Vietnam among world’s top 10 welcoming countries

With the country coming in ninth place, it is obvious that expats feel welcome when spending time in Vietnam, according to InterNations’ survey.

The friendliness shown towards foreign residents, rated positively by 83%, generally has a positive impact on expats’ well-being. A Belgian expat, for instance, considers the country to be “less stressful than many other places, as people smile naturally”, the website reported.

InterNations’ survey interviewed a total of 12,000 expats living in 174 countries around the world. Among the 10 most welcoming countries are five Asian countries, including two in the Southeast Asian region.

The remaining five places go to North Central America, South America, and Europe.

Portugal claims top position for being the country with the friendliest attitude towards foreign residents, relegating Taiwan (China) and Mexico to second and third places.

Elsewhere, Cambodia was the other Southeast Asian country to feature, coming in at fourth in the friendliest countries ranking. Almost every expat, 96% in total, rates its general friendliness positively, significantly more than the global average of 70%.

On top of this, expats seem to have little trouble settling in. For example, in the article an Australian expat expresses their contentment with “building relationships with the locals”. More than eight in 10 respondents regard the local population as welcoming, 85% in total, and 83% agree that it’s easy to settle down in Cambodia, the website noted.

Additionally, expats can expect a warm welcome in Bahrain, Costa Rica, Oman, Colombia, and Canada. Indeed, between 81% (Canada) and 94% (Portugal) rate the local population’s attitude towards foreign residents positively, which is far above the global average of 67%.