Addressing a regular press meeting on Thursday, Thang said the citizens are among 437 Vietnamese rescued from the casino in Pampanga province, near Manila. The first 60 arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday.

The Ministry has ordered its Consular Department and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines to maintain contact with the Philippine side to repatriate everyone promptly and safely and guarantee the rights and legitimate interests of all Vietnamese citizens, Thang said.

“The Vietnamese Government pursues a policy of promoting legal, safe, and orderly migration and resolutely fights illegal migration, arrangement of illegal migration, and human trafficking,” according to Thang.

He added, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been coordinating with localities and relevant agencies to increase communications warning people to be wary of advertisements of easy jobs not requiring a degree or certificate, as they could become a victim of labour exploitation, illegal residence, or human trafficking.

Referring to a traffic accident in China’s Guangxi province on May 19, in which 11 Vietnamese were killed and 2 injured, Thang said the Consular Department and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Nanning city have worked with authorities to help the victims’ families carry out the necessary procedures to bring the bodies home and repatriate the injured.