Abstract
This chapter considers Vietnamese international student returnee’s re-engagement in the workplace and community of their home country. It describes ways that returnee ‘self-formation’ is established prior to their graduation and challenges of re-entry to work and society upon their return. It reflects on the experiences of students enrolled in different disciplines at Australian higher education institutions and the perspectives of national and locally based multinational employers on the knowledge, skills and attitudes the students have developed during their sojourns overseas. Together with discussion of the value of the knowledge and the skills gained, the chapter discusses graduates’ linguistic and cultural ‘disconnectedness’ in their adaptations back to the home country’s work culture and community norms. Drawing on these experiences and perspectives, practical implications are raised, for institutions and the international education sector at large to enhance returnee re-engagement and connectedness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Bochner, S., Lin, A., & McLeod, B. M. (2001). Anticipated role conflict of returning overseas students. The Journal of Social Psychology, 110(2), 265–272.
Bodewig, C. (2012). From rice to robots: Is Vietnam’s workforce ready for the future? Let us know what you think! Retrieved from http://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/from-rice-to-robots-is-vietnams-workforce-ready-for-the-future-let-us-know-what-you-think
Campbell, J., & Li, M. (2008). Asian students’ voices: An empirical study of Asian students’ learning experiences at a New Zealand university. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(4), 375–396.
Chapman, A., & Pyvis, D. (2006). Dilemmas in the information of student identity in offshore higher education: A case study in Hong Kong. Educational Review, 58(3), 291–302.
Chapman, D. W., & Sakamoto, R. (2011). The future of cross-border partnerships in higher education. In R. Sakamoto & D. W. Chapman (Eds.), Cross-border collaboration in higher education. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor & Francis.
Cho, J., & Yu, H. (2015). Roles of university support for international students in the United States: Analysis of a systematic model of university identification, university support, and psychological well-being. Journal of Studies in International Education, 19(1), 11–27.
Christofi, V., & Thompson, C. L. (2007). You cannot go home again: A phenomenological investigation of returning to the sojourn country after studying abroad. Journal of Counseling and Development, 85(1), 53–63.
CIMO. (2014). Faktaa: Facts and figures: Hidden competences. Resource document. Centre for International Mobility. Retrieved from http://www.cimo.fi/instancedata/prime_product_julkaisu/cimo/embeds/cimowwwstructure/32427_Faktaa_1_2014_Hidden_Competences.pdf
East-West Center & HIDS. (2009). Key challenges in the process of urbanization in Ho Chi Minh City: Governance, socio-economic, and environmental issues workshop. Resource document. East West Center. Retrieved from http://www.eastwestcenter.org/sites/default/files/filemanager/Seminars/Urban_Dialogue/pdf/Ho_Chi_Minh_City_Urbanization_booklet.pdf
Gomes, C., Berry, M., Alzougool, B., & Chang, S. (2014). Home away from home: International students and their identity-based social networks in Australia. Journal of International Students, 4(1), 2–15.
Hao, J., & Welch, A. (2012). A tale of sea turtles: Job seeking experiences of Hai Gu (High-skilled returnees) in China. Higher Education Policy, 25(2), 243–260.
Hao, J., Wen, W., & Welch, A. (2016). When sojourners return: Employment opportunities and challenges facing high-skilled Chinese returnees. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 25(1), 22–40.
ICEF. (2014). Number of Vietnamese students abroad up 15% in 2013. Retrieved from http://monitor.icef.com/2014/11/number-vietnamese-students-abroad-15-2013
Kashima, E. S., & Loh, E. (2006). International educations’ acculturation: Effects of international, conational, and local ties and needs for closure. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30(4), 471–485.
Le, A. (2014). Vietnamese international students repatriates: An exploratory study. PhD unpublished thesis. The Graduate College. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.
Le, N. T. (2011). Holding on to Vietnam: Motivation and the acculturation experience of Vietnamese international students in Australia. PhD unpublished thesis. School of Social Sciences and International Studies. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales.
Leask, B. (2005). Internationalisation of the curriculum: Teaching and learning. In J. Carroll & J. Ryan (Eds.), Teaching international students: Improving learning for all (pp. 119–129). Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Lin-Stephens, S., Uesi, J., & Doherty, J. (2015). Chinese returnees’ conception of positive outcomes after graduation from Australian universities – quantitative findings. Australian Journal of Career Development, 24(2), 120–129.
ManpowerGroup. (2011). Building a high-skilled economy: The new Vietnam. Retrieved from http://www.manpowergroup.com/wps/wcm/connect/5676fc24-5e91-4bbe-a848-acbe89488fb9/Building_A_High-Skilled_Economy_-_The_New_Vietnam_A4_FINAL.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Marginson, S. (2014). Student self-formation in international education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(1), 6–22.
Mellors-Bournes, R., Jones, E., & Woodfield, S. (2015). Transnational education and employability development. Resource document. Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/TNE%20and%20employability%20development_0_0.pdf
Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study application in education (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Nguyen, M. L. T. (2012). Vietnamese students’ transitions in study abroad programs. Australian Journal of Career Development, 21(3), 13–22.
Nguyen, T. N. (2013). Selling Western dreams: Australian transnational education in Vietnam and the formation of students’ identities. PhD unpublished thesis. Faculty of Education. Melbourne, Australia: Monash University.
OBHE. (2012). International branch campuses: Data and developments. Retrieved from http://www.obhe.ac.uk/documents/view_details?id=894
OECD. (2013). Vietnam: Innovation profile. In OECD (Ed.), Innovation in Southeast Asia (pp. 281–305). doi:10.1787/9789264128712-12-en.
Pham, A. T. N. (2014). The contribution of cross-border higher education to human resource development in Ho Chi Minh City. PhD unpublished thesis. School of Global, Urban and Social Studies. Melbourne, Australia: RMIT University.
Pham, L., & Saltmarsh, D. (2013). International students’ identity in a globalized world: Narratives from Vietnam. Journal of Research in International Education, 12(2), 129–141.
RMIT. (2014). Global cities research institute: Key locations. Retrieved from http://global-cities.info/key-locations
Robertson, S., Hoare, L., & Harwood, A. (2011). Returnees, student-migrants and second chance learners: Case studies of positional and transformative outcomes of Australian international education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41(5), 685–698.
Rohrlich, B. F., & Martin, J. N. (1991). Host country and re-entry adjustment of student sojourners. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 15(2), 163–182.
Rosenthal, D. A., Russell, J., & Thomson, G. (2007). Social connectedness among international students at an Australian university. Social Indicators Research, 84(1), 71–82.
Pritchard, R. (2011). Re-entry trauma: Asian re-integration after study in the West. Journal of Studies in International Education, 15(1), 93–111.
Sakurai, T., McCall-Wolf, F., & Kashima, E. S. (2010). Building intercultural links: The impact of a multicultural intervention programme on social ties of international students in Australia. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34(2), 176–185.
Sample, S. G. (2012). Developing intercultural learners through the international curriculum. Journal of Studies in International Education, 17(5), 554–572.
Silverman, D. (2013). Doing qualitative research. London: SAGE..
Tinmoi. (2010, January 1). Du hoc sinh o My ve lam viec ngay mot dong [More and more international students from US return to work]. Tinmoi. Retrieved from http://www.tinmoi.vn/Du-hoc-sinh-o-My-ve-nuoc-lam-viec-ngay-mot-dong-01100642.html
Tran, L. T. (2015). Mobility as “becoming”: A Bourdieuian analysis of the factors shaping international student mobility. British Journal of Sociology of Education. doi:10.1080/01425692.2015.1044070.
Vietbroader. (2015, July 6). Nhung kho khan khi du hoc sinh Vietnam ve nuoc lam viec [Difficulties facing Vietnamese international students returning to work in Vietnam. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwIJIZU33NQ
Vu, M. K., & Haughton, J.. (2003). The competitiveness of Vietnam’s three largest cities: A survey of firms in Hanoi, Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City. Retrieved from http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/ptep/khuongvu/The%20Competitiveness%20of%20Vietnams%20Three%20Largest%20Cities.pdf
Yang, R. P., Noels, K. A., & Saumure, K. D. (2006). Multiple routes to cross-cultural adaptation for international students: Mapping the path between self-construals, English language confidence, and adjustment. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30(4), 487–506.
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and method. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Ziguras, C., & Pham, A. T. N. (2014). Assessing participation in cross-border higher education in cities: Foreign education provision in Ho Chi Minh City. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 55(2) 169–181.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pham, A. (2017). Visualising Returnee Re-engagement with Local Workplaces and Community: A Case Study of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In: Tran, L., Gomes, C. (eds) International Student Connectedness and Identity. Cultural Studies and Transdisciplinarity in Education, vol 6. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2601-0_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2601-0_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-2599-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-2601-0
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)