Vietnamese college students are surrounded by global media and educational resources that emphasize individualistic values. Their parents, by contrast, came of age amid war and famine, when collectivistic values were essential for survival. These differences often lead to intergenerational conflict between one's desires and their family's expectations. This value gap creates tension between students' personal aspirations and family expectations. Interpersonal Conflict-related stress is linked to higher depression and anxiety (Levin & Liu, 2021), and discrepancies between perceived parental demands and performance likewise predict distress (Wang & Heppner, 2002). The Generational differences between Vietnamese college students and their parents mean these motives can often collide. The present study examines factors surrounding intergenerational conflict between Vietnamese college students and their parents' expectations. The researchers surveyed Vietnamese college students across different regions of Vietnam. The study aims to explore how the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are related to the development of Depression and Anxiety symptoms in Vietnamese college students. This study adds to the literature by exploring how generational differences in Vietnamese families can create barriers to meeting one's psychological needs and examining factors related to Vietnam's rising mental-health burden, which will inform school interventions, parent-education programs, and policy initiatives that support the young adults of Vietnam.