Nguyen Thuy Trang (26 years old) is a travel blogger, content creator and freelance writer. Known as a multi-tasker and a travel enthusiast, Thuy Trang has taken many trips both domestically and internationally. Not only that, she has stepped out of her comfort zone to pursue the digital nomad lifestyle - traveling and working at the same time.
Thuy Trang traveled across Southeast Asia for 600 days, from March 2018 to March 2020. She traveled both domestically and internationally, breaking up her journeys into smaller ones. By constantly moving like that, up to now, she has discovered many countries in Southeast Asia.
Nguyen Thuy Trang (26 years old) is a travel blogger, content creator and freelance writer.
A simple understanding of the digital nomad lifestyle
Thuy Trang is a freedom lover, loves to travel, the Covid-19 pandemic is a challenge for everyone but for her it has become a breakthrough in her future path. And she decided to pursue digital nomad, traveling around the world and working online regardless of space and time.
Digital nomad is an English word used to describe people who do not work in a fixed place. Simply put, “digital” is anything related to technology, machines, equipment, digital technology; “nomad” refers to people who have a lifestyle of constant movement, they often stay in one place for about a month, a year or two. Then, they move to another land.
Thuy Trang on her trip to Ladakh
Digital Nomad is not a job, it is a lifestyle. This concept is popular in the world, but still quite new in Vietnam, not many people know about it except those who have traveled abroad or settled abroad.
When asked about her chance to become a digital nomad, Thuy Trang said that before she was 22, she only thought about going to work, getting married, having children, and settling down as social norms have always been. Gradually, she discovered that she has a passion for travel and exploration. Freelancing allows her to travel a lot and understand her passion better. She knows many people who do not have a house or a car, they live and work in "mobile homes" like tents, wandering everywhere, living a nomadic life. And freelancing is also a part of the digital nomad lifestyle.
Before becoming a straightforward girl, living freely with a colorful, wild youth like today, Trang was also a rather shy person with a stable mindset.
Thuy Trang said: “Even though I constantly move from province to province, city to city, I can still work online (still write scripts, compose music, write reviews...) and feel very comfortable. Even though I live within the framework of the client, I have the flexibility of time and choosing where to work, combined with my passion for discovery, I have 'accidentally' become a true digital nomad.”
Skills needed to embark on the digital nomad lifestyle
As an online worker by nature, Thuy Trang offers 3 important skills that are a must-have to enter the digital nomad lifestyle.
The first is the skill of working independently in my one-person LLC. As the boss, treasurer, and sales person, she has to run the business smoothly herself. She also balances travel and entertainment with reasonable time management to ensure deadlines for customers.
The second is the skill of multi-tasking to be able to adapt well to moving continuously in all situations. While traveling, she can write scripts, compose music, write articles, create content, build strategies for KOLs, brands, etc.
Thuy Trang's trips are usually short, about a month at most.
Third is financial management skills. Depending on the standard of living and the exchange rate in that place, you will calculate how long you will stay. Staying in one place for a long time will be more economical than staying for a short time or moving constantly. When you travel enough, you will know the prices and reasonable places to eat. At that time, you will no longer have the mentality of a tourist, you will see the destinations as a second home, and you will be like a real local.
For someone pursuing the digital nomad lifestyle, no two days are alike.
“My day starts quite late. Like the 12-day trip to the Central Highlands in March 2022, I traveled, had meetings, worked with partners, and spent the evening doing various other things. To ensure these things, I always have a to-do list every day, filtering out the most important things to prioritize,” Thuy Trang confided.
Balance between hobbies and work
Thuy Trang’s trips are usually short, about a month at most. Before leaving, she notes down the main tasks she is undertaking. For example, how much time this task takes in a day/week, plus daily tasks such as writing music parodies, scripts, writing articles, etc.
She balances the time needed to travel, arranges suitable destinations. She brings her phone to handle simple tasks, if she goes for a long time, she will bring her laptop to do some work.
A day in Trang's digital nomad lifestyle is never the same.
Thuy Trang hopes that this lifestyle will be known to more people and especially become a lifestyle for young Vietnamese people. It is not about quitting your job, not working, but working remotely, still contributing, creating value for life and still finding your passion. It is not about leaving the city for the forest, but about quitting a job to have more work, to have more life experiences. With the digital nomad lifestyle, Nguyen Thuy Trang has motivated young people to travel and carry their laptops to "work" all over the world.
“Crazy, free, creative” are three words Thuy Trang uses to describe herself.
“Live your life the way you want if you want to try this job and lifestyle. This is a promised land that has brought many values to myself through my own perception over many years. A golden land with many things to exploit to live and explore”, Thuy Trang shared.
