Seasonal farm workers queue up overnight in Ho Chi Minh City to get South Korea visa

At midnight on Thursday dozens of people from various southern provinces are at the center on Dien Bien Phu Street in District 3 to apply for a short-term employment visa, though it only opens at 8:30 a.m.

Nguyen Quoc Son, 37, arrived at 11:30 p.m. and secured the first token for the queue. He plans to work in Sangju Province, cultivating grapes and ginseng, with sponsorship from his younger sister.

Last year he quit his factory job in Vietnam to work in South Korea for eight months, earning over VND40 million (US$1,600) a month.

Given the higher income in that country compared to Vietnam, he decided to return this year with his wife.

"There is a lot of competition for visas right now, so we had to come early. If we waited until morning, it might be too late."

Nguyen Quoc Son shows his No.1 queue token at around midnight on March 26, 2025, in front of the Korean Visa Application Center in HCMC’s District 3. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

Nguyen Thi Thuong, 50, from Bac Lieu Province, said she also plans to apply to work in South Korea sponsored by her niece who is married to a Korean national. She too intends to work on a vegetable farm.

She had tried to apply the previous day but reached the center too late, prompting her to return earlier this time.

She had previously worked in South Korea for five months, and said the income was steady.

"The weather is cold and took some getting used to, but the pay is much better."

Staying with relatives helped reduce her expenses.

At around 1:30 a.m. security staff began distributing queue tokens. The center typically issues around 180 a day, but the demand often exceeds that.

Workers queue up overnight to apply for a South Korean seasonal work visa. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

Growth in seasonal work programs

Vietnamese seasonal workers have been going to South Korea since 2018.

According to Pham Viet Huong of the Ministry of Home Affairs' Department of Overseas Labor, 17 Vietnamese provinces and cities have agreements with South Korea that allow their workers, mostly agricultural, to stay for three to 11 months.

Their number has steadily increased, rising from 433 in 2022 to 2,157 last year.

Huong attributed this rise to mutual benefit: South Korea is experiencing labor shortages and Vietnamese workers are eager to pursue employment opportunities abroad.

Agricultural jobs typically do not require foreign language proficiency or advanced qualifications but fetch competitive incomes.

The workers usually range in age from 30 to 55.

Besides government-led programs, South Korea also allows long-term residents and spouses of Korean citizens to sponsor relatives.

Dong Thap was among the first four provinces to sign these seasonal work agreements.

Nguyen Thi Minh Tuyet, deputy director of the its Department of Home Affairs, said while workers initially got three-month C-4 visas, they could now obtain E-8 visas valid for five, eight or 11 months.

The province partners with Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces and is negotiating with another, she said.

She also said there is an increase in the number of workers in Dong Thap seeking employment in South Korea, particularly those who recently lost factory jobs in southern industrial areas such as HCMC and Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

Dong Thap’s employment service center is promoting the program among workers aged between 35 and 45.

Seasonal workers in South Korea typically earn around VND40 million a month.

But with employers also providing housing and basic necessities, they only have to spend on food, meaning they can often save up to VND30 million a month and some couples save nearly VND500 million within eight months.

A Vietnamese worker from Dong Thap Province works at a farm in South Korea. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Tuyet

Nguyen Nam Cuong, a PhD researcher in human geography at the Academy of Korean Studies, said rural South Korea faces severe labor shortages.

In 2021 the Ministry of the Interior and Safety identified 89 districts with declining populations, defined as those with over 20% of residents aged 65 or older.

In these places, Korean nationals can sponsor relatives from overseas to fill labor gaps.

Nguyen Nhu Tuan, deputy head of the Asia–Africa market division at the Department of Overseas Labor, advised prospective workers to verify the list of the 17 authorized South Korean provinces.

He also warned about fraudulent brokers exploiting the sponsorship policy and against paying excessive fees.

"Seasonal workers should only pay for airfare, visa fees and travel insurance.

"If they are asked for more, they should be cautious and contact local authorities for support."