Life journeys of Vietnamese people in Finland

Over four decades have passed since Vietnamese refugees first arrived in Finland in 1979. Despite this, much remains unknown about their journeys and experiences. Life Journeys of Vietnamese in Finland is an interview-based study that explores the unique life paths of older Vietnamese migrants who settled in Finland as adults between the late 1970s and the late 1980s. Through in-depth interviews, we examine their adaptation to Finnish society, their personal life experiences, their perspectives on ageing, and their current needs as they grow older.

Laura Kemppainen (neé Lyytikäinen) holds a docentship in Sociology and works as a university researcher and as the responsible researcher in the Vietnamese life journeys study. Her research focuses on migration, health and wellbeing, especially in the context of ageing. Kemppainen’s research interests include research on inequalities, transnationalism, ageing and end of life and mixed methods. She has acted as a principal investigator in the projects Crossing Borders for Health and Wellbeing (2017–2020) and Transnational Health and Wellbeing (2020–2022), which investigated transnational use of health care, medical travel, and tourism. 

More about Kemppainen can be found here.

Nguyen Ngoc Tram is doing her master’s study in Sociology at the University of Helsinki and works as a trainee at MICA. Her master's thesis focuses on the experiences of loneliness in the daily life of Vietnamese migrants in Finland. She is now a research assistant in the Vietnamese life journeys study.

More about Tram can be found here.

We are currently inviting participants for our research study. We are looking for individuals who migrated from Vietnam to Finland as adults (age 18 or older) between the late 1970s and late 1980s. If this describes you and you are interested in sharing your experiences, please reach out through the contact information provided on this page. 

Please note that contacting us does not obligate you to participate. If you don’t meet the criteria but know someone who might, we kindly ask for your help in sharing this information with others who may be eligible. Your interest and support are invaluable to us, and we’re more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the study. 

All interviews will be conducted with full confidentiality. Participants will remain anonymous, and no identifying information will be shared in research publications. Participation is entirely voluntary.  

The research results will significantly enhance our understanding of the life journeys of early migrants to Finland. Our aim is to broadly share these findings with a range of collaborators. The insights gained will offer valuable information on the well-being of the Finnish-Vietnamese community and their specific needs, which can be used in the future to support the development of services and inform political decision-making. 

Detailed information about how participants’ personal data will be processed is provided in this document in English, in Vietnamese, and in Finnish.