You only have one life

hi all, i rescently went to thailand with my friend for the second time ,the thing i love about the people is there warm smiles and there beautifull nature, sure we are just ATMs to most people there ,but where im from(austrlia) people are are full of greed and willing to walk over everyone to get what they want,to tell you the truth im over it!  ive met some great ex pats in thailand, willing to give you there shirt off there back,why is that?  i have a friend of a friend in vietnam who has lived there for over 10 years and im thinking of moveing there to start a new life fore myself, can anyone give me a heads up on the cost of living, work ,visas, surviving in general, can it be done, any help would be much appreciated,cheers!