Bonghwa County Travels to Vietnam to Accelerate Solutions for Rural Labor Shortage

Bonghwa County has taken direct action to address the shortage of rural labor during the busy farming season. The county is accelerating its efforts to strengthen the system for securing workers by visiting Vietnam to enhance the stability and sustainability of attracting foreign seasonal workers.

Bonghwa County Visits Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam to Select Seasonal Workers and Seek Solutions to Rural Labor Shortage
Photo by Bonghwa County

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Bonghwa County announced that, in order to ensure the smooth entry of public seasonal workers in 2026, it visited Hoa Vang District in Da Nang, Vietnam on April 14, 2026, to conduct discussions on the selection of seasonal workers and related work agreements.

The delegation consisted of five people, including officials from the Bonghwa County Agricultural Technology Center, interpreters, and representatives from Chunyang Agricultural Cooperative. During the visit, they focused on strengthening cooperation for dispatching foreign seasonal workers, developing strategies for selecting seasonal workers for 2026, and establishing measures to prevent unauthorized departures by workers.

In 2026, a total of 60 public seasonal workers are scheduled to enter Bonghwa County: 30 from Hoa Vang District in Vietnam, 20 from Cambodia, and 10 from Laos. These workers are expected to help alleviate the deepening labor shortage in rural areas ahead of the main farming season and support stable farming operations for local farmers.

Bonghwa County views the foreign seasonal worker system not merely as a short-term labor supplement but as a key foundation supporting the sustainability of local agriculture. In particular, by supplying the necessary workforce at the right time through the public seasonal work system, the county aims to reduce farmers’ concerns about labor shortages and improve operational efficiency in the field.

The cooperation between Bonghwa County and Hoa Vang District has already yielded tangible results. In November 2024, the county signed its first seasonal worker exchange agreement with Hoa Vang District in Da Nang, Vietnam, and in 2025, it successfully attracted 41 seasonal workers from the district. Furthermore, the agreement was renewed in November of the same year to reflect administrative reorganization in Vietnam, further solidifying the cooperative framework.

Based on these achievements, Bonghwa County plans to attract an additional 100 seasonal workers from Hoa Vang District alone in 2026. As local agriculture faces structural challenges such as aging and labor shortages, direct cooperation with overseas local governments is seen as a practical response to safeguard the competitiveness of regional agriculture.

Shin Jonggil, Director of the Bonghwa County Agricultural Technology Center, stated, "Foreign seasonal workers are an important human resource for resolving rural labor shortages. Through this visit, we will further strengthen our cooperation with Hoa Vang District and do our best to stably attract diligent and outstanding seasonal workers."

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