Discovering Tasmania: a Vietnamese pharmacist finds an unexpected home

I grew up in Ho Chi Minh City and studied pharmacy at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. After five years working in hospital pharmacy in Vietnam, I decided to pursue migration to Australia. Like most Vietnamese professionals, I initially focused on Sydney or Melbourne. Tasmania was nowhere in my thinking.

That changed when I looked at the state nomination lists. Tasmania was actively nominating pharmacists under the Subclass 190, and the points threshold was lower than the major states. My migration agent (a MARA-registered agent in Ho Chi Minh City) recommended it. She said Tasmania was a smart choice for healthcare professionals because the demand was high and the competition was lower.

My skills assessment through the Australian Pharmacy Council was the most rigorous part of the process. It involved an examination of my qualifications, a knowledge assessment, and a period of supervised practice once I arrived in Australia. The process took nearly a year from start to finish.

The IELTS was challenging but manageable. Pharmacy requires a score of 7.5 in each band, which is higher than most occupations. I studied with a private tutor in Ho Chi Minh City for six months. The speaking test was the hardest component. Vietnamese phonetics are very different from English, and certain sounds required months of practice.

With the Tasmanian state nomination, my 190 visa application had 75 points. Processing took about six months. I arrived in Hobart in October, which is spring in Tasmania.

Hobart was a revelation. It is one of the smallest state capitals in Australia, with about 240,000 people. But it is beautiful. The harbour, Mount Wellington looming over the city, the sandstone architecture, the weekend markets at Salamanca Place. Coming from a city of nine million, the scale was completely different, but I found it charming rather than limiting.

I completed my supervised practice at a community pharmacy in Sandy Bay. The pharmacist who supervised me was patient and thorough, and the experience gave me confidence in Australian pharmacy practice, which differs from Vietnamese practice in significant ways. Prescribing patterns, consumer expectations, and regulatory requirements are all different.

After completing my registration, I took a position at a hospital pharmacy in Launceston, Tasmania's second city. The role offered excellent clinical experience and a salary that was very competitive. I rented a cottage near Cataract Gorge, one of the most beautiful spots in Tasmania.

The Vietnamese community in Tasmania is small but growing. I found a Vietnamese association in Hobart that organises Lunar New Year celebrations and cultural events. Most of my social life, however, comes from work colleagues and a yoga group I joined. Tasmanians are warm and community-minded. In a small city, you see the same faces, which builds familiarity quickly.

The things I love about Tasmania: the food culture (fresh produce, seafood, cheese, wine), the natural environment (I hike most weekends), the affordability (housing is much cheaper than Melbourne or Sydney), and the pace of life. The things I find challenging: the winter cold (Tasmania is the southernmost state and winters are genuinely cold), the limited flight connections (getting to Asia requires transiting through Melbourne or Sydney), and the small job market.

What I wish I had known: Tasmania is not a stepping stone to Melbourne. Many people come with the plan to serve their two-year nomination commitment and then move to the mainland. I had that plan too. But Tasmania grew on me. The lifestyle, the community, and the professional opportunities kept me here.

Four years in, I am now a senior pharmacist with permanent residency. I bought a house in Launceston last year. Tasmania was the best decision I did not know I was making.