大学で看護学部に進んだ理由は、最初から看護を第一志望としていたわけではありません。大学入試の成績を考慮して進路を選んだ結果、看護学部に進むことになりました。本来の第一希望は警察大学でしたが、試験に落ちてしまい、第二希望だった看護学部に進学しました。

ただ、大学で学び始めてからは、看護の仕事が自分に合っていると感じるようになりました。医師ほど大きな責任を背負う立場ではないものの、患者さんに寄り添いながら医療に関わることができる仕事で、自分の性格にも合っていると思うようになりました。

大学の入学式のときに、医療人材を仲介する会社が大学を訪れ、日本で働く機会について説明がありました。そこで、日本で働くとベトナムよりも給与が高いことを知り、このチャンスに応募することを決めました。

大学1年生から4年生まで、日本語能力試験N1の取得を目標に日本語を勉強しました。大学内には日本語教室があり、日本の日常会話や日本語を集中的に学ぶプログラムがありました。

このプログラムには厳しい進級条件がありました。2年生終了時までにN3を取得できなければ脱落となり、3年生終了時までにN2を取得できない場合も同様に支援が打ち切られます。およそ60人が参加していましたが、最終的に日本の看護師国家試験まで進んだのは約10人ほどでした。

大学卒業後は、ベトナムの病院で1年間の実習を行い、看護師免許を取得しました。

この期間は、仲介会社が生活のサポートや少額の支援金を提供してくれていました。ベトナムでは看護師免許を取得するために9か月間の無給勤務が必要で、問題がなければ免許を取得できる仕組みです。

この実習期間は日本の国家試験の勉強はせず、実習に集中しました。免許取得後に本格的に日本の看護師国家試験の準備を始めました。

試験対策は、日本の資格を持つベトナム人の先生から指導を受けました。仲介会社が勉強場所を提供し、学生たちが集まって一緒に学習しました。

最初に日本へ来たのは2020年で、国家試験を受験するための短期滞在でした。しかし、その時は残念ながら不合格でした。

その後ベトナムに戻り、勉強を続けました。そして2021年に再び日本へ来て、2回目の試験に挑戦しました。

この時期は新型コロナウイルスの影響があり、試験に合格した後もすぐに入職することができず、ベトナムに帰国することもできない状況でした。そのため、合格した3月から6月の入職までの約3か月間、日本で独学で復習を続けていました。この期間はまだ就職前だったため無給でした。

仲介会社を通して就職が決まっていたため、自分で病院を選ぶことはできませんでした。ただし、住居や生活面のサポートはすべて仲介会社が手配してくれました。

2021年6月に近畿地方の病院へ入職し、回復期リハビリテーション病棟で働き始めました。入職後に在留資格も短期滞在ビザから医療ビザへ変更されました。

最初は日本語が大きな課題でした。大学で学んだ日本語は日常会話が中心だったため、方言を理解するのがとても難しかったです。

また、日本とベトナムの看護環境の違いにも驚きました。ベトナムでは患者の家族がケアに参加することが多く、ICUでも排泄ケアなどを家族が行うことがあります。一方、日本ではほとんどのケアを看護師が行うため、日本の方が看護師の負担が大きいと感じました。

ただ、1年ほど働くうちに仕事にも慣れ、徐々に対応できるようになりました。

近畿地方の病院で2年半働いた後、転職しました。理由は結婚です。夫が関東に住んでいたため、関東へ移ることになりました。

夫とはベトナムで出会い、その後日本に来てくれて結婚しました。転職の際はウェブサイトを利用して仕事を探し、面接などもサポートしてもらいスムーズに進みました。

現在は地域包括ケア病棟で働いています。

現在は妊娠しており、3月半ばに出産予定です。出産後もしばらく日本で子育てをする予定で、その後また看護師として働きたいと考えています。

夫はIT関連の仕事をしており、しばらくは日本で働いてお金を貯めたいと考えています。将来的にベトナムに帰るかどうかは、夫婦で相談しながら決めたいと思っています。

両親はまだ50代で元気なので、今のところ介護の心配はありません。子どもはベトナム語と日本語の両方を話せるように育てたいと思っています。

1回目の受験では教科書中心の勉強をしてしまい、知識が整理できず不合格になりました。

2回目の受験では模擬試験と過去問題を中心に勉強し、何度も繰り返し解くことで合格することができました。

一番難しかったのは日本の保健制度でした。ベトナムには介護保険のような制度がないため、その理解にはとても苦労しました。

現在は救急看護に興味があり、働きながらBLSやACLSなどの研修を受けています。将来的には救急看護認定看護師の資格を取得したいと考えています。

日本で働くことは、とても良い経験になると思います。大変なこともありますが、その分多くのことを学ぶことができます。

ぜひ皆さんも挑戦する気持ちを持って頑張ってほしいと思います。

ベトナムで学び、日本で挑戦を続ける中で見つけた看護の道。

その歩みは、国境を越えて医療に貢献する看護師としての新しい可能性を示している。

Origin: Northern Vietnam

Education: University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Nursing

Qualifications:Registered Nurse (Vietnam)・Registered Nurse (Japan)

Japanese Language Ability: JLPT N1

Arrival in Japan: 2020 (first visit for the national nursing examination)

Career: Recovery Rehabilitation Ward (Kansai) → Community-Based Integrated Care Ward (Kanto)

Originally, nursing was not my first choice. My decision to enter the nursing faculty was largely based on my university entrance exam results. My first choice had been the police university, but after failing that exam, I enrolled in nursing as my second option.

However, once I began studying nursing, I realized that the profession suited me well. Compared to physicians, nurses do not carry the same level of responsibility for medical decisions, yet they still play an essential role in patient care. I gradually felt that this balance matched my personality and strengths.

At my university’s entrance ceremony, a medical recruitment agency visited the campus and introduced job opportunities in Japan for nursing students through a partnership with the university.

At that time, I learned that salaries in Japan were significantly higher than in Vietnam, which motivated me to apply for the program.

From my first year through my fourth year of university, I studied Japanese with the goal of obtaining JLPT N1. The university had a Japanese language program where we intensively studied everyday conversation and professional language.

The program had strict progression requirements. Students had to obtain N3 by the end of the second year and N2 by the end of the third year. Otherwise, they were removed from the program and support was discontinued. Out of around 60 students who began the program, only about 10 eventually reached the stage of taking the Japanese national nursing examination.

After graduation, I completed one year of hospital training in Vietnam and obtained my Vietnamese nursing license.

During this period, the recruitment agency provided some daily-life support and a small stipend. In Vietnam, there is no national nursing examination like in Japan, but nurses must complete about nine months of unpaid hospital work before receiving their license.

During this practical training period, I focused entirely on clinical work rather than preparing for the Japanese exam. After obtaining my Vietnamese license, I began studying seriously for the Japanese national nursing examination.

My exam preparation was guided by a Vietnamese instructor who already held a Japanese nursing qualification. The recruitment agency provided a study space where students gathered and studied together.

No. My first visit to Japan was in 2020, when I traveled on a short-term visa specifically to take the national nursing exam. Unfortunately, I did not pass that time.

After returning to Vietnam and continuing my studies, I came back to Japan again in 2021 to take the exam for the second time.

This was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after passing the exam, I was unable to begin work immediately, and returning to Vietnam was also difficult due to travel restrictions. As a result, I remained in Japan for about three months—from March, when the results were announced, until June, when I began working—reviewing my studies independently. During that period, I had no income because I had not yet started my job.

My employment had already been arranged through the recruitment agency before I passed the exam, so I did not choose the hospital myself. However, the agency supported every aspect of the process, including housing arrangements and workplace coordination.

In June 2021, I began working at a hospital in the Kansai region in a recovery rehabilitation ward. After starting work, my visa status was changed from a short-term stay visa to a medical professional visa.

The biggest challenge was the language.

The Japanese I studied at university focused mostly on everyday conversation, so understanding local dialects in the workplace was difficult at first.

I also noticed significant differences between nursing environments in Vietnam and Japan. In Vietnam, family members often participate in patient care. Even in the ICU, families may assist with tasks such as toileting. In Japan, however, family members usually visit only during visiting hours, and almost all care is handled by nurses. Because of this, I feel that the workload for nurses in Japan is heavier.

After about a year, however, I gradually adapted to the work environment.

After working in Kansai for two and a half years, I decided to change jobs because I got married.

My husband was living in the Kanto region, so I moved there. We originally met in Vietnam, and later he also came to Japan, which eventually led to our marriage.

When searching for a new job, I used an online job website that helped arrange interviews and the application process. Thanks to that support, the transition went smoothly.

Currently, I work in a community-based integrated care ward.

Originally, I hoped to work in an emergency ward, but that department already had enough nurses. As a result, I was assigned to the community-based integrated care ward.

However, I still hope to learn more about emergency nursing in the future.

I am currently pregnant and expecting to give birth in mid-March. After giving birth, I plan to raise my child in Japan for a while and later return to work as a nurse.

My husband works in the IT field and earns a stable income. For now, we plan to continue working and saving money in Japan. Whether we will eventually return to Vietnam is something we will decide together in the future.

My parents are still in their 50s and healthy, so we do not need to worry about caregiving responsibilities yet. For our child, we hope to raise them bilingually in both Vietnamese and Japanese.

During my first attempt, I mainly studied from textbooks, but my knowledge became scattered and unorganized, which contributed to my failure.

For my second attempt, I focused much more on mock exams and past exam questions, solving them repeatedly. That strategy helped me succeed.

The most difficult topic was Japan’s healthcare system. Vietnam does not have systems such as long-term care insurance, so learning those policies and structures was challenging.

I am particularly interested in emergency nursing. While working, I am currently taking BLS and ACLS training courses. In the future, I would like to obtain certification as an emergency nursing specialist.

Working in Japan is truly a valuable experience. It can be challenging at times, but you learn many things along the way.

I hope younger people will take on the challenge with confidence and continue pursuing their goals.

Her journey—from a nursing student in Vietnam to a practicing nurse in Japan—has been shaped by persistence, learning, and determination.

As she continues her career, she represents a new generation of international nurses connecting healthcare systems across borders.