[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
For five years in Japan, 28-year-old Nhat Tuan has never once returned home to visit his family in Bac Ninh because his promise to “change his life” remains unfinished.
In 2020, Tuan quit his factory job that paid 10 million VND a month and asked his parents to borrow 300 million VND so he could go to Gifu Prefecture, Japan, to work in agriculture. Brokers painted a rosy picture of earning 30–40 million VND per month, not including overtime. The young man from Bac Ninh believed that he would pay off his debt within two years and save up enough to start a business back home afterward.
“But reality was far from what I imagined,” Tuân said.
During the first three years as a technical intern, his salary ranged only from 9–11 man (90,000–110,000 yen), equivalent to 15–17 million VND. Instead of caring for ornamental plants as stated in his contract, he had to do all kinds of jobs—from repairing roofs and unclogging drains to clearing snow. In winter, when water froze, he still had to spend entire days harvesting lotus stems and cutting cactus thorns by hand.
Despite the harsh work, Tuan did not dare quit because of his debt. At the end of his second year, he finally finished paying it off and considered returning home, but he hesitated. Coming home then, he felt, meant admitting that two years of hardship had brought him back to the starting line: no capital, no skills, and no convincing explanation for his family.
Trying to hold on into his fourth year to switch to the “Specified Skilled Worker” status, his salary increased to 17 man (about 28 million VND). However, this was also the period when the yen hit a record low and inflation in Japan surged.
Each month, Tuan spent 5 man on rent and food, 2 man on insurance and taxes, plus other high living expenses. He was left with only 12–14 million VND. Most of this he sent home; the rest he kept for unexpected costs and a small amount of savings.
For Tuan, the biggest pressure was not the exhausting work but the fear of “losing face.” Phone calls from home asking “when will you build a house?” or “how much are you sending back?” became a heavy burden.
“Moreover, if I return to Vietnam, I don’t know what job I can do. Agricultural experience from Japan won’t bring high wages, and going back to being a factory worker means returning to the exact starting point,” he said. “I don’t have the courage to gamble again.”
Tuan is not alone in this fear. Huu Minh, 32, from Hai Duong, went to Japan in mid-2023 with the goal of rebuilding his family home. After cutting his expenses to the minimum, he sends home 17 million VND per month.
“If I return now, I’ll only have around 300–400 million VND saved, and building a house would wipe it out. I’ve seen many people return and open milk tea or spicy noodle shops only to shut down a few months later because they lacked experience. I’m afraid I’ll end up the same,” Minh said. He chooses to “grind on” for a few more years, though he feels tired of life abroad.
According to 2024 data, more than 158,000 Vietnamese went to work overseas, with Japan being the largest market. The typical salary is about 180,000 yen, equivalent to 28–30 million VND per month, and remittances estimated at 3.5–4 billion USD make this market appear full of opportunity.
But behind these numbers lie many obstacles. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2023, the average cost for Vietnamese workers to go to Japan is about 192 million VND, among the highest in the region. Surveys by Japan’s immigration authorities show that more than 50% of Vietnamese interns carry debt equivalent to over two years of minimum-wage income.
By mid-2025, the weakening yen reduced the value of remittances by another 10–20%. This pressure has pushed many workers to stay longer than planned, even though their savings fall short of expectations.
Truong Nhat Tai, Deputy Director of Hasu Asia, who has over 10 years of experience in Japan’s labor export sector, said that the fear of returning home is common.
According to him, this mindset stems from three main causes.
The first is the lack of vocational skills. Before going abroad, most workers choose simple jobs such as food processing, electronics, or inspection. These positions do not require high skills, so when they return, aside from savings, they have almost no professional expertise to compete for jobs.
The second is the “illusion” of income disparity. “In Japan, people get used to earning 20 million VND a month, but when they return to Vietnam starting at 7–8 million, many feel they cannot cope,” Tai said.
The third is the risk of “rapid capital loss” upon returning home. Income drops, while expenses increase, and without immediate employment, savings of 400–500 million VND quickly dry up. Failing to find stable work, many consider going back to Japan or switching to another market instead of staying in Vietnam.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/noi-so-tay-trang-hoi-huong-cua-lao-dong-viet-o-nhat-4990663.html
WORD BANK:
remain unfinished /rɪˈmeɪn ʌnˈfɪn.ɪʃt/ (v): vẫn còn dang dở
prefecture /ˈpriː.fek.tʃɚ/ (n): tỉnh, quận (đơn vị hành chính ở Nhật)
broker /ˈbroʊ.kɚ/ (n): môi giới
paint a rosy picture /peɪnt ə ˈroʊ.zi ˈpɪk.tʃɚ/ (phr): vẽ ra viễn cảnh màu hồng
pay off a debt /peɪ ɔːf ə det/ (v): trả hết nợ
be far from sth /bi fɑːr frʌm/ (phr): khác xa, không giống
intern /ˈɪn.tɝːn/ (n): thực tập sinh
equivalent to /ɪˈkwɪv.əl.ənt tuː/ (adj): tương đương với
ornamental plant /ˌɔːr.nəˈmen.t̬əl plænt/ (n): cây cảnh
unclog /ʌnˈklɑːɡ/ (v): thông tắc
drain /dreɪn/ (v): thoát nước; làm cạn
lotus stem /ˈloʊ.t̬əs stem/ (n): ngó sen
cactus thorn /ˈkæk.təs θɔːrn/ (n): gai xương rồng
hesitate /ˈhez.ə.teɪt/ (v): do dự
hesitant to do sth /ˈhez.ə.tənt tuː duː/ (adj): lưỡng lự, ngần ngại làm gì
admit sth /ədˈmɪt/ (v): thừa nhận điều gì
hardship /ˈhɑːrd.ʃɪp/ (n): khó khăn; gian khổ
inflation /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/ (n): lạm phát
surge /sɝːdʒ/ (v): tăng vọt; bùng lên
burden /ˈbɝː.dən/ (n): gánh nặng
courage /ˈkɝː.ɪdʒ/ (n): lòng can đảm
gamble /ˈɡæm.bəl/ (v): đánh cược
be not alone /bi nɑːt əˈloʊn/ (expression): không chỉ có một mình (trong hoàn cảnh nào đó)
cut one’s expenses to the minimum (phr): cắt chi phí xuống mức tối thiểu
wipe sth out /waɪp aʊt/ (v): xóa sạch; quét sạch
end up … /end ʌp/ (phr v): kết cục là…, rốt cuộc trở thành…
grind on /ɡraɪnd ɑːn/ (v): kéo dài lê thê; tiếp tục chậm chạp
remittance /rɪˈmɪt.əns/ (n): tiền kiều hối
obstacle /ˈɑːb.stə.kəl/ (n): trở ngại
immigration authorities /ˌɪm.ɪˈɡreɪ.ʃən əˈθɔːr.ə.t̬iz/ (n): cơ quan nhập cư
carry debt /ˈkær.i det/ (v): gánh nợ
fall short of expectations /ˌek.spekˈteɪ.ʃənz/ (v): không đạt kỳ vọng
stem from sth /stem frʌm/ (v): bắt nguồn từ
vocational skill /voʊˈkeɪ.ʃən.əl skɪl/ (n): kỹ năng nghề
inspection /ɪnˈspek.ʃən/ (n): sự kiểm tra; thanh tra
illusion /ɪˈluː.ʒən/ (n): ảo tưởng
income disparity /ˈɪn.kʌm dɪˈsper.ə.t̬i/ (n): chênh lệch thu nhập
cope /koʊp/ (v): đối phó; xoay xở
dry up /draɪ ʌp/ (v): cạn kiệt; khô cạn
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