9 foreign workers found with suspected residence, work permit violations in Vietnamese city

At 7:40 pm, the city's immigration department coordinated with Binh Minh Commune police to conduct an unannounced inspection of G.K.H.N. Construction and Trading Co. Ltd.'s business location in the commune.

The company is owned by a Vietnamese woman who delegated full management authority and decision-making powers to B.N.D., a Vietnamese man.

During questioning, B.N.D. said the company had been operating since January, manufacturing air ducts for installation in factories and industrial facilities.

Due to a large number of orders and a shortage of workers, he put up recruitment notices.

From around early September until the inspection on October 24, the company had taken on nine foreign workers, including seven Bangladeshis and two Indians.

Among the Bangladeshi workers, five had overstayed their temporary residence permits since 2024, while the other two could not produce passports and were suspected of having also overstayed their permitted stays.

The two Indian workers had entered Vietnam on electronic visas that permitted them to stay until November 15, 2026, but they did not have work permits or certificates confirming that they were exempt from work permit requirements.

B.N.D. admitted that he had not checked the workers' documents. 

He knew that all seven Bangladeshi workers had overstayed their permitted stays and lacked valid residence documents in Vietnam, but hired them anyway because the company needed workers.

Fearing detection by the authorities, he did not declare the foreign workers' temporary residence. Instead, he arranged for them to stay in two bedrooms equipped with bunk beds inside the workshop, free of charge.

B.N.D. directly assigned work to the foreign employees and paid each of them VND200,000 (US$7.7) per day.

He also instructed all the foreign workers to limit their movements outside the workshop and personally bought food for them to prepare their own meals.

Authorities said the case showed signs of organizing illegal stays in Vietnam for foreign nationals who had overstayed their permitted periods, as well as illegal employment.

Dong Nai City police are investigating the case and will handle violations in accordance with the law.