I think you are referring to the problem in C (and C++) that returning an array from a function isn't allowed (or at least won't work as expected) - this is because the array return will (if you write it in the simple form) return a pointer to the actual array on the stack, which is then promptly removed when the function returns.
But in this case, it works, because the std::vector is a class, and classes, like structs, can (and will) be copied to the callers context. [Actually, most compilers will optimise out this particular type of copy using something called "Return Value Optimisation", specifically introduced to avoid copying large objects when they are returned from a function, but that's an optimisation, and from a programmers perspective, it will behave as if the assignment constructor was called for the object]
As long as you don't return a pointer or a reference to something that is within the function returning, you are fine.