Loneliness As a Hidden Experience: Life Stories of Older Vietnamese Migrants in Finland
In my master’s thesis, I studied how older Vietnamese migrants in Finland defined and experienced loneliness. In this blog post, I share my findings, which show that loneliness was shaped not only by language barriers and social circumstances, but also by the stigma attached to admitting it. The results highlight the need for local social services to pay closer attention to this community in order to foster connection, inclusion, and healthier aging among older migrants.
My thesis study focused on Vietnamese refugees—the first large group of quota refugees in Finland—and their family members. Aging as migrants can expose them to higher risk of loneliness, yet they have largely been overlooked in loneliness studies in Finland. This case study addresses this gap by employing qualitative biographical interviews to explore the loneliness experienced by eight older Vietnamese migrants (aged 60 and above) in the Helsinki Metropolitan area.
Arriving in Finland at the end of the 1970s, the first Vietnamese migrants laid the foundation for the Vietnamese community in this Nordic country. After decades of resettlement, Finland has become their second homeland. Many have built fulfilling lives in Finland and earned a positive reputation among locals due to their hard work. However, alongside their successes, the first generation of Vietnamese migrants in Finland has faced significant hardships, not only during their younger years but also as they enter old age, with loneliness being one of them.
Participants described loneliness as a feeling of sadness and deliberate disconnection from society. While Vietnamese culture values sociability and mutual dependence, this perception can create stigma around loneliness and those who experience it. Consequently, individuals may feel hesitant to disclose their loneliness and seek help, not only from their community but also from the broader society, often due to language barriers. This explains why, for some participants, loneliness becomes a hidden personal experience that is difficult to share with others.
When it is challenging to open up about their feelings, participants’ stories reveal that many of them experience loneliness in later life. Participants experienced loneliness when being disconnected from loved ones, such as separation from family or the death of a spouse. The inability to find a preferred group with whom to share hobbies or socialize also contributed to their feelings of loneliness. Additionally, loneliness can manifest more abstractly as a sense of emptiness and detachment from life, especially after fulfilling family and societal responsibilities.
Cultural differences play a significant role in causing loneliness among older Vietnamese migrants. Research participants described Vietnamese culture as more collectivist, while Finnish culture was seen as more individualistic. As their children adopt Finnish cultural norms—emphasizing independence from a young age and equality among generations within families—some participants felt that familial closeness and filial values have diminished, leaving them disconnected from their children and ultimately feeling lonely.
Finnish culture also highly respects personal privacy, which contrasts with Vietnamese culture that traditionally encourages social interaction. Consequently, older Vietnamese migrants often struggle to find a neighborly atmosphere characterized by spontaneous visits and interactions in Finland, particularly given the small Vietnamese population and the lack of ethnic enclaves due to Finnish dispersal policies that have spread the community throughout the country.
Moreover, because Vietnamese people tend to derive meaning in life from their communal achievements, some participants experienced loneliness and constant contemplation in later life due to a perceived lack of meaning when reflecting on their past and believing they had not achieved their goals.
In conclusion, my findings showed that while participants viewed loneliness as a result of personal characteristics in which individuals deliberately avoid social contact, it can also arise from situational factors, including social stigma when exposing their loneliness, language barriers, and specific social circumstances, as mentioned above. Therefore, older Vietnamese migrants who experience loneliness require support from the community to address this issue. Local social services targeting older migrants should pay close attention on the Vietnamese community when tackling loneliness, ensuring their well-being and promoting healthy aging in later life.
Words cannot fully express my gratitude to the Vietnamese migrants who have participated in this project and entrusted me with their life stories. Their hospitality and generosity will always hold a special place in my heart. The stories they shared not only shaped this research but also serve as a poignant reminder that behind every finding lies the lived experience of a real person. However, because loneliness is recognized as a unique and personal experience, our findings do not represent the experiences of all older Vietnamese migrants in Finland. As our study continues, we welcome more individuals to participate and are eager to hear their stories to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the life journeys of the first generation of Vietnamese in Finland.
Nguyễn Ngọc Trầm has worked as a research assistant and thesis writer in the Migration, Care and Ageing (MICA, RG3) research group of the CoE AgeCare.
Read more about the project on the project webpage:
