Summary
Vietnamese migrants accounted for the largest group crossing the English Channel in small boats in early 2024, despite Vietnam’s economic growth.
Many are escaping “relative deprivation,” where inequality and limited opportunities prevent upward mobility.
People-smuggling syndicates charge up to £35,000 for risky journeys, luring migrants with promises of success abroad. Remittances from migrants fuel aspirations as returnees flaunt wealth, overshadowing the risks involved.
Efforts by the UK and Vietnam to deter illegal migration have had little impact, as cultural pressures to support families and a lack of appealing local opportunities drive demand.
Even tragedies like the 2019 Essex deaths, where 39 Vietnamese migrants suffocated in a lorry, are seen as rare misfortunes rather than deterrents.
Nowhere did I mention a method. You built a strawman in your head and attacked it. I would invite you look up foreign investment before jumping to whatever methods you’re jumping to that are “unethical”.