Learning from Korean style
Mr. Nguyen Van Thang - from Thien Huong ward (Hai Phong city) - had the opportunity to go to Korea to export labor under a program organized by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Home Affairs).
At that time, Vocational College No. 3 - Ministry of National Defense (Hai Phong City) opened a Korean training class and supported registration for the EPS exam (a job licensing program between the Vietnamese Government and Korea, to help Vietnamese workers have the opportunity to work legally in Korea) for those who wanted to work in this country.
In Korea, he works in the manufacturing - manufacturing sector, specializing in machine frames and hardware for the production lines of large corporations such as LG, Samsung. Every day, he works an average of 12 hours, from 8am to 8pm, with an income of about 50 - 60 million VND/month. The work is hard and the pressure is high, but Mr. Thang believes that this is a valuable time to learn the style, skills and working culture of Koreans.
Koreans work very focused, follow discipline, value quality and meet delivery schedules. There, no one allowed me to go over the loudspeaker or be late" - Mr. Thang shared. In addition, using Korean in his daily work helps him integrate more easily, learn more deeply about the culture and life of the local people.
After completing the contract, Mr. Thang returned to Vietnam with the capital accumulated after many years of work. He invests partly in real estate, small businesses and saves the rest. Currently, he is working for a large Korean corporation in Vietnam. The experience, skills and style practiced in Korea help Mr. Thang work more effectively, especially in an industrial environment that requires high discipline.
Being away from home also helps him realize the value of relationships and family. "The years of working abroad help me become more mature, know how to appreciate those who always accompany me, live more responsibly with myself and those around me" - he confided.
Mr. Thang still maintains connections with the Vietnamese community in Korea, follows news, and shares experiences with new workers. Going far to mature, the important thing is that when I return, I know how to live a better life, he said.
From exported labor to successful startups
Unlike Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, the motivation for Mr. Vu Xuan Thiep (Dong Hai Ward, Hai Phong City) to choose the labor export route comes from difficulties in life. At that time, the small business did not have enough investment capital, causing him to decide to seek work opportunities abroad.
A friend invited me to learn Korean to take the exam for a certificate, and go to Korea under the EPS program at a low cost, so I decided to go - Mr. Thiep said.
He started working in Korea in the dairy and goose feed industry. High working hours, 12 - 14 hours a day, 8 hours a week. With an income of about 3 million won/month; after deducting living expenses, he has accumulated about 50 million VND/month. After nearly 5 years, he returned home with about 2.5 billion VND - the result of persistent and disciplined work.
The years in Korea have helped Mr. Thiep learn many valuable things: From work handling skills, punctual style, labor safety to sense of responsibility and collective work ability. The Koreans are very careful, meticulous and sociable. I learned how to work seriously and be highly aware of colleagues and the collective - he shared.
After returning home, Mr. Thiep used his accumulated capital to open a logistics company with two friends. After 5 years, the company developed and owned two import-export container trucks. He also bought an 80m2 plot of land and built a three-story house in his hometown.
The story of Mr. Nguyen Van Thang and Mr. Vu Xuan Thiep shows that the labor export journey not only brings in income, but is also a process of learning, practicing style, discipline and changing lifestyle.
