Navigating the home labour market: multifaceted stories of Vietnamese returnees

The number of international returnees is increasing in emerging economies. However, very little has been known about their career development in their home country. This process is not linear because differences in cultural norms and professional values and expectations in the host and home countries often give returnees challenges. This study explored how Vietnamese returnees from Australia developed their career after returning to Vietnam. The findings revealed that there was not a simple answer to whether Australian education outcomes were useful and applicable in Vietnam or not because the usefulness and application were determined by the extent to which the returnees could be able to use their overseas skills and knowledge. Career development of returnees was influenced by both contextual and personal factors among which hierarchy, inside-oriented economy and networking appeared as strong external influences, whereas accessing full authority and being adaptive emerged as strong affordances.