Children from Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families perform at the 2026 Vietnam-RoK Family Festival. — VNA/VNS Photo

SEOUL — Việt Nam was the largest source of foreigners entering the Republic of Korea (RoK) for long-term stays in 2025, surpassing China for the first time since related data was compiled starting in 2000, according the RoK Ministry of Data and Statistics on Thursday.

A total of 428,000 foreign nationals entered the RoK for stays of more than 90 days last year, down from 451,000 in 2024. The figures exclude unauthorized entrants.

Vietnamese nationals accounted for 98,000 long-term arrivals, surpassing Chinese nationals at 94,000. Americans ranked third with 23,000 arrivals. Together, the three nationalities represented just over half of all long-term foreign entrants.

The number of arrivals from Việt Nam has increased as more people come for education, training and seasonal employment, Yoo Su-deok, head of the ministry’s population projection team said, adding that the shrinking population of ethnic Koreans in China also contributed to the trend.

Foreign arrivals for employment totaled 160,000, down 2.4 per cent from a year earlier. The number of non-professional workers declined 24.4 per cent to 73,000, while professional workers fell 14.1 per cent to 13,000.

Employment remained the leading reason for long-term entry, accounting for 37.4 per cent of arrivals, followed by education and training at 25.2 per cent. Permanent residency and marriage each represented a smaller share of long-term migration.

Separately, the RoK recorded a net inflow of its own citizens on long-term stays in 2025. The number of Koreans returning to the country for stays exceeding 90 days fell 7 per cent to 257,000, while departures declined 6.5 per cent to 233,000, leaving more citizens returning than leaving. — VNA/VNS