This article examines the role of social networks and informal institutions in facilitating the resettlement and socio-economic integration of Vietnamese returnees from Cambodia in the Tri An Lake region, Dong Nai Province. In the context of statelessness and the absence of legal identification, these returnees faced significant barriers in accessing official support from local authorities. Under such circumstances, kinship-based networks, fellow migrant connections, and local community ties—together with informal support mechanisms —played a pivotal role in providing essential resources such as shelter, livelihood opportunities, informal credit, and emotional support. Drawing on oral history interviews with Vietnamese returnees who have resettled around Tri An Lake since the late 1980s, the study reveals that these social connections and informal institutions helped individuals navigate initial crises and contributed significantly to their long-term stability and integration.

Over several decades, a combination of historical, economic, and political factors have influenced the multifaceted phenomenon of Vietnamese return migration from Cambodia. This article examines the return migration of Vietnamese from a historical perspective with document and contextual analysis, revealing a broader picture of the socio-economic and political dynamics in Cambodia and the historical relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam. Before the 1990s, return migration was significantly influenced by colonial-era migration policies and pervasive anti-Vietnamese sentiments. These factors led to violent repression and forced evictions under regimes such as Lon Nol and the Khmer Rouge, profoundly impacting the Vietnamese community in Cambodia. In contrast, administrative governance and economic factors have become the key determinants of Vietnamese return migration in the contemporary period. Understanding the underlying causes and mechanisms that create the situation for Vietnamese in Cambodia and their return is crucial, serving as a basis for addressing their current challenges and promoting their social integration in both countries.

Culture plays an important role in shaping the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences of refugees as they navigate decisions and actions in a new society. Based on an analysis of 88 oral history interviews conducted by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation (VAHF) with Vietnamese refugees in the US after the war, this paper examines the relationship between culture and social integration, particularly the cultural values that Vietnamese refugees have chosen and promoted to help them adapt quickly and successfully in the new society. Using a thematic analysis method, cultural values such as self-effort, a studious tradition, sacrifice, and intergenerational responsibility help Vietnamese refugees improve their socio-economic status after a period of settlement in the U.S. The stories specifically illustrate how Vietnamese people have applied cultural values to social integration strategies, establishing connections between culture and economic opportunities within the socio-economic conditions of the United States.