During the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Rabbit, a rice-growing district in Nghe An province received 20 million USD in remittances.

Rural Yen Thanh is undergoing transformation today. (Photo courtesy of Nguyen Sach)

Yen Thanh is a locality with a long tradition of traveling.labor exportTherefore, the number of children working abroad is always the highest in the province, including many working in European countries, earning very good incomes, and sending a significant amount of remittances back home every year, especially during the Lunar New Year.

Mr. Phan Minh Khue, Head of the Statistics Department of Yen Thanh District, said: In 2022, approximately 1,000 young people from the district went to work abroad, bringing the total number of young people currently working overseas to over 17,000. Last year, Yen Thanh's young people working abroad faced many difficulties but generally still had an income, with an estimated remittance of about 185 million USD sent back to their hometown. Of that amount, about 20 million USD was sent back during the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit. However, compared to the previous year, the amount of USD sent back this year decreased by more than 5 million USD, and the remittances sent back during the Lunar New Year also decreased.

"Reasons for the amount of remittances in the district"Yen Thanh"This year's decrease compared to last year is due to the ongoing complexity of the Covid-19 pandemic in many countries, resulting in unstable employment; in addition, the depreciation of foreign currencies in some countries has affected the income of children of workers abroad. The decrease in remittances has impacted the average income of people in Yen Thanh. This year, Yen Thanh set a target of 60 million VND/person/year, but only achieved 59 million VND/person/year, a decrease of 1 million VND compared to the plan," Mr. Phan Minh Khue said.

The localities with the highest number of children working abroad are Son Thanh, Vien Thanh, Hong Thanh, and Phu Thanh. In recent years, additional communes have joined the ranks: Lang Thanh, Ma Thanh, Tien Thanh, etc.

The rural areas of Do Thanh commune are developing rapidly. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Tran Dinh Canh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ma Thanh commune, said that currently nearly 500 of the commune's young people are working abroad. Every year, these young people send a significant amount of remittances back home to support family and local economic development. However, in 2022, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the devaluation of foreign currencies in many countries, the amount of remittances sent back by these young people decreased compared to the previous year.

With their diligent and hardworking nature, the people of Yen Thanh working abroad always overcome difficulties and bring in a stable income. The remittances sent back to their homeland have contributed positively to the rural landscape of the rice-growing region, which is increasingly being invested in and developed, improving the lives of the people.