Returning from the war zone in Libya.

(Baonghean) - After a transit journey through several countries, the workers from Nghe An province who were working in the war zone in Libya have returned home safely. They face difficulties in life and hope to continue working abroad to escape poverty.

Mr. Tran Van Hanh was overjoyed on his return.

For the past two days, the humble house in Hamlet 8, Nghi Dien Commune (Nghi Loc District) belonging to Mr. Tran Van Hanh has been constantly visited by people inquiring about his health and feelings after his work in the war zone in Libya. As the breadwinner of the family, with no additional work available at home, Mr. Hanh had long sought opportunities to work abroad to support his wife and children.

Three years ago, while working in Libya earning over 10 million VND per month, war suddenly broke out, plunging the country into chaos. During that time, the Vietnamese government and labor export companies made efforts to bring Vietnamese workers back home. Like many other Vietnamese compatriots, Mr. Hanh was stranded at airports in Libya, Turkey, and Tunisia. At the end of 2011, Mr. Hanh returned home. Unemployed, and with his family's income depending solely on his wife's small-scale market stall, Mr. Hanh applied again for labor export to Libya when the situation began to stabilize.

In April 2013, after paying 38.4 million VND through Viet Thang Company in Hanoi, Mr. Thang went to Libya to work for Enka Technik Company in Awbari City, specializing in assembling construction formwork. The company owner was Turkish. The company employed hundreds of workers from countries such as the Philippines, Türkiye, China, and 87 Vietnamese. The work was quite simple: assembling formwork using plywood sheets in preparation for other teams of workers to pour concrete. The average salary they received was 11-13 million VND, sent directly to their families through the recruitment agency in Vietnam. Workers were also given an advance of nearly 1 million VND to cover expenses such as phone calls and food. Awbari City is isolated, like an oasis in the Sahara desert. In the early days, Vietnamese workers were allowed to go out freely, even to the market a few times, but later the situation seemed to worsen. Robbery became frequent, so workers were no longer allowed to go out on their own. When moving between construction sites or accommodations, the company arranged transportation by car. Things were peaceful until mid-2014, when conflict erupted in Libya as armed groups vied for control of the capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi. The conflict escalated, with many civilians shot and looting becoming frequent. In mid-July, countries with workers in Libya began evacuating their citizens. Vietnamese workers also underwent procedures to leave the conflict zone. After leaving the Awbari region, the Vietnamese workers transited through Türkiye, Kuwait, and Qatar before flying back to Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat Airport. From Ho Chi Minh City... From Ho Chi Minh City, workers from the North and Central regions continued to fly to Hanoi. There, the brokerage company gave each person 2 million VND as a support payment according to the regulations of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the company, after which everyone was taken to the bus station to return home.

Returning home, Mr. Hanh and his family were overjoyed: “This time we didn’t have to endure the fear of waiting around like during the previous riots. Work is going well, the company doesn’t owe us salaries, but we were still very worried because of the tense war situation. If a stray bullet happened…”, Mr. Hanh confided. During the days waiting to be brought back home, his wife and children called almost every day urging him to come home. Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, Mr. Hanh’s wife, said that they have three children, and her husband is the breadwinner. Currently, their eldest son is working in Laos, and the two younger ones have dropped out of school and are helping their mother with the market. “Hearing about the war over there, my heart was burning with anxiety. Now that we’re home, I’m so happy,” Ms. Loan said.

According to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, among the 1,800 Vietnamese workers in Libya, approximately 300 are from Nghe An province. The government and labor brokerage and supply companies are making efforts to bring all workers back home, ensuring the absolute safety of Vietnamese citizens. Currently, the common desire of the workers is to continue working abroad in countries with political stability. Most of them had to borrow between 40 and 50 million VND when applying for jobs in Libya. Many have not yet repaid their bank loans and most are facing difficulties as they do not know what to do in the future.

Nguyen Khoa