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More than half of the Vietnamese workers surveyed in a poll sponsored by Booking.com have shown their interest in working while on vacation.

“As recently uncovered by Booking.com in its Future of Travel predictions, 52 percent of Vietnamese travelers have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination,” the travel marketplace said in a press release on Wednesday.

The research, commissioned by Booking.com , sampled adults who have traveled for business or leisure in the past 12 months and are planning to travel in the next 12 months (if/when travel restrictions are lifted), it added.

In total, 20,934 respondents from 28 countries and territories were polled, including 500 from Vietnam, through an online survey which was completed in July 2020.

‘Workation’, as explained by Booking.com , is a combination of ‘work’ and ‘vacation’ and involves working away from office, blending leisure with business.

While not a completely new concept, it seems to have captured the attention of travelers worldwide since the outbreak of COVID-19 made working from home a new normal.

According to the research, 58 percent of Vietnamese travelers said they would take the opportunity to extend a business trip in order schedule leisure time, while many are also likely to add a week or two to their holiday in order to work remotely.

Also, 61 percent of surveyed Vietnamese agreed that due to the increase in working from home and reliance on technology, business travel will be considered less essential than before.

“Now that people may have the freedom to work from wherever they choose, 2021 could bring a rise in travelers looking to take longer trips where they can combine work with pleasure,” Booking.com predicted.

‘Workation’ travelers are mostly looking for accommodation that has home office facilities, fast Wi-Fi and most importantly, a spectacular view or cozy area to help make the workday fly by, it commented.

“Remote working is becoming a likely long-term reality as health and safety is a top priority in the current environment,” Anthony Lu, Vietnam’s regional director at Booking.com explained. “To break the monotony of working from home, travelers want to escape to a destination where they can easily blend leisure with business.”

The trend seems to extend far beyond Vietnamese travelers, with 37 percent of global respondents also having considered booking somewhere to stay for a welcome change of scenery, while working from our homes has its perks, though.

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According to the Government Inspectorate, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has yet to pay due attention to the legitimate rights and interests of people employed abroad and come up with suitable measures to help reduce worker costs.

“For a long period of time, the ministry has not been able to manage or control official and brokerage fees of businesses running the service, which had caused workers (who in fact are all poor) to pay a large amount of money even when the policy of receiving markets (Japan and Taiwan) does not require them to pay.”

The conclusion of the inspectorate was announced at a Thursday meeting by its deputy head Tran Ngoc Liem.

Government inspectors had looked into what had been achieved and what had been done wrong in sending workers abroad under contracts from six provinces in northern and central regions, including Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Nghe An and Ha Tinh, in the 2013-2018 period.

They pointed out fee regulations applied to Vietnamese workers in Japan are not in line with Japanese policies or the agreement signed between the two countries, which had affected laborers.

Due to the loose management of the ministry’s Overseas Labor Management Department, workers had been made to pay a “very high fee of $7,000-8,000 per month,” the inspectorate stated.

In many cases, the high fee had forced many Vietnamese to remain abroad after their contracts and visas had expired to recover their costs, it noted.

As for the six provinces, the inspectors said authorities there had also failed to fulfill their duties, while companies providing “study abroad” consultancies in fact feeded the foreign labor market.

Inspectors also discovered laborers that had voluntarily, or through a broker, gone abroad to “travel, visit relatives or get married”, then stayed behind to work illegally.

In most cases, destinations include Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Angola and Eastern European countries.

In 2019, as many as 134,482 of the 147,387 Vietnamese workers who went abroad in 2019 were hired in Japan and Taiwan, official statistics show.

Last year, the number of Vietnamese workers going abroad dropped to 78,000 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Vietnamese adopted by a French couple 23 years ago had the opportunity to reconnect with her biological family in southern Vietnam after having her story published in T uoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Amandine Durand, a 23-year-old Vietnamese – French adoptee, on Wednesday burst into tears when she suddenly hit with the realization of a lifetime: she had found her biological family.

The journey for tracing root

“Last week a beautiful article was published in Tuoi Tre Newspaper about my story, how I ended at Go Vap orphanage, my life in France and abroad, and the reason why I came back in[sic] Vietnam. I was looking for my biological family, maybe still[sic] a tiny chance to find them,” Amandine wrote on her Facebook.

“I have such great news to announce today, I finally found [my family], where I am from. I already had a big family in France, now the family is huge, there is no word who can express how I feel. This week was incredible,” she added [sic].

Tuoi Tre had the honor to follow Amandine as she set out to trace her personal history.

Amandine Durand shares her story at the talk titled “Helping Vietnamese Adoptees Trace Their Roots” held by Tuoi Tre Newspaper on July 12, 2018 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

On July 12, Tuoi Tre published Amandine’s adoption story in its Vietnamese print edition as part of its “Helping Vietnamese Adoptees Trace Their Roots” program.

Within hours of its publication, the story had spread throughout the country and Tuoi Tre became inundated with phone calls from people claiming to know Amandine’s birth mother, Do Thi Chiem, a resident in Ngai Giao Town, Chau Duc District, in the coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

When Tuoi Tre told Amandine the news, the young woman reacted with understandable wariness, though it was clear she was eager to follow the lead.

The only way to find the truth, after all, would be to visit Ngai Giao.

Amandine and Tuoi Tre set out from Ho Chi Minh City to Ba Ria – Vung Tau at 5:00 am on July 14, passing from the busy highways of Saigon onto the twisting back roads near Ngai Giao where Chiem, now in her mid-60s, is cared for by relatives.

When Amandine arrived at the house, relatives and neighbors were eager to fill in the empty spaces of her story.

The story of baby La

According to neighbors, Chiem grew up in a poor area of the province and eventually married a local man, with whom she bore five children.

Shortly after the fifth child, the husband passed away.

Chiem married for a second time and soon had another daughter, Doan Thi Lua, now 25.

Two years later, at the age of 43, she was pregnant once again. In the six month of her pregnancy, however, her old age and harsh living conditions contributed to an obstetrical hemorrhage and she was transferred to Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Doan Thi La was born premature, weighing only 1.56kg and needing to spend her first few days of life in an incubator.

“I was weak and did not have money. People around said that our daughter could die if we brought her home to live our difficult life,” Chiem recalled.

Do Thi Chiem (2nd from R) kisses Amandine when they meet on July 14, 2018 in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An infertile couple asked to adopt the baby and, choking back tears, Chiem agreed, hoping it would save her daughter’s life.

She received VND1 million and a bunch of old clothes in return.

The couple ended up leaving the baby at the hospital.

She was then taken to the Go Vap Orphanage where she eventually met her French adoptive parents.

When Chiem and her family got back to their hometown, they told their neighbors that the baby suffered a premature death.

However, the yearning for his daughter tore at Amandine’s biological father’s heart.

After that telling his family the truth, he spent much of his life talking about his baby with regret until he died in April 2018 from cardiovascular disease.

When the people of Ngai Giao read Amandine’s story in Tuoi Tre , they knew the details were too similar to be mere coincidence.

Amandine listened intently as Tuoi Tre reporters carefully translated the story, trying to make sense of her life and trying to find a link to these strangers who were her family.

When Chiem and Lua tried to hug her, she pulled away.

Chiem and Lua both agreed to a DNA test and samples of Chiem’s hair and nails were brought to a lab in Ho Chi Minh City for testing.

As Amandine left the house that day, her face was calm and betrayed no emotion.

Her mother and sister were in tears.

The picture of the father

Before leaving Ngai Giao, Tuoi Tre and Amandine visited the house where Chiem and her husband used to live.

Amandine burst into tears when she saw the picture of her father on a small altar in the house, realizing the similarities between his face and hers.

“I am late, dad,” Amandine said while shedding tears and reaching to hug Chiem and Lua.

Amandine (L) is seen crying in a picture taken during her visit to meet Do Thi Chiem and Doan Thi Lua (R) on July 14, 2018 in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Photo: Tuoi Tre

“She is my little sister,” Lua said in tears. “My father kept talking about La in months before he passed away.”

Before leaving the place, Amandine gave a necklace to “her sister” with a promise to return.

After four days of waiting, Tuoi Tre and Amandine received unsurprising news from the DNA test – a matching result confirming that Chiem is Amandine’s biological mother.

Amandine couldn’t help but share her news with the world.

“If I could be honest, here and right[sic] now everything is going to change. All the pain I had is gone and all my questions are finally answered,” Amandine spread the happy news on her Facebook.

“It’s a miracle I was born premature [with only] a 20 percent chance to survive.  Here I am and after a week I found my family. I’m just so thankful for the situation and am the luckiest woman in the world.  Two families, two amazing countries, two beautiful cultures,” she happily shared. Her dreams had come true.

To all the children who are still looking for their family, please never give up.  Believe in faith and in your dreams. The best is coming for you.

Amandine Durand – Doan Thi La

Below is an English version of Amandine’s story published on Tuoi Tre Newspaper in the form of a personal essay on July 12: I want to find my mother: Do Thi Chiem. She was 43 when she gave birth to me in the early morning of August 20, 1995 at Tu Du Hospital. She left after that. I was premature and weighed only 1.56kg. The hospital named me Do Thi Ngoc Chau. At six months old, I was adopted from Go Vap Orphanage and flew to France. My adoptive parents have always told me that I am a gift they had been waiting for. They fell in love with Vietnam when they traveled the country during their youth. When they knew they couldn’t have children, they decided to adopt a child from Vietnam. I have changed their life with happiness and they have given me a wonderful life. I have everything I want, travel a lot, and had the opportunity to study in London. My parents support me in everything I do. Together we’ve traveled to Vietnam five times since I was young to experience the country, its food, and its culture. I love the country and its people. I feel comfortable and connected here; no one stares at me because I look the same as them. When in France, people often stare because I look different. Since I turned 14, I’ve had the idea of finding my birth parents. I wonder where they are and how their life is.  I wonder if I have siblings.  I wonder why they left me. In France, I had a very good job, an apartment, and a car.  All was good. I did charity work such as handing out food to poor and homeless people. My parents often taught me about certain values in life: if you want something in life, you have to work for it and share your luck with people. Sharing will not make you poor – it’s an important part of life. Last year, I visited Vietnam to volunteer at orphanages.  I particularly remember the Go Vap orphanage where I took care of babies and disabled children. I feel connected with the place and feel as though all the children are my brothers and sisters. I was there, in that situation. After three months I went back to France where I tried to continue with my life, but felt something was missing. From the bottom of my heart, I felt Vietnam was calling. This year I returned to Vietnam, found a job, and continued volunteering. My life in Vietnam is as great as in France.  Everything is lovely. What was most important to me, though, was that I find my birth parents. I’ve always wanted to meet my biological parents and to know where I’m from and why they left me. I think it’s important to know the whole story.  This Vietnamese part is the missing part of my life puzzle. I need help from friends in Vietnam to complete that puzzle. Amandine Durand – Do Thi Ngoc Chau

The country has been churning since the army seized power and detained government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on February 1.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been coming onto the streets to protest the coup and at least 50 people have been killed.

Thanh Huynh, owner of a Vietnamese restaurant in Yangon, the country’s largest city and the site of massive protests, is extremely worried.

“Everyone feels very insecure about the current situation,” she told VnExpress . “We are looking forward to returning home.”

She said delivering food to customers has become difficult since many roads are closed. The political turmoil has also caused many Vietnamese to lose their jobs.

Le Du, a construction worker in Hmawbi, 50 km from Yangon, said though Vietnamese are “not really in danger,” the political instability has had a great impact on their life and job.

“Many companies have closed down.

“My job has been affected a lot: I have to work one day and take a few days off.”

He feels fearful since there are constant gunshots.

On Tuesday, the police opened fire on demonstrators, many wearing hard hats and clutching makeshift shields, who had gathered behind barricades in various parts of Yangon to chant slogans against military rule.

Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay, March 1 2021. Photo by AFP.

Dao Tung, a tour guide in Yangon, said he is experiencing his most difficult days in Myanmar.

“The army has blocked the Internet and Facebook. The Internet is disrupted from 8 p.m. to midnight and then completely cut off until 9 a.m.”

Tung moved to Myanmar about a year ago, and work and life were relatively good to start with. But things changed with the Covid-19 crisis and worsened after the coup.

“After the Covid-19 outbreak, I did not know when I could return to Vietnam and hoped the pandemic would ease so I could visit my family. But the military coup and following protests worsened the situation, making it difficult to return home.”

Many Vietnamese have lost their jobs since their companies were forced to shut down due to the turmoil, and are just waiting for a flight to take them home, he said.

He was lucky to have just booked on a flight which is scheduled to depart earlier this month.

“I hope there are more flights so that everyone can return home,” Tung said

The Vietnamese government is arranging special flights from Myanmar, with two flights carrying 390 Vietnamese home on Thursday.