Evening of the 4th Lunar New Year</ a> In 2023, Mr. Luu Viet Hai (born in 1995, from Quang Ngai) was still working on a ship docked at Valencia port (Spain).
Taking advantage of a few minutes to rest, he picked up the phone and called. family using a satellite phone used only for emergencies. In the flickering signal, the male officer heard the other line chokingly announce: “Grandpa is dead.”
Sleepless nights
That whole night, Hai only slept for a few hours. The cold sea breeze made his heart feel even colder. The crew members on the ship were all foreigners Even if you want to share, there’s no way to pour your heart out.
“All my feelings are kept in my heart. Even if you want to go home right away to see your loved ones one last time, you can’t. Those moments are the most difficult challenges for us,” the young man confided.
Long nights of homesickness soon became a part of Hai’s work.
< p>My wife is pregnant and about to give birth. I live so far away that my wife has to take care of everything at home during the journey of heavy labor. I feel very sorry, but thanks to her understanding, I also use it as motivation to try to earn money to take care of my family,” Mr. Hai said.
< p>The male officer also cannot forget the image of his father quietly wiping his tears as he saw him off on the first train of his career. On that ship to Spain, Hai remembers being so seasick that he couldn’t work It took him a week to get used to it and gradually became more compatible.
Luu Viet Hai has more than 5 years of experience as a ship’s engine management officer working on the ship Foreign shipping companies earn hundreds of millions of dong each month. To receive such a high salary, the young man said the job has never been easy.
“This is a demanding job. careful and meticulous concentration. Because just a little mistake is enough to affect the whole ship. “I work in the ship’s hold and help my colleagues in charge of painting the outside of the ship. They will face more dangers and could fall into the sea and die if they are not fully equipped with safety equipment,” Hai said.</ p>
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Meanwhile, the medical equipment on the ship only meets the requirements of treating common colds and fevers. “If someone gets seriously ill during the cruise, they have to wait until the ship arrives at port Or if you’re lucky, you can call a helicopter to rescue” Hai shared.
The job is absent… women
Being a sailor driving a ship With 1 year of experience, Mr. Duong Ngoc Thanh (born in 1997, from Hai Phong) always jokes that this is a “difficult job to get married.
“In a working environment full of men, where are the opportunities? to have a girlfriend. Maybe I’ll be unmarried,” Mr. Thanh laughed.
In 2022, Thanh was accepted as a sailor driving a Vietnamese ship with a salary of 24 million VND/month. For Thanh, the income is not too high but enough to take care of his mother and the work is sometimes lighter on the mainland.
The sailor confided that whenever he missed home, he often stood and looked at the sea. The beautiful scenery of nature somehow soothed the soul of a child away from home, especially at night The starry night sky is a priceless scene for him.
Male officer Viet Hai shared that every job has its own difficulties. For Hai, this job gives him many things in terms of income to wonderful experiences. Hai has set foot in many new countries on all continents.
Besides, Mr. Hai said this is the field labor has high remuneration and is still “thirsty” for human resources.
Sea transportation is responsible for more than 75% of the world’s freight, but human resources are seriously lacking. Ship owners are in a situation of “overwork and lack of people”. Vietnamese ship owners offer recruitment from 12 – 15 million/month for sailors and mechanics; higher positions such as operations officer and management officer remuneration ranges from 30 – 120 million/month.< /p>
Market only jobs on foreign shipping ships, the lowest salary for sailors and mechanics is also more than 1,100 USD/month (nearly 30 million dong); Other management positions range from 6,500 – 10,000 USD/month (about 130 – 230 million/month).
As of October 1, 2022, the number of Vietnamese seafarers reached more than 54,000 people. Compared to 2012, the number of seafarers has increased by more than 11,000 people but mainly focuses on the positions of sailors and mechanics. Meanwhile, the number of highly trained officers has decreased.
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