Immigration to Vietnam

History

During the French rule of Vietnam between 1925 and 1933, nearly 600,000 Chinese emigrated to North Vietnam, and in the Second Sino-Japanese war that took place from 1937 to 1941, many Chinese left for South Vietnam. Tensions between newly reunified Vietnam and China led to a mass exodus in 1978, when 150,000 ethnic Chinese fled Northern Vietnam for China due to fears of imminent war and Vietnamese persecution. In the aftermath of the subsequent 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, the Vietnamese government made considerable efforts to drive out remaining ethnic Chinese residents, but many remained in the country; resulting in large Chinese communities in Vietnam that persist today.

Many of the recent immigrants are Vietnamese who had left the country in the 1970s and are returning to Vietnam due to more favorable political and economic conditions.

In the late 20th century, the majority of legal immigrants were men, but by the early 21st century, females accounted for nearly one-third of all legal immigrants. Over the last decade, many immigrants have been attracted to the urbanized areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang, and the Central Highlands. Neighboring provinces such as Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Đồng Nai, and Bình Phước also witnessed an increase in immigration. The majority of immigrants moving to Vietnam in the last few years are much younger, with many between the ages of 15 and 34. Since the expansion of Decree No. 21/2001/ND-CP on 30 September 1992, the state has liberalized its visa policy with France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Phú Quốc island, and APEC Business Travel Card holders. This policy change led to an increase in the number of immigrants from these countries.

There are restrictions on the benefits that members of APEC Business Travel Card holders can claim, which are covered under Decree 34/2008/ND-CP. It overruled existing immigration laws and exercised new temporary immigration control for foreigners working in Vietnam. However, the Government announced that the same rules would not apply to nationals of France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Phú Quốc Island. The Government exercised Decree 46/2011/NĐ-CP for the management of foreign employees in Vietnam, known as Managed Migration for all legal labor and student migration from outside South Asia. This area of immigration is managed and administrated by the Vietnam Ministry of Police. Immigration applications are made at Vietnamese embassies or by consulates, and depend on the type of visa or permit required.

In 2012, Vietnam saw a significant increase in immigration, with nearly 200,000 immigrants entering the country during that year.