The countryside is full of villas and castles, likened to a "European village" in Nghe An.

Villa villages in the countryside

Dien Hanh commune (Dien Chau district) and Do Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) were formerly purely agricultural communes where the lives of the people were still difficult. About 10 years ago, many people in these two localities chose to go to work abroad.

Currently, Dien Hanh commune has nearly 2,000 households and almost 9,000 inhabitants, but about 1,600 people are working abroad. The foreign currency sent back by these migrant workers amounts to tens of millions of USD each year.

A castle-like building in Dien Hanh commune, Dien Chau district (Photo: Nguyen Tung).

Mr. Nguyen Van Huu, head of Hamlet 4, Dien Hanh commune, said: “The hamlet has 297 households, and currently 300 people are working abroad. Many families have gone as a whole, sending money back to build big houses and buy land. From 2022 until now, many people in the hamlet have gone to work abroad because farming rice and tobacco at home is hard work and doesn't provide enough to eat.”

Now, walking along the main road of Dien Hanh commune, the villas stand tall, resembling a wealthy neighborhood.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Ho, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Hanh commune, said: "The entire commune has about 1,600 people working abroad, mainly in South Korea, Japan, Europe, the United States, Taiwan, Canada..."

"Those who worked abroad have returned and built beautiful, tall houses, and about 70% of the population owns cars. Thanks to working abroad, the people have become wealthier, so whenever the commune undertakes any construction project, they receive enthusiastic support from the community."

A view of Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district today (Photo: Nguyen Phe).

Do Thanh commune in Yen Thanh district is also known for its wealth, thanks to many people working abroad. Upon arriving in Do Thanh commune, many are astonished to see villas built close together along the central road, with luxury cars parked everywhere.

Previously, Do Thanh was a poor commune, where the lives of the people mainly depended on rice cultivation, and life was still very difficult. About 15 years ago, many people shifted their focus to working abroad in countries like England, Russia, Poland, and Germany. Realizing that working abroad could help them escape poverty, many families borrowed money and invested in sending their children to work overseas.

Villas are springing up one after another along the main road of Dien Hanh commune, Dien Chau district (Photo: Nguyen Phe).

According to Mr. Luyen Xuan Hue, Chairman of the People's Committee of Do Thanh commune, the entire commune covers an area of ​​only 10 square kilometers, but currently has more than 4,500 households with approximately 18,500 inhabitants.

According to Mr. Hue, the entire commune currently has over 11,000 people of working age, of which 1,500 are working in countries such as the UK, Germany, Poland, Japan, South Korea, the US, Canada, and Australia… Notably, more than 2,000 people are working and trading in Laos.

“Currently, there are about 3,000-4,000 people aged 55-100 in the commune; the oldest person in the commune is a nearly 100-year-old woman. Up to 70-90% of the villas here were built with remittances from overseas. If you earned money domestically, it would take a very long time to build a house that large…,” Mr. Hue further shared.

A multi-billion VND villa belonging to a resident in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district (Photo: Nguyen Phe).

According to Mr. Hue, Do Thanh was once one of the poorest communes in Nghe An in the 1980s. It was a low-lying, flood-prone area where people's lives were primarily tied to rice cultivation; despite hard work and toil, hunger and poverty persisted. In the 1990s, after the wave of emigration, the appearance of Do Thanh commune changed dramatically.

“Before 1980, many people here were involved in timber trading and carpentry. Initially, it was just a few small businesses, but later they expanded and considered it the main occupation for their families. However, this profession became increasingly difficult, so people in Do Thanh switched to working abroad and gradually became wealthier,” Mr. Hue said.

Currently, the entire Dien Hanh commune has about 1,600 people working abroad (Photo: Nguyen Tung).

Today, along the paved inter-communal road in Do Thanh, rows of bustling high-rise buildings stand tall, with many villas ranging from 2 to 5 stories high being constructed at the cost of billions of dong. In addition, residents here have also acquired many luxury cars.

Therefore, the capital city is often referred to as a "billionaire village" or a "European village," as many families live in houses that resemble castles.

In Seoul, on average, each family has at least one member working abroad. It is estimated that these workers send home over $200 million USD annually.

Life changed thanks to working abroad.

The family of Mr. Nguyen Trung, residing in Phu Xuan village, Do Thanh commune, was once a poor household. As the trend of going abroad for work and making money became increasingly popular, Mr. Trung's family boldly borrowed and invested their money to send their three children to work in Europe.

With stable jobs, Mr. Trung's children send hundreds of millions of dong to the family each year. Thanks to this money, in recent years, Mr. Trung's family has been able to buy cars and build multi-story villas for their children, transforming their family life.

Villas are built close together in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district (Photo: Nguyen Phe).

Mr. Nguyen Duc Hoe's family, residing in Phu Vinh village, Do Thanh commune, has three sons, one daughter, and one daughter-in-law working in Germany. After a period of hardship and struggle to make a living in a foreign land, they now have stable jobs and regularly send foreign currency home every month. The family has built a villa and bought a car, completely transforming their economic situation.

In Dien Chau district, besides Dien Hanh, there are other communes known for their wealth thanks to people working abroad, such as Dien Thap, Dien Van, Dien Kim, Dien Hoa…; and in Yen Thanh district, communes such as Son Thanh, Khanh Thanh, Bao Thanh, Vinh Thanh… have many people working abroad.

Speaking with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper, Mr. Vu Van Quyen, Deputy Head of the Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department of Yen Thanh district, said that currently there are about 20,000 workers from the district working abroad.

A villa under construction in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district (Photo: Nguyen Phe).

The main markets include: South Korea (approximately 1,400 people), Taiwan (3,500 people), Japan (2,900 people), the Federal Republic of Germany (1,800 people)... In 2023, Yen Thanh had nearly 2,500 people working abroad.

"Working abroad is one of the solutions that contributes to economic development and creates a new look for the locality. For many years, the government has implemented many solutions to promote and encourage people to boldly develop the economy by working abroad," Mr. Quyen said.

Mr. Phan Van Tuyen, Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district, said: "In recent years, thanks to the large amount of foreign currency sent back home, our children have started businesses very well in their hometowns, creating jobs for many workers."

Many business models have developed well thanks to remittances from foreign currency, such as brick factories, garment factories, orange and grape farms… The district will continue to promote and reform administrative procedures, creating the most favorable conditions for people who wish to work abroad.”

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/vung-que-nhan-nhan-biet-thu-lau-dai-duoc-vi-nhu-lang-chau-au-o-nghe-an-20240717085230974.htm