International Journal of Asian Studies· 2026Q2
Beyond nation-state rhetoric: exploring the transnational mobility narratives of Vietnamese international undergraduate students in the US
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- 2026year
Short summary
Vietnamese undergraduate seniors in the US construct six distinct transnational mobility narratives (family trailblazing, mobility optimizing, idealism, negotiating, homeward strategizing, transnational elitism) that challenge simplistic US soft power or Vietnamese national development frames of international education.
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Key points
- Identified six transnational mobility narratives among Vietnamese undergraduate seniors in the US.
- Findings challenge US soft power and Vietnamese national development views of international students.
- Transnational mobility is a dynamic process influenced by class, institutional factors, and personal aspirations.
- The study is based on life history interviews with eleven participants.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This paper examines how Vietnamese international undergraduate seniors in the US make sense of their trajectories abroad and, in doing so, challenge the dominant discourses on international education in US-Vietnam relations. While the US frames international students as instruments of soft power, Vietnam regards students abroad as agents of national development who should return to “globalize” the domestic workforce. Drawing from life history interviews with eleven participants, the study identifies six transnational mobility narratives: family trailblazing narrative, mobility optimizing narrative, narrative of idealism, negotiating narrative, homeward strategizing narrative, and narrative of transnational elitism. Findings reveal that transnational mobility is not a linear journey of patriotic return or ideological assimilation but a dynamic process of meaning-making shaped by classed pathways into mobility, uneven institutional opportunities, lived experiences, and aspirations. The paper calls for more human-centered approaches to US-Vietnam educational exchanges, ones that honor the complexity of cross-border belonging and student agency.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Asian Studies, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Communication
CommunicationSocial Sciences