LookAtVietnam – Additional regulations concerning the recruitment and management of foreign employees will take effect in July.

Vietnamese engineers exchange experience with foreign experts at the Dung Quat Oil Refinery in the central province of Quang Ngai.

After six months of the effectiveness of the new regulations, all illegal foreign labourers will be forced to leave the country.

As for the foreigners who take management roles in enterprises, their employers should confirm that they have at least five years of experience in management.

The new regulations also stipulate that contractors and investors, who are working on projects, must be responsible for writing reports that detail how many foreign employees they have hired. These reports must be given to local relevant authorities so that the localities will be able to manage these labourers.

Le Quang Trung, deputy director of the Employment Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the new regulations have defined clearly the punishment methods for those who violate the law.

Companies will receive a mild fine of VND5-10 million (US$250-500) if they violate the regulations, said Trung.

According to statistics provided by the ministry, there are nearly 60,000 legal foreign employees working in Viet Nam.

Nguyen Dai Dong, Director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Employment Department said that the number of illegal workers was probably high because many foreigners are working illegally with tourism visas.

The new regulations also clarify that foreign labourers have to be more than 18-years-old, have a clean police record and hold a labour license granted by Viet Nam’s relevant agency.

Foreign employees will have to submit a full set of application forms to their employers, which must include a resume, health certification and a copy that states professional competence.

Employers and employees will have to sign working contracts under Vietnamese laws.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News