Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng presents a souvenir to the Minister-President of Thuringia Mario Voigt. — VNA/VNS Photos Thu Hằng

BERLIN — A delegation from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) led by Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng had a working session with Thuringia Premier Mario Voigt and other officials of this German state in Erfurt city on Monday, focusing on labour cooperation and human resources development.

Thắng expressed his pleasure at visiting Thuringia when Việt Nam and Germany are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He highlighted the countries' fruitfully growing Strategic Partnership and thanked Thuringia for its medical assistance to Việt Nam during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its investment and vocational training cooperation in recent years.

He noted that Germany and Thuringia face strong demand for skilled workers and seasonal labour amid population ageing while Việt Nam, with its young, diligent, and well-trained workforce, is well-positioned to meet such needs.

The two sides discussed mechanisms and policies to promote the recruitment of Vietnamese workers to Thuringia, emphasising transparent, ethical, and lawful recruitment processes, as well as equal treatment, social welfare, and income for Vietnamese workers.

Thuringia authorities and relevant organisations shared local labour demand and recruitment projects in agriculture, nursing, and technical fields.

Both sides agreed to direct focal agencies to closely coordinate and soon complete legal frameworks to translate the discussed issues into concrete cooperation.

Earlier, the MoHA delegation visited the John F. Kennedy nursing home under Vivantes Hospital Group in Berlin. Founded in 2010, the facility employs 164 staff members, including 132 nurses, of whom 18 are Vietnamese.

The delegation from the Ministry of Home Affairs visits the John F. Kennedy Nursing Home in Berlin, Germany.

Director of the MoHA's Centre of Overseas Labour (COLAB) Đặng Huy Hồng reported that during the 2015-2022 phase, 916 Vietnamese workers were trained and sent to Germany under cooperation with Vivantes. They underwent two-year training and received monthly scholarships of EUR1,100–1,300 (US$1,300–1,500) and a starting salary of EUR3,000 after graduation.

In the second phase, workers received financial assistance for German language training to level B2 (upper intermediate) in Việt Nam, along with monthly allowances of EUR300 for 18 months during training. In Germany, they will gain a starting salary of EUR3,209 per month as a nursing assistant, rising to EUR4,078 after full professional certification.

Thắng praised the nursing home’s elderly care model and thanked the institution for supporting Vietnamese nurses. He expressed his hope to implement the model in Việt Nam as the country prepares for its ageing population, and emphasised the need for ongoing training and skill transfer to Vietnamese caregivers.

The deputy minister also urged those currently working in Germany to adhere strictly to their labour contracts and continue improving their professional skills for future contributions to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS