Emigration of russian pensioners to Vietnam (and other countries of Southeast Asia)

Abstract

This article analyzes the migration of elderly Russians to Vietnam (in comparison with other countries in Southeast Asia). The migration of the social group takes place against the background of a change in the age structure of the population in Russia and the world, which implies a greater activity of the older generation, including in the context of migration. The paper highlights various factors of migration in old age: demographic, social, economic, regional-climatic. Official statistics allow us to describe the growing emigration of the Russian older generation to Vietnam, where 318 senior citizens officially emigrated in 2011-2021. It is noted that during the pandemic, Vietnam turned out to be an attractive place for elderly Russian migrants. State statistics do not take into account forms of temporary migration, therefore, using a two-stage content analysis of the social network service Odnoklassniki, the number of accounts of elderly Russian speakers in Southeast Asia was revealed: the most frequent users were in Thailand, then in Vietnam and Singapore. The analysis of cases made it possible to identify several models of migration and adaptation of elderly Russian speakers in Vietnam: the Tourism model (transitional), Family, Active lifestyle, Treatment. Additionally, the legal aspects of the elderly moving to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries are analyzed. The authors come to the conclusion that the retirement visa does not have a decisive impact on the migration of the elderly, since, for example, Vietnam is one of the main destinations for the migration of elderly Russians, while not providing them with special conditions. The reason is the high financial requirements for candidates to acquire a retirement visa (in countries where such a visa is granted) and the lack of fundamental benefits from obtaining such an opportunity.