Fleeing the West and returning to Vietnam in 2020 - Interview with Cash2VN Creator Alex Winter

2020 was most likely for the majority of our readers one of the most volatile years of their lifetimes.

Economic devastation and wealth redistribution on a scale not seen since World War 2, governments in a large number of countries getting ever more authoritarian, central banks printing until their printing presses become incandescent.

At the same time more and more people are waking up to the fact that the overlords and their expert class they have been relying on for guidance are corrupted, untrustworthy and generally only in it for their own benefits.

The search for alternative forms of living outside the overbearing and devastating control of centralized powers has become a force to be reckoned with.

All that said, the economic developments in different parts of the world have been taking quite a different path between various regions. 

While in specific the Western countries have been hit especially hard, many Asian countries managed to navigate the whole situation much better, some of them - among them Vietnam - even still projecting economic growth for 2020.

A person who has been in a variety of countries this year - Vietnam, Germany, Brazil, Germany and now again Vietnam - who dealt with the Wuhan virus in a very different way was Alex Winter; long-term bitcoiner, co-founder of BitcoinVN and creator of the remittance service Cash2VN.

BitcoinVN News: Hi Alex! 2020 has been quite a year for most of us. While the majority of the world population has been locked down, you have been traveling from Asia to Europe to South America - and then again back to Europe and now back to Asia over the course of the past year. 

What was the most valuable insight you gained over this year and what was your greatest disappointment?

Alex: I decided to visit my family back in Germany in February this year. I didn’t plan to stay for too long, but just a few days before my return flight in March Vietnam decided to refuse entry to all foreigners due to the virus, with or without visa (and I had one). I was basically stranded in my home country.

As I approached my sixth month in Germany I figured that soon I would be tax liable as a resident. I had no interest at all in paying taxes in Germany so I decided to take advantage of my dual citizenship.

Having a Brazilian passport as well I decided to fly to Brazil - my other home country - which at the time had similar travel restrictions as any other country, but which have been completely lifted after I arrived. If you’re a digital nomad looking for a sunny place to stay, I can certainly recommend taking a look at it.

I think this was the first time having two passports came in really handy. It’s nice to know that you have multiple places you can always go to when things get difficult. You never know when you’re gonna need options.

BVN: Why did you choose to return to Vietnam and what was the process like? Would you recommend other people who are looking for greener pastures outside the West to give Vietnam further consideration?

Alex: Vietnam is a great place if you are able to work location independent. You can step outside and find a new place to work from every day, thanks to the great coffee culture here.

However, currently you will have to jump through tons of hoops in order to enter the country. You’ll need to have a local company willing to sponsor your visa, get the approval of multiple government agencies, book one of a few (and expensive) special flights, present a negative COVID test before departure, arrange a hotel for your quarantine including transport. I probably forgot a couple of other things. You’d be well advised to hire an agent to take care of all that paperwork if you’re not interested in going insane. 

I briefly returned to Germany from Brazil because otherwise the journey to Vietnam would have been unbearably long, and to get a taxpayer funded COVID test on arrival at the airport. I printed all the documents my agent told me to bring to my next flight and spent another five days in Germany.

I never saw airplanes so empty like this year, and my flight to Vietnam was no different. It’s a weird feeling being one of maybe 20 passengers in a 737. Arriving in Saigon was an eerie experience as well. What was once a bustling airport welcoming countless of visitors at any given time is now a place where you could hear a pin drop. They basically kept the airport running just for us as we arrived at midnight. There was no other flight arriving at the same time.

After picking up your luggage you will be escorted to your dedicated driver. My quarantine hotel is basically across the street from the airport, so the most overpriced ride of my lifetime took less than two minutes. At the hotel you’re gonna spend 99.9% of the time inside your room, with the exception of being tested for COVID twice which is done in a different room. It was basically solitary confinement in a 4 star hotel.

BVN: One of your major projects this year has been a total revamp of Cash2VN, the crypto remittance service which was launched in 2015.

Who is your target customer base, what are you most excited about regarding the relaunch of the service and what’s up next in the pipeline?

Alex: Our customer base can be split up in two categories: Foreigners sending money to their local girlfriends and foreigners cashing out their crypto to cover rent and daily expenses.

Since I have been outside of the country for a long time, my mobile carrier disabled my SIM card and issued my number to someone else. However my bank account is still tied to that number, so I currently cannot access my own bank account. I asked the bank to change my phone number but they asked me to present my expired passport I used years ago to open the account. They did not accept my valid passport. Of course I’m not carrying around my expired passport so I’m basically unbanked for now.

Ridiculous banking regulations like this will make Cash2VN even more valuable to expats who will sooner or later face obstacles trying to access basic banking, especially as we now offer cash pick-up options in three major cities in Vietnam.

BVN: The 2020’s and beyond. Many are deeming Asia as the new global economic center in terms of economic growth and prosperity, economic and entrepreneurial opportunities and overall “the wave to ride”. Do you think the West has a chance to rebound in the foreseeable future or should people rather get out of dodge for the time being?

Alex: The West is indeed in a downward spiral, culturally, morally and economically. It’s sad to watch, although it’s better to watch from a distance. The recent lockdown measures by western governments are only accelerating the trend, and I don’t think there is an end to this self destructive madness in sight. Countries like Vietnam on the other hand cannot afford to close down venues like restaurants and bars for such long periods of time so you can basically enjoy a normal life once you get out of quarantine.