A repentant Vietnamese human smuggler has spoken out, urging the U.K. government to increase its efforts in publicizing the difficulties for illegal immigrants to find job in the country as a deterrent to illegal immigration. Speaking anonymously to the BBC, the man, who goes by the pseudonym Thanh, claimed that in nearly 20 years of experience, he helped smuggle more than 1,000 Vietnamese into the U.K. — a journey that carries severe risks, highlighted by the tragic deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals in a smuggling incident in 2019.
- Their operation: In the interview, Thanh briefly outlined one of their smuggling routes, recounting that earlier this year, he met a group he intended to smuggle near a beach in Calais, France, and transported them across the English Channel on a small inflatable boat. He said that Vietnamese pay a total of between $15,000 and $20,000 for the entire journey, which begins with a flight from Vietnam to Eastern Europe on forged documents, continues to France and ends with a Channel crossing. The U.K. government listed Vietnam as the third-highest source of illegal migrants via small boats in the first half of 2024. Thanh, who left Vietnam in 2007 while in his late teens or early twenties before going to the U.K. in 2010, now focuses most of his attention on forging documents since re-entering the “lucrative” smuggling business in 2017.
- What he’s saying now: Thanh, who lied by saying a Vietnamese gang is threatening his life to get into the U.K. asylum system, said he now regrets his life of crime. He hopes that sharing his story will discourage others from following in his footsteps, saying, “I just want people in Vietnam to understand that it’s not worth borrowing lots of money to travel here. It’s not so easy for illegal arrivals to find work or make money,” he said. When BBC pointed out his hypocrisy by continuing his illegal activities, Thanh justified it by saying they are not “forcing anyone to do what they do,” adding, “They ask us for help, as they would from any business. There’s no trafficking involved.”
