Overseas Vietnamese can be generally divided into four distinct categories that rarely interact with each other. The first category consists of people who have been living in territories outside of Vietnam prior to 1975; they usually reside in neighboring countries, such as
Cambodia,
Laos, and China. These people are not usually considered "Việt Kiều" by people residing in Vietnam. During French colonialism, some also migrated to France and some French-speaking areas, such as
Québec. The second category, consisting of the vast majority of overseas Vietnamese, are those who escaped Vietnam after 1975 as refugees and their descendants. They usually reside in industrialized countries in North America,
Western Europe, and Australia. The third category consists of Vietnamese working and studying in the
Soviet bloc who opted to stay there after the
Soviet collapse. This group is found mainly in
Central and
Eastern Europe. The last category consists of recent economic migrants who work in regional Asian countries such as
Taiwan and Japan. They also include women who married men from Taiwan and
South Korea through marriage agencies. These brides usually follow their husbands to live in those countries. Recently a new group of Vietnamese have been emerging. These are naturally born Vietnamese who attended high school and college in the U.S. or other developed nation. After which they stay in those countries and work and live as permanent residents.