RUSSIA 🇷🇺 FINDS A HOME IN NHA TRANG

 

























Dear Reader,

In the beach resort town of Nha Trang in Vietnam, Russian pastries and kebabs are almost as easy to find as pho, the classic local soup. With its palm trees, beaches and cafés where servers speak Russian, the town, which is near a former Soviet military base, has long attracted Russian tourists. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the coastal oasis has also become a destination for Russian families who do not want to get sucked into Putin's war. 

In today’s weekend read, NZZ’s China correspondent Katrin Büchenbacher visits Nha Trang and talks to Russians there who are not sure when, if ever, they will return home. Many have technology-based jobs that allow them to work from anywhere. Others have become cooks, opened restaurants or are giving music lessons. Most left Russia because of the war, whether to avoid being drafted or because their opposition to the invasion could land them in prison. Some have also fled because of Putin’s draconian laws against «homosexual activism.» 

All have found a thriving Russian community halfway around the world. But despite the sun, sand and familiar pastries, many of the exiles long to end their «permanent vacations» and return to a normal life.

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