Working abroad has become a financial lifeline for many people. Da Nang has, in recent years, concentrated on sending labourers abroad, with the aim of helping them find jobs to increase their income and improve their lives, as well as contributing to the development of the labour market and ensuring social welfare in the city.

Every year, Hoa Vang District selects and sends hundreds of rural workers to South Korea for short-term work in the agricultural sector. IN PHOTO: Authorities in Yeongyang District, South Korea, welcome the delegation of labourers from Hoa Vang District. Photo courtesy of the Office of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Hoa Vang District

First "sweet fruits"

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung, a resident of Hoa Phong Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang, is one of the pioneers to work in South Korea’s Yeongyang District under the human resource exchange cooperation programme in the agricultural sector signed in 2016 between the two localities.

Ms. Dung's family was one of the poor families with unstable income in the district. In 2017, after being informed about job opportunities in the agricultural sector in South Korea, she registered and was luckily selected.

After completing the first working period, she continued to register and go on 3 more trips, each lasting about 3 months. After the four labour export trips, she saved more than VND 300 million VND to do business and build a new house.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung residing in Hoa Phong Commune was living in very difficult circumstance as his wife had a serious illness, and his children were still young.

To improve his income, he registered to participate in the job exchange programme in South Korea. Thanks to that, his family has enough money to cover medical expenses, raise children to study, and escape poverty.

Meanwhile, the family of Mrs. Pham Thi Hien in Hoa Nhon Commune has many children, and has an unstable economy. Therefore, Mrs. Hien and his husband registered to work in the land of ‘kimchi’, typical South Korean traditional food known worldwide, to increase their income and improve the living standard of the family.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thuc Dung, the Standing Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Vang District, after 7 years of implementing the human resource exchange cooperation programme, the district has sent 1,871 workers to South Korea, many of whom have gone 3-4 times.

In South Korea, Vietnamese workers mainly work in gardens and farms growing watermelons, apples, chilies, and cabbages. To support and improve the quality of the labour force, in each selection round, authorities in Hoa Vang District invites units under the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs to introduce workers to South Korean culture and laws, and train South Korean language to them.

Most of Vietnamese workers participating in the programme have complied with the laws of the two countries and have been well evaluated by the Yeongyang District government in general and garden owners in particular.

“On average, each working period lasts 3-5 months. After deducting all expenses, workers can save about VND 80-200 million each. The total income that workers bring home in the past time was over VND 117 billion” Mr. Dung said.

Mr. Dung added that the aforementioned programme was considered one of the breakthrough solutions in creating jobs, increasing income for local people, contributing to the effective implementation of poverty reduction policies, and ensuring social welfare, especially for rural workers whose production land is narrowed.

Rural workers from Hoa Vang District enjoying lunch time in South Korea. Photo courtesy of the Office of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Hoa Vang District.

Strengthening promotion of rural labour export

On October 11, 2023, the Da Nang People's Committee issued a plan to implement Plan No. 129-KH/TU of the municipal Party Committee on implementing Directive No. 20-CT/TW of the Central Party Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership in sending Vietnamese workers to work abroad in the new situation. This is considered a positive signal, helping the city's work of sending workers to work abroad more smoothly.

In 2023, 540 rural workers in Hoa Vang District worked in South Korea under the agricultural human resource exchange cooperation programme between Hoa Vang District and Yeongyang District.

In addition, 68 labourers, including 15 ones with household registration in Da Nang, worked in Japan, Taiwan (China), and Hungary.

In the first 6 months of 2024, the city sent 116 workers with Da Nang household registration to work in Japan, Taiwan (China) and Hungary. At the same time, the district sent 315 seasonal agricultural workers to work in South Korea.

To continue to improve the effectiveness of the programme, recently, the district-level offices of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs have conducted a survey on the workers’ demand for short-term working (3 - 6 months) in the agricultural sector in South Korea.

The results show that 43 people in Thanh Khe District, 55 in Cam Le District, 2 in Hai Chau District, 71 in Son Tra District, 28 in Ngu Hanh Son District, and 1,864 in Hoa Vang District have a high demand for working abroad.

Sending workers to work abroad is an effective solution to expand the labour market, and create conditions for workers to find suitable jobs and increase income, thereby contribute to ensuring social welfare in the locality.

Reporting by LAM PHUONG - Translating by M.DUNG