The Vietnamese Community in Japan — Where to Find Your People by Prefecture
The full guide to the Vietnamese community in Japan in 2026: 600k residents across 10 main prefectures, where to find supermarkets, restaurants, religious services, language media, and how to integrate without losing your community.
Updated October 2026: technical intern training is replaced by 育成就労 (ikusei shuro) on 1 April 2027; the outlook section now says what that means for Vietnamese workers.
You're not alone
As of 2025, Japan is home to ~600,000 Vietnamese residents — the second-largest foreign community after Chinese, growing 8-10% per year. But they're unevenly distributed. This guide shows you which prefectures have strong VN communities, what each offers, and how to plug in.
Top 10 prefectures by Vietnamese population (2025)
| Rank | Prefecture | VN residents | Strongest in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aichi (Nagoya area) | ~73,000 | Manufacturing, automotive parts (Toyota corridor) |
| 2 | Tokyo | ~64,000 | IT, services, university students |
| 3 | Osaka | ~52,000 | Manufacturing, construction, food service |
| 4 | Saitama | ~38,000 | Manufacturing, logistics |
| 5 | Chiba | ~36,000 | Construction, accommodation |
| 6 | Kanagawa | ~34,000 | Manufacturing, services |
| 7 | Hyogo (Kobe) | ~28,000 | Shipbuilding, manufacturing |
| 8 | Gifu | ~22,000 | Construction, manufacturing |
| 9 | Shizuoka | ~21,000 | Manufacturing, food processing |
| 10 | Ibaraki | ~18,000 | Agriculture, manufacturing |
Combined with smaller prefectures, the Vietnamese population is now widespread, but the densest communities are in Aichi, Tokyo and Osaka.
Aichi (Nagoya) — the heart of VN community in Japan
If you're working in manufacturing or automotive (TITP, SSW), Aichi is where you're most likely to find:
- VN supermarkets in central Nagoya (Nguyen Phuc store near Sakae station, Saigon Mart in Imaike)
- VN restaurants — over 50 in Nagoya alone (real pho, banh mi, com tam)
- VN Catholic church (Saturday Vietnamese mass at St. Joseph's Cathedral)
- VN community center (越南人会) — events, language exchange, advice
- Vietnam consulate (territory: Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Shizuoka)
Cost of living in Nagoya is moderate, allowing decent savings even on entry-level wages. Many Vietnamese workers build their first 5 years here before moving on.
Tokyo — diverse but harder to find density
Tokyo's 64k Vietnamese are spread across 23 wards. Strongest pockets:
- Nishi-Kawaguchi (Saitama, Tokyo border): high VN density, multiple VN supermarkets, restaurants
- Kasai / Edogawa: growing community, several VN-owned businesses
- Ueno / Asakusa: VN tourists and students; less worker community
- Otsuka: smaller but established VN-language schools and community
Tokyo offers more career growth, but the trade-off is that Vietnamese community gatherings require commuting. Many groups meet weekend at parks or community centers in Saitama or Tokyo east.
Osaka and Hyogo — Kansai's VN community
Osaka has 52k VN residents, concentrated in:
- Nishinari / Tennoji: working-class VN community, lots of small restaurants and markets
- Daito (Higashi-Osaka): industrial area with VN manufacturing workers
Hyogo (Kobe area) has a strong VN Catholic community centered around Sannomiya. Kobe's shipbuilding industry employs many VN engineers and technicians.
VN-specific resources you should know
Multilingual support services
- Vietnam Embassy Tokyo: 03-3466-3311 — for passport renewal, certificates, emergency support
- Vietnam Consulate Osaka: 06-6263-1600 — covers Kansai region
- Vietnamese Catholic Church Tokyo: Sunday Mass in Vietnamese, advisory services
- FRESC (Foreign Residents Support Center): 0570-011-000 — Vietnamese language available
- Connect-VJ NGO: dedicated to VN community in Japan, legal aid, support
VN-language media in Japan
- JNT-NewsX: Japanese news in Vietnamese
- NHK World Vietnamese: free, daily updates on Japan affairs
- VBS Network: Vietnamese-language community newsletter for Japan
- Facebook groups: "Người Việt tại Nhật" (~250k members) is the largest
VN supermarkets and restaurants by major city
- Nagoya: Nguyen Phuc, Saigon Mart, An Phuc
- Tokyo: Wakaba Mart (Nishi-Kawaguchi), Vietnam Mart Otsuka
- Osaka: Saigon Plaza (Tsuruhashi area), Hanoi Plaza
- Kobe: Vietnam Plaza Sannomiya
- Fukuoka: smaller but growing — Pho Yume, Saigon Cafe Tenjin
How to integrate without losing your community
The Vietnamese-Japanese balance question — too much community means slow Japanese integration; too little means isolation. Most successful VN expats:
- Live in Japanese-majority neighborhoods (faster language acquisition) but visit VN community on weekends
- Join one Japanese hobby group (sports, dance, music) for daily Japanese practice
- Maintain Vietnamese friendships through monthly community events, especially Tet and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations
- Marry Japanese partners eventually (most who plan long-term stay) — about 35% of VN long-term residents
- Send their kids to Japanese public school (full assimilation) + weekend Vietnamese language classes
Special events worth knowing
- Tet (Lunar New Year): major celebrations in Aichi, Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo (Jan-Feb)
- Mid-Autumn Festival: family-friendly community events (mid-Sep)
- Vietnam Festival Tokyo: huge 2-day cultural festival in Yoyogi Park (early June, free entry)
- Buddhist temple ceremonies: ~20 Vietnamese-speaking temples across Japan
The future
The Vietnamese community in Japan keeps growing. With SSW expanding and technical intern training (TITP) replaced by a new system, 育成就労, on 1 April 2027, more Vietnamese workers will have legal pathways to long-term residence and family reunification. One thing to watch: the new system only recruits from countries that have signed a cooperation memorandum with Japan, and Vietnam was not yet on the official list in October 2026 (see our TITP to SSW guide). This means the community will deepen, not just grow.
If you're moving to Japan, you won't be alone. Whether you choose Aichi for the densest community, Tokyo for career growth, or Fukuoka for affordability, there's a VN community within reach.