Continuing the work program in Europe, on May 27, at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a delegation from Nghe An province, led by Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu - Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, held a meeting with representatives of the Returns service of UK Home Office.

Overview of the meeting

In his opening statement, Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu expressed his honor in leading the delegation from Nghe An province to work with representatives of the Returns service of UK Home Office, while also extending sincere thanks to the embassies of both countries for coordinating this meaningful meeting. He highly appreciated the efforts and support of the UK government in the field of combating human trafficking and assisting the repatriation of illegal migrants.

A representative from the UK Home Office, Mr. Tim Huelsman-Diamond, shared an overview of immigration policy, programs to combat human trafficking, and the return process. Through this meeting, he hopes that both sides will continue to cooperate openly, providing information in addressing issues related to illegal migration and transnational organized crime.

During the meeting, representatives expressed concerns about the increasing number of Vietnamese individuals entering the UK illegally by small boats in recent times. They also emphasized the importance of raising community awareness in Viet Nam—particularly in Nghe An province—regarding the risks and consequences of illegal migration. The delegation also introduced the Commerence Commes campaign – a communication initiative aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of illegal migration, as well as information about efforts to connect with the Vietnamese community in the UK to collaboratively combat human trafficking.

Additional information about the local situation, Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu stated that although Nghe An province has seen many positive changes in socio-economic conditions in recent years, it remains one of the provinces facing difficulties, particularly in mountainous areas and remote regions. Limitations in legal awareness, a lack of employment, and an excess of labor, especially among the youth, are being exploited by malicious individuals to lure and deceive residents into illegal emigration or to become victims of human trafficking.

The delegation from Nghe An province takes a commemorative photo with representatives of the Returns service of UK Home Office.

The Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee emphasized that in recent times, Nghe An province has implemented numerous measures to prevent and combat illegal migration, such as: enhancing communication regarding the prevention and combat of human trafficking; creating more domestic job opportunities by attracting various foreign direct investment (FDI) projects; Training to enhance the capacity of officials; strengthening the legal framework against human trafficking, improving forecasting and statistics on victims of trafficking who have returned, and ensuring the facilities, equipment, and social service systems for the reception and support of trafficking victims.

The province of Nghe An has also issued a Plan for the implementation of the Program for the Prevention and Combat of Human Trafficking for the period 2021 – 2025, with a vision to 2030 in the province of Nghe An. Simultaneously, the authorities are directed to issue a Plan for the implementation of the work of receiving and supporting victims of trafficking for the period 2021 – 2025, with a vision to 2030 in Nghe An province. To specify the regulations on supporting victims of trafficking, the People's Council of Nghe An province has issued Resolution No. 04/2020/NQ-HĐND dated July 22, 2020, which stipulates certain contents and levels of expenditure for the work of supporting victims, as well as the support regime for victims of human trafficking crimes in Nghe An province.

The head of the Nghe An provincial working delegation expressed a desire to continue receiving assistance and support from the UK government in general and the Home Office in particular to carry out more effectively and thoroughly the work of preventing and combating human trafficking, as well as the efforts to support and help victims of trafficking to return to normal life as soon as possible.

In order to enhance the effectiveness of preventing illegal migration and human trafficking in the near future, both parties need to continue exchanging information regularly, establish a common information area for sharing and exploitation, and strengthen international cooperation to prevent these issues in multiple countries; collaborate on vocational training, labor recruitment, and policy measures to attract legal migrant labor.

Source: baonghean.vn (May 28, 2025)