French Retirees in Asia: Aging in the Right Place Abroad

This paper looks at the recently acknowledged migration of French seniors to Asia. Based on 68 interviews with French retirees in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and India, the research examines retirement migration as a strategy to pursue one’s desire for a comfortable life. The results show a correlation between gender and the chosen place of retirement. On balance, male subjects preferred to retire in Southeast countries while females were inclined to choose Puducherry in India. Besides gender, other aspects of social identity, such as education level, age, sexual orientation, family life, “able-bodiedness”, and social/cultural/personal imaginings contributed to interviewees’ choice and experience of retirement abroad. Conceptually, the study argues that retirement abroad is linked to the notion of “aging in the right place” within specific environments offering lifestyles suitable to particular groups.