Reverse migration: Overseas Vietnamese flock back to homeland

At 30, Tam had a stable job and life in Canada. She mentioned that she faced no challenges integrating into Canadian society, except for the lingering feeling that, over the years, she did not quite belong.

Living alone, she spent her days working in research at a university and her evenings and weekends working part-time at a shopping mall. Some weeks, she worked seven days, leaving early and returning late. Her routine consisted of buying rotisserie chicken, vegetables, and bread from the supermarket.

"A solitary, repetitive life," she says.

Tam’s decision to return to Vietnam was influenced by two key moments. During a visit home in 2023, she felt an overwhelming wave of homesickness as the plane landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport.

"Only when I set foot in my homeland did the longing surface," she recalls.

The second moment occurred when she had a dream of her parents crying and asking her to stay. Upon waking, she gazed out the window at the swaying delonix trees and realized she, like the flowers, belonged to Vietnam.

Tam is part of a growing group of return migrants—those who once settled abroad but decided to return to their homeland. According to the "Migration Profile Vietnam" report by the International Organization for Migration, around 500,000 Vietnamese return to the country from abroad each year, 25,000 of them returning emigrants.

This trend is rising alongside Vietnam’s economic growth and improved living standards.

Overseas Vietnamese greeted by family upon returning home for the Tet Lunar New Year at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat Airport, Jan. 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Nguyen Thi Huong, after spending years in the U.S. and Australia, also chose to return to Vietnam, settling alone in a house in HCMC’s District 8.

The former nurse’s husband passed away early, and she raised two daughters on her own. After she retired, her children invited her to join them abroad. She moved to California, the U.S., in 2019, confident that her English skills and open personality would help her adapt quickly.

But she soon felt isolated. In the U.S., her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren were busy with work. The Vietnamese community, though large, was dispersed, and people were too busy to interact.

To combat the loneliness, she started taking the bus to a nearby supermarket, where she encountered cold, indifferent staff who made her feel discriminated against. This experience led her to avoid going out and socializing.

One day, while sitting in a park, a woman mistakenly gave her $10, thinking she was homeless. The encounter brought her to tears, cementing her decision to return to Vietnam.

Hương’s second daughter then invited her to Australia, but life there too was unsatisfactory. The pace was too fast, the housing was poor, and the only task she had was cleaning the yard.

"I was so lonely that I picked up each leaf by hand and didn’t dare rake them for fear there would be no more leaves and no more work to do," she recalls.

After three months in Australia Huong insisted on returning to Vietnam. In 2023 she came back, renovated her house, and divided it into two parts—one for living and the other for renting out to a pho shop.

Now she enjoys watching people come and go, chatting in front of the shop and feels a sense of peace. Though she has to keep medications at her bedside and her phone within reach for emergencies, Huong says: "For me, this life is what truly feels like living."

A report by the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs points out that many second-generation Vietnamese immigrants feel they do not fully belong in their countries, prompting them to return to Vietnam. In the U.S. 60% of Vietnamese Americans are still struggling with the language barrier, cultural integration and social status.

Dr. Catherine Earl, a social anthropologist at RMIT University Vietnam, believes multiple factors contribute to reverse migration and not just difficulties adapting abroad.

Her research shows that in the 21st century, migration is no longer a one-way journey, but one of movement between different places, including home countries, study locations, work, marriage, and raising children.

Many migrants find themselves caught in a limbo, not fully belonging to any country. Without proper preparation, they may experience culture shock and feel disconnected from language, food, religion, climate, and lifestyle in a new country. Some face disappointment when reality does not meet expectations, while others adjust their goals upon discovering new options, including returning to their home countries.

Reverse migration reflects not only personal choices but also gaps in policies related to education, employment, and cultural integration, she tells VnExpress. If Vietnam’s education and employment policies are not improved, this could lead to further relocation, resulting in wasted human resources, disruptions in generational connections and limited global integration.

"On the other hand, if appropriate policies are in place, return migrants could contribute positively to the country’s development."

Thanh Binh, who lived for 20 years in Regensburg, Germany, decided to return to Vietnam in 2023.

Thanh Binh during his trans-Vietnam trip. Photo courtesy of Binh

Having migrated at age 10, he speaks fluent German and gradually adapted to western life. He did face racial discrimination and school violence but the rest of his time in Germany was spent in a good living environment and work had been stable.

However, he always felt a lack of deep connection and emotional fulfillment that he only found in the strong bonds of eastern relationships.

"I started asking myself where I truly belong," he says.

After his close friend in Germany passed away, leaving him a message to "live true to your dreams," Binh decided to return to Vietnam.

This decision surprised his family and friends, especially as he was close to completing his doctoral research and securing a teaching position at a prestigious German university. He assured his family he would give life in Vietnam a two-year trial, with the option of returning if things didn’t work out.

"At worst, I would gain the experience of living and working in my homeland, something I’ve always longed for," he says.

But once he arrived in Vietnam, he knew he did not want to leave.