. “I found a real family and, despite all the challenges, I found myself again.”