Concerned with the degree of manual labor, he proposed switching to digital devices for market research surveys. His manager retorted that the system would take two weeks and cost US$10,000 while hiring a data entry operator to input 1,000 samples of data over two days cost just VND2 million ($80).

Huynh realized that Australian businesses adopted technology to cut expenses and maintain the minimum wage of $50 per hour.

Born and raised in HCMC, he left to study in Australia at 15. With a master’s degree and experience managing an investment fund, he joined the National Australia Bank.

Ten years later he found the environment too stable, the level of competition low and career opportunities limited for foreign workers. He also encountered the “bamboo ceiling”, a cultural and systemic barrier that prevent Asians from advancing to leadership positions in Australia irrespective of their capabilities.

In 2016 he applied for a position at a financial company in HCMC’s District 1. He only had two days to quit his job in Australia and start the new one in Vietnam. “I thought I understood my country’s culture and so preparation was not needed,” he says.

But he was quickly proven wrong with a series of shocks at his new job.

The first was workplace time culture. Australians typically leave the office at 5 p.m. Overtime workers are paid extra and provided with taxi fare or dinner. During his time abroad, he had never taken work home. In contrast, he found overtime was normal in Vietnam.

“Vietnamese employees have huge workloads but they rarely demand their rights,” he says. Productivity is sometimes measured by how long one stays in the office.

Another difference was the feedback culture. During his first few meetings he was advised to tone down because his comments were considered too direct even though he meant no offense.

Over time he realized that people tended to avoid asking questions out of fear of being seen as incompetent or communicated in a roundabout manner instead of openly.

During the first six months after his return to Vietnam he frequently met up with other returning overseas Vietnamese from the U.S., Canada and Australia, and all of them seemed to share the same sentiment.

This phenomenon, known as reverse culture shock, happens when long-time expatriates struggle to readjust to their home country.

A study titled “Vietnamese Graduate International Student Repatriates: Reverse Adjustment,” conducted by the University of Nebraska, discovered that most returning international students face considerable challenges, even if they had lived in Vietnam for years before going abroad.

The researchers concluded that reintegration could be harder than adapting to life in the U.S.

Doan Thi Ngoc, a lecturer at Hoa Sen University in HCMC, estimates that 70 percent of students experience reverse culture shock when readjusting to life back home. Reverse culture shock arises from the need to reset habits, mindsets and behaviors formed while living abroad, Ngoc explains. The social environment, communication styles and principles in Vietnam may be drastically different from their experiences abroad. It is the conflict between what was once familiar and current reality that creates feelings of disorientation and isolation.

“This leads to feelings of alienation, insecurity and self-isolation for many returnees,” Ngoc says. The lack of support for reintegration often leaves them feeling stranded or even that they are falling behind.

At 30, Thuy Tien returned to Vietnam in 2020 to work for a startup in Hanoi after spending several years in the U.S.

She was shocked right in her first week when she saw the obvious hierarchy between bosses and employees, lunch break routines and afternoon naps and the drinking parties on major holidays or company anniversaries. Discussing work over drinks was something she struggled to adapt to.

“I realized every environment has its own way of operating and communicating, and I tried to acknowledge those differences,” she says. But after witnessing people treating overtime hours as a badge of achievement, she found the environment inefficient and decided to leave.

In mid-2025, she returned to the U.S. to continue studying. She says Vietnam’s rapidly growing economy demands a faster pace compared to her stable life abroad.

While there is no solution for overcoming reverse culture shock, Ngoc advises returnees to adapt by focusing on the present, maintaining old habits, practicing meditation, walking, writing, and building social connections.

Applying international skills, including language, to both work and life helps create a sense of fulfillment and renewal, Ngoc continues.

The lecturer also recommends expatriates to remind themselves of the achievements, values and resilience they had once displayed abroad when they feel lost or disappointed.

Connecting with others through similar experiences, sharing culture through blogs, journaling or joining community projects can also be rewarding. Returnees should reach out to experienced mentors, family or professional support services when they feel overwhelmed, she suggests.

Huynh has seen many overseas Vietnamese become senior managers, start businesses or invest in Vietnam. Despite the culture shock, they can all see opportunities in a rapidly growing economy.

To truly succeed, he believes one must live and think like a Vietnamese. “Cultural integration is a must. I have never regretted returning to Vietnam.”