Many young Vietnamese feel they must own a home and a car before getting married. That expectation is pushing some of them into exhausting double lives. One 32-year-old designer worked 14 to 16 hours a day in front of screens. He took freelance projects at night and leaned on strong coffee and energy drinks. In mid-August, he woke at 3 a.m. with a pounding heart and sweating palms. Doctors later diagnosed him with an anxiety disorder that requires treatment.
Mental health specialists say such stories are becoming familiar. One doctor described a similar patient, a 33-year-old man from Hanoi. His relatives pressured him about marriage whenever he returned to his hometown. Financial demands and family expectations combine into a heavy, constant weight. The report links these habits to long-term mental health problems. For the young designer, the nighttime palpitations returned several times a week.