Ethnic people will have the chance to enroll for free language and professional skills training courses in order to work in South Korea, instead of being trapped in menial and low-paying jobs. — VNA/VNS Photo Hong Hoa

HA NOI — Working overseas is a dream come true for many of the country’s poorest villagers, and particularly women who are often trapped in the most menial and low-paying jobs.

Vi Thi Doi, a Thai ethnic minority woman, is close to realising her dream of better paid work abroad. But it has not been an easy path, and she has had to overcome cultural prejudice and pressure from her husband to stay at home.

"I spent all my days farming in the hills. I earned nearly VND100,000 (US$5.6) per month for my four-member family, much lower than the national poverty line of VND350,000 ($19.4) per month," Doi, 27, said. She was married at 14 and has two children.

However, this small and austere-looking woman said that despite the tough life she was forced to live, she never believed anything would change and was resigned to a lifetime of toil and poverty.

Nevertheless, Doi is now one of 200 students from nine of the poorest districts of Yen Bai, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai who have enrolled for free Korean language and professional skills training courses in order to work in South Korea.

Her husband’s reluctance

"One day, I heard that ethnic minority people like me can go abroad to work. That sounded strange and difficult for me to understand at that time. I became curious," Doi said.

"An official named Ha explained that I could work overseas after taking free foreign language and skills training courses run by the Government."

"At the time, I could see no end to my poverty, and my children were planning to quit school to help me farm. This was a great opportunity," Doi said.

When she told her husband however he became angry, shouted at her and broke things in the house. He forbade her to leave.

"I had never disagreed with him before, but this time, I did," Doi said.

She resorted to asking a local official and her parents to persuade her husband but it was initially useless.

However, she explained to him that they did not earn enough to allow our children to stay in school, and that they would be reduced to living in poverty as well.

After a few sleepless nights he relented.

"At first, I thought she would be cheated because many people have lost money going abroad. Not to mention that Thai women’s job is to look after the family, so I refused," Le Van Pha, Doi’s 32-year-old husband, said.

"But then, I realised that I would never forgive myself if my children were forced to live in poverty like me due to illiteracy. My wife and I need to change our life for the sake of our children," Pha said.

"Now, we are here, in this class hoping to work in South Korea."

An official from Yen Bai Province’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department said for many minority groups working abroad was the best way to escape poverty.

"Doi and her husband are eligible for help with working overseas based on their current situation," Le Thanh Ha said.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thanh Hoa agreed.

"These are the first labourers from poor families and ethnic minorities getting assistance to join the army of Vietnamese guest workers overseas under the Prime Minister’s decision in April on support to the 61 poorest districts to promote working abroad as a way of reducing poverty up to 2020.

"It is necessary for the ministry’s Overseas Worker Centre and this South Korean office to co-operate to set up a special mechanism to test the Korean language and professional skills of people from the poorest districts of Viet Nam because they are the ones who should get most attention and be given priority and every chance to have a better life," Hoa said.

More support

Van Trong Khanh, a teacher on the course, said many ethnic minority people were forced to leave school at a young age and that many were not even fluent in Vietnamese, which can make learning a new language even harder.

She says she uses a lot of pictures and other teaching aids to make learning easier.

She also says students are encouraged to listen to language tapes as much as possible.

Students are put in groups of five to seven, which typically include mixing those who are fluent with those who have only basic Vietnamese.

Students are also acquainted with Korean culture.

Mai Van Hieu, a teacher at the Military Vocational School where Doi studies, says students are also taught about what is expected of foreign guest workers.

Lo Van Toa, a student, said the work regime was arduous but effective.

"It is very difficult to get used to all this but it will be invaluable to us when we work overseas," Toa said.

Lee Myung Hee, director of the Human Resource Development Service of South Korea in Viet Nam, was full of praise for the Government-run programme.

"This is a really great policy initiated by the Vietnamese Government to assist people in the poorest districts. The agency will make efforts to boost co-operation in exporting Vietnamese workers to South Korea," Lee said.

Deputy minister Hoa said that after this first pilot project, the training programme will be enlarged to include around 1,000 students who were looking to work abroad.

Doi, with a new sense of purpose, is confident she will be working in South Korea by the end of the year and that she will earn enough money in South Korea to support her children and grandparents.

As I bid her good luck she says, Annyoung! – goodbye in Korean. — VNS