Fear of returning empty-handed: Vietnamese workers in Japan trapped by expectations

In 2020 he quit a factory job paying VND10 million ($380) and borrowed VND300 million from his parents to go to Gifu Prefecture in Japan for agricultural work.

Recruiters painted a rosy picture of a monthly income of VND30-40 million not including overtime payments. The young man from Bac Ninh Province believed that within just two years he could clear his debt and build a significant nest egg to start a business back home. "But reality has been far from what I imagined," he says.

During his first three years as a technical intern, his salary was just 90,000-110,000 yen ($570–$640), equivalent to VND15–17 million.

Instead of caring for bonsai trees, as his contract promised, he was doing everything from repairing roofs and clearing sewers to shoveling snow.

Even in winter, when the water froze, Tuan spent his days wading through icy ponds to harvest lotus roots or trimming cactus spines by hand. But despite the hardship Tuan did not dare quit because of his debt.

It was not until the end of his second year that he finally repaid the debt. He then considered returning home, but hesitated. To return at that moment would mean two years of hard labor had only brought him to the starting line: no nest egg, no career and no explanation that would satisfy his family.

Persevering into his fourth year to qualify for the "Specified skilled worker" visa, Tuan saw his salary rise to about 170,000 yen. But this coincided with the Japanese yen falling to record lows and inflation spiking in that country.

Tuan spends 50,000 yen a month on rent and food and 20,000 yen on insurance and taxes. After factoring in other steep living costs, he is left with only VND12–14 million.

He sends the majority of this home, keeping only a small fraction for emergencies. The greatest pressure for Tuan comes not from the physical labor but the fear of "losing face."

Calls from home asking, "When will you build a house?" or "How much money are you sending back?" have become a heavy burden.

"Furthermore, I don't know what I will do if I went back. My agricultural experience in Japan fetches low wages back home, and returning to factory work would feel like going back to square one.

"I don't have the courage to gamble on my future again."

Nhat Tuan cares for cacti in a park in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Photo courtesy of Tuan

Tuan is not alone in this anxiety. Huu Minh, 32, of Hai Duong Province moved to Japan in mid-2023 with the specific goal of earning enough money to rebuild his family home.

After cutting his expenses to the bone, he manages to send home VND17 million a month.

"If I return now my savings will only be around VND300–400 million. Once the house is built, I’ll be empty-handed.

"I’ve seen many people return to their hometowns to open bubble tea shops or spicy noodle stalls, only to close down after a few months due to a lack of experience. I’m terrified of falling into that same trap."

He has reconciled to keeping up the hard grind for a few more years despite feeling burned out.

As of 2024 Vietnam had over 158,000 citizens working abroad, with Japan being the top destination. With its average wages of around 180,000 yen a month, the country is still viewed as a prime opportunity for building wealth. But behind the numbers lie significant barriers.

According to the International Labour Organization, in 2023 the average cost for a Vietnamese worker to go to Japan was VND192 million, among the highest in the region.

Studies by Japanese immigration authorities have found that over 50% of Vietnamese interns have debt burdens equivalent to more than two years of minimum wages.

By mid-2025 the weakening yen caused the value of remittances to drop by 10–20%. This is forcing many people to stay longer than planned as their savings fail to meet expectations.

Truong Nhat Tai, deputy director of Hasu Asia, who has over a decade of experience in the Japan labor export market, explains this common "reluctance to repatriate" stems from three main factors.

First is a lack of transferable skills. Before going abroad, most workers choose simple jobs at home like food processing, electronics assembly and product inspection, which do not require high skill levels. So when they return to Vietnam, they lack the professional expertise to compete, he says.

Second is the "illusion," after getting used to an income of VND20 million a month in Japan, that they can't survive if they return to Vietnam and earn only VND7–8 million, he says.

Finally, many quickly burn through their savings after returning due to the high cost of re-establishing life in Vietnam without immediate employment, and so contemplate returning to Japan or moving to a different country rather than stay at home, he says.

Labor export companies seek candidates at a vocational school job fair. Photo by An Phuong

He believes a major weakness for many Vietnamese workers is the lack of clear direction about their return, and says the most crucial step is career orientation before they even leave.

Workers need to be guided toward jobs that match their personal abilities as well as the economic reality of their hometown, he says.

For instance, if their family has farmlands but the worker spends years in Japan doing food processing or electronics, they would not know where to start when they return to aging parents and the farm, he points out.

This misalignment makes many afraid to come home, and so his company tailors training programs to practical needs, he says.

Thus, if the hometown is agricultural, he prioritizes jobs in agriculture and husbandry; if they want a technical career, he trains them in machinery or textiles.

The goal is that, upon returning, workers can adopt high-tech agricultural models or quality manufacturing, or continue doing the skilled trade they learned.

He also emphasizes the imperative of long-term goal setting and defining what they want to achieve upon return and what benchmarks they must hit while in Japan. "When they are sufficiently prepared, they won’t feel lost when they return to Vietnam."