Barriers Faced by Returning Migrant Children in Vietnam: The Case of the Mekong Delta Region

In recent years, there has been a noticeable presence of children known as “unrecognized” in the Vietnamese media. These children are the offspring of Vietnamese women married to Korean or Taiwanese men who have returned to Vietnam following divorce or separation. This article focuses on these marginalized mixed children and explores the diversity of their backgrounds and experiences after returning home. It establishes how various barriers faced by mothers have discouraged them from securing their children's citizenship, resulting in the “unrecognized” status of the latter. As established in this article, this leads to both structural and social barriers that include isolation and limited access to education.