Officials from the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs provide consultations to people who want to work abroad in South Korea. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Phương

Which European countries have officially accepted Vietnamese guest workers?

In Asia Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are the most common destinations for Vietnamese guest workers. Only eight countries in the European Union have granted visas for Vietnamese guest workers. They are Poland, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Belarus, Cyprus and Portugal.

If any Vietnamese citizen wants to go to work in Europe what are the most important things they should know?

They must abide by the Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers who have obtained a labour contract abroad.

The guest worker must be a lawful Vietnamese citizen and healthy. In addition, they should acquire certain requirements of a foreign language, work skills and other things from the recipient countries.

Which Vietnamese organisations and institutions are licensed to send Vietnamese guest workers abroad and what will each worker have to pay?

They should contact any Vietnamese company/enterprise with an official licence in providing overseas employment services.

For the European market, the administrative cost for a Vietnamese guest worker varies depending on the country. For example, a guest worker going to Poland will have to pay US$3,000; Lithuania from US$1,000-1,500; Hungary US$1,659; Bulgaria US$1,000; Cyprus US$1,700, other countries vary.

Any individual working abroad under their own labour contract has to register their contract with the local Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in their locality.  They have to take full responsibility for what is written in the contract and it must abide by Vietnamese laws and the recipient country’s laws.

The recent 39 bodies found in a refrigerated trailer in Essex, England has sent a warning to anyone wanting to be an illegal worker migrant. What would you say to anyone considering doing this?

They should always look for legal ways to go.  A legal migrant worker must obtain an official labour contract with the employer; must register with the concerned Vietnamese labour agency; must have the visa granted by the recipient country plus a work permit. Britain does not issue permits to Vietnamese manual workers. If any Vietnamese workers who are now working abroad need support from the country, they should contact the Vietnamese Embassy or Vietnamese Consulate in that country; or they can contact the hotline of the Vietnamese Consulate in Hà Nội or the Department of Overseas Labor under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs._VNS