Russia

Thousands of Vietnamese studied and worked in the Soviet Union under bilateral agreements, and a generation of Vietnamese engineers, doctors and officials was trained in Moscow and Kyiv. When the union collapsed, many stayed and moved into trade, building the wholesale markets that still anchor the community. The official census count is far below every community estimate, which tells you most of what you need to know about how the population is documented.

The migrations that built it

1. 01 1950s–1980s: students and specialists under Soviet agreements
2. 02 1981–1990: contract labor in Soviet factories
3. 03 1991 onward: market trade, centred on Moscow