Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

VietNamNet Bridge – “Vietnam’s point of view is not receiving foreign unskilled workers,” said Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

At a conference to release a report about job trend in Vietnam in 2010, Nguyen Dai Dong, chief of the MoLISA’s Job Department said that by the end of 2010, there were around 56,930 foreign workers in Vietnam. Nearly 53 percent of them didn’t have work permits.

Hoang Binh, deputy director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Lam Dong province said that loopholes in Vietnam’s labor law enabled a large number of foreign unskilled workers to come to Vietnam. As a result, they have taken the jobs of locals.

Binh provided evidence that the bauxite project in Lam Dong employs up to 1200 foreign workers, including many unskilled ones. Binh proposed to quickly complete the law on managing foreign labor.

“MoLISA and the Ministry of Construction need to reach agreements and have strict rules to control foreign workers. Once foreign investors win bids in Vietnam, they will bring their workers to our country, including unskilled ones,” Binh said.

Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that her ministry will report to the National Assembly to amend the Labor Code. She said that the Ministry is amending Decree 34 on foreign labor in Vietnam.

The Minister affirmed that in integration, the migration of labor forces between Vietnam and other countries is a fact. However, Vietnam’s policy is not welcoming unskilled foreign labor. The country opens its door for experts and highly trained foreign workers only.

“We are not locking our door because we send our workers abroad so we are not banning foreign workers to come to Vietnam. However, foreign workers in Vietnam have to obey Vietnamese laws,” Ngan said.

Vu Diep