Meeting the Prime Minister, overseas Vietnamese expect great opportunities in Saudi Arabia

On the evening of October 20, before leaving the capital Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to return home, successfully concluding his visit and attending the ASEAN - GCC Summit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh took time to meet with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and overseas Vietnamese in Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets overseas Vietnamese in Saudi Arabia before returning home

After a more than 5-hour drive, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, who lives in Bahrain, said she and her 3 daughters traveled from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia to attend the Prime Minister's meeting.

Talking to Thanh Nien , Ms. Huyen said that she opened the first Vietnamese restaurant in Bahrain. Although there are some difficulties, with only about 40 Vietnamese people, Bahrain also has many opportunities for Vietnamese people to come to do business and live.

At the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dang Xuan Dung said that the embassy has had many activities to support overseas Vietnamese, especially during the pandemic.

Currently, there are not many Vietnamese people living in Saudi Arabia permanently, but mainly living short-term under contracts. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there were about 20,000 Vietnamese people living here, but now there are only 5,000 people, scattered. They mainly do manual labor such as welders, construction workers and recently, technology engineers.

There are currently about 5,000 Vietnamese people living and working in Saudi Arabia.

According to Ambassador Dung, the recently signed labor cooperation agreement between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia is a highly anticipated document, aiming to take advantage of labor supply opportunities when Saudi Arabia implements construction of major projects, especially highly skilled labor.

Vietnamese workers live scattered throughout Saudi Arabia, so the Embassy always coordinates with local authorities to maximally protect citizens' rights and promptly support the resolution of difficulties and problems.

Ambassador Dang Xuan Dung also recommended that ministries and branches continue to perfect the legal framework such as the Agreement on Investment Promotion and Protection, the Agreement on Cooperation on Human Resources and Labor, taking advantage of the opportunity when the other side is implementing many projects and protecting the legitimate rights of workers.

Sharing with the Prime Minister, Mr. Phung Ngoc Lam, representative of Vietnamese engineers working at CEER - the first electric vehicle company in Saudi Arabia, expressed his wish that the two countries would have more cooperation so that Vietnamese products and Vietnamese dishes would be widely popularized in Saudi Arabia, helping overseas Vietnamese people feel less homesick.

Ms. Le Dieu Hoa, a worker at Eman Fashion Company in the capital Riyadh since 2019, said she encountered many difficulties when she first came to Saudi Arabia because she was far from her homeland and was not used to the food. But now her life and that of many other Vietnamese people is relatively stable. The salary of long-term workers at this company is currently about 25 - 32 million VND/month.

Mr. Pham Gia Toan, an engineer at SID Oil and Gas Services Company, has 17 years of experience working in many European countries and now Saudi Arabia. According to Mr. Toan, in the past 5 years, Saudi Arabia has had many changes and many positive prospects. This is a great opportunity for the Vietnamese community and the Embassy to expand the presence of Vietnamese people in Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister called on people to always turn their hearts towards their homeland, even if they work far away.

Listening to the opinions, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his joy at the large presence of Vietnamese people here. At the same time, he sent greetings on Vietnamese Women's Day (October 20) to women living in Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister said that after this visit, investment relations and labor cooperation between the two countries will be promoted. Saudi Arabia will continue to invest in Vietnam, expanding in various fields, including the labor market.

"Vietnamese workers have more job opportunities in Saudi Arabia, which is a bridge to promote the labor market with the neighboring country," the Prime Minister emphasized and hoped for more contributions from the Vietnamese working community here.

Recalling Vietnam's recent positive economic developments, the Prime Minister also expressed his hope that Vietnamese people, wherever they are, will strive to overcome challenges, adapt to life and work in the host country, and turn towards their homeland.

"No matter where you are, you always turn towards your homeland and country. Anyone who works far away will return to their homeland and country. The most important thing is the love - the bond that connects family, friends, and country," said the Prime Minister.

The Government and State will create all conditions for workers to have the opportunity to study, research and work in the host country. The Prime Minister requested the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to be responsible for monitoring the situation, connecting and supporting overseas Vietnamese.

"Embassy staff must treat people like relatives, handle work day and night when they need it, not out of responsibility, but out of the sentiment of 'helping each other'," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/gap-thu-tuong-kieu-bao-ky-vong-co-hoi-lon-tai-a-rap-xe-ut-185231020223341756.htm