Online Reporter
HO CHI MIN CITY. — Every time she steps outside her plush apartment, Diamanté Laiva can’t believe her luck.
The 23-year-old Love Island star left her pokey one-bed flat in Gillingham, Kent, for a life in one of the world’s cheapest countries.
But it’s not just the cheap cost of living that’s changed her life for the better — it’s the men.
Here, she tells us why her British men are “the worst” and reveals she now gets chatted up “two to three times a day” without even trying.
Diamanté’s new life in Vietnam is a far cry from her time on the dating show — her arrival in Casa Amor in series 11 caused quite the stir, but she came away more single than ever.
Now, since packing her bags and waving goodbye to Britain, Diamanté’s love life has gone into overdrive, and she’s urging others to follow her lead and look for love elsewhere, telling us: “UK dating is finished”.
The Casa Amor bombshell, who didn’t find romance on the show, is now turning heads every time she steps out after relocating to Da Nang, a vibrant coastal city in central Vietnam, where she is living her best life.
Diamanté, who is a beauty entrepreneur, insists dating abroad feels “more traditional” and is far better than her experience of Brits at home being glued to their phones instead of making a move in real life.
She tells the Sun: “Here, I get approached two to three times a day without trying. Dating is way easier; it feels a lot more traditional and intentional.
“UK dating is finished. Everyone’s glued to dating apps, nobody goes outside, nobody approaches anyone.
“Out of everywhere I’ve been, the UK is hands down the worst dating experience for me.”
During her time on Love Island, Diamanté got close to Sean Stone, but he ultimately decided to stick with Matilda Draper. He’s since returned to the show for All Stars, where he coupled up with Lucinda Strafford.
She also claims she had another shot at love after having secret conversations with Joey Essex, but they never aired, and the flirtation was cut short when she was sent packing.
Diamanté’s bad luck with romance followed her back into the real world until she made the bold decision to move abroad.
But now she wakes up to stunning views and being wooed by admirers on a daily basis.
“I’ve improved myself a lot since Love Island, and I just stand out more now,” she says.
“I don’t use dating apps at all because I genuinely don’t need them. I could never use one again, not even Raya. It feels like auditioning for a man.”
NO MORE MONEY WOES
And the biggest difference to dating in the UK? Diamanté has also been left stunned by men picking up the bill.
Back in the UK, she claims her ex would insist on splitting costs or even expect her to pay for everything.
Now she is embracing the change and refusing to “lower her standards”.
She says: “I used to feel awkward letting men cover the cost because in my last relationship I always paid for myself. Sometimes even the whole thing. But now I’m really enjoying letting things be done for me.
“It’s nice to relax a bit and drop some independence. I used to lower my standards a lot because that’s literally what’s available over there.
“I run businesses, and I’ve always had the mindset that a man needs to match me or be ahead of me.”
Diamanté believes her age — 23 — means men in the UK thought they could “play games” with her, but she is not having any of it.
She adds: “Because I started young, a lot of men think they can manipulate me or play games, and that’s just not happening.
“I’d rather be single than be an idiot for someone.
“When you travel, your options just open up. I’ve never regretted a single trip I’ve taken.”
Since moving to Vietnam, the star insists she is now “100 times happier”.
And it’s not just her love life that is benefiting from the move. Her expenses have dropped considerably thanks to relocating, with her spending just £500 a month for her stunning hotel apartment, which is a steal compared to her previous £950 one-bed flat in Gillingham, Kent.
With bills on top, the Brit would spend at least £1,400 of her salary on essentials each month.
Her new home is inside a hotel in Da Nang, where she doesn’t have to cook, clean or pay extra bills.
The swanky set-up also includes multiple saunas, a gym, bars and a swimming pool.
Diamanté doesn’t even need to cook, because the price of a meal in Vietnam is so low that there’s “no need” to buy groceries.
She says: “I haven’t cooked since I landed in Vietnam. A burger and chips costs me around £3, so there’s absolutely no need to cook over here.
“Healthy chicken and rice costs about £1.50-£2 to have it delivered. You can even get fruit drinks delivered.
“They don’t charge delivery fees that are extortionate, unlike delivery and Uber Eats back home.”
With extra disposable cash, Diamanté also goes on regular holidays, and she has more energy to go outside in her new home, where the weather is far more palatable than rainy Britain.
She said: “I’ve been to Montenegro, Egypt, Spain, South Africa, Africa and the UAE and all the groceries there are way cheaper than in the UK.
“Generally speaking, in Vietnam, I’m 100 times happier. I didn’t leave my house in the UK simply because it was too cold, and you have to spend £100 just to have a simple ordinary day out.
“It’s just not really livable anymore. People are so happy in Vietnam that it actually rubs off on you.”
LEAVING THE UK IN WAVES
Diamanté is not alone in her decision to move abroad; in recent years, the number of British nationals who have emigrated has significantly increased.
In 2024, Vietnam was named the world’s most affordable place to live for the fourth year in a row, according to the Expat Insider 2024 survey by InterNations.
As reported by Forbes, Vietnam has consistently delivered on affordability, with 86 per cent of expats rating the cost of living favourably – more than twice the global average of 40 per cent.
And Diamanté can certainly see why, she says: “I can definitely see why people are leaving in waves because it’s not going to get better.
“I’m sad about that because I was born and raised in the UK, so I consider it to be home.
“I should be able to love where I come from, but so many things are happening these days that it is hard to keep that attachment.”
And it doesn’t look like she’ll be forming a romantic attachment back in the UK any time soon either. —Sun Club
