The Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and Macau Pham Binh Dam has recently visited Macau for the first time since the pandemic, and has expressed hopes of increasing the number of Vietnamese workers in the region.
During talks with the Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, both leaders talked about cooperation between Vietnam and Macau, including in numerous industries such as trade, labor, tourism and investment, as cited in a report issued by Vietnam Investment Review.
Pham has repeatedly shown his desire to reinforce his partnership with Macau, saying that the potential for collaboration was “huge” and had “not been fully tapped.”
The Consul General highlighted the importance of the 7,000 Vietnamese people living and working in Macau, which were around 15,000 before pandemic, qualifying them as “skilled and hard-working” and noticing their “positive contribution to Macau’s economy.”
Pham made several proposals to improve their reception, such as exchanging business delegations, participating in trade events, and removing visa restrictions for Vietnamese visitors.
In addition, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and Macau had a meeting with representatives of the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), during which he encouraged Macau and Vietnamese businesses to explore cooperation opportunities through either visits or participation in trade fairs in both Vietnam and Macau.
The Vietnamese Consul said he was “willing to help connect and support businesses on both sides.”
During the two days, Pham also had meetings with leaders of Galaxy Entertainment Group and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited.
Latest government data shows that there are 7,369 Vietnamese workers in the SAR, which is a 26% decrease compared to February last year. The latest figure is nearly half the figure recorded in 2020 when there were 12,491 Vietnamese workers in Macau.
In 2020 the consulate said that some Vietnamese non-resident workers returned to Macau after the Chinese Lunar New Year break to discover they had lost their jobs.
This came after the temporary closure of the hospitality and catering venues had led to layoffs among non-resident workers in the SAR. During the Covid-19 outbreak, a number of migrant workers were reported to have been dismissed from their jobs or were tricked into signing statements that resulted in their dismissal. Staff Reporter
