The year 2016 marked three decades since Viet Nam started a reform process that transformed the economy from a centrally subsidized system to a socialist-orientated market one. This reformed economy is characterized by private sector development, foreign investment attraction and expansion of markets alongside profound changes in State management institutions towards an enhanced rule of law and democracy. These decades of reforms have been accompanied by increased internal and international migration by its citizens. The country’s international integration has been reflected in policies encompassing study, work, research, tourism and foreign investment that have created favourable conditions for more Vietnamese to go abroad.

Following the successful Review of Vietnamese Migration Abroad report released in 2011, in 2015 – with financial and technical support from the International Organization for Migration Development Fund – the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies, developed this Viet Nam Migration Profile 2016 to update the situation of Vietnamese migration abroad, as well as examine the characteristics of migrants and the links between international migration and development in Viet Nam’s context. Moreover, this Migration Profile also seeks to contribute to the development of a comprehensive migration policy suitable to the context and specific features of Viet Nam.