Vietnam said Saturday that it "strongly condemns" <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrant-lorry-victims-believed-to-be-vietnamese-uk-police-259383">human trafficking</a>, after British police confirmed 39 people found dead in a truck last week are believed to be Vietnamese.&nbsp;

Most of the victims are thought to come from central Vietnam, where easy-to-find brokers help to arrange trips to Europe -- often via Russia -- for migrants hoping to earn money overseas.&nbsp;

The extreme risks of the journeys were laid bare after eight women and 31 men were found dead in a refrigerated container in Essex, east of London, on October 23.&nbsp;

Two people were arrested in central Ha Tinh province for human trafficking on Friday, as British police sought more suspects.&nbsp;

Vietnam said Saturday it "strongly condemns human trafficking and considers it a serious crime," according to a statement from foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.

She called the incident a "serious humanitarian tragedy", urging help to tackle the scourge of trafficking.

"Vietnam calls upon countries in the region and around the world to step up cooperation in combating human trafficking in order to prevent the recurrence of such tragedy," she added.

Officials are now working to identify the victims after DNA samples were collected from families in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces in central Vietnam. &nbsp;

"I think my son could be among the 39 dead," Nguyen Dinh Gia told AFP Saturday from Ha Tinh province where he has been anxiously waiting for news about his child Nguyen Dinh Luong.&nbsp;

The grim case has shocked Britain and plunged families in remote Vietnamese villages into grief.&nbsp;

It has also cast a light on sophisticated transnational trafficking networks helping to smuggle migrants into Britain.

The 25-year-old Northern Irish driver of the refrigerated lorry has been charged with manslaughter, money laundering and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

In Dublin, another Northern Irishman appeared at Ireland's High Court for the start of extradition proceedings to bring him to Britain in connection with the incident.&nbsp;

British police have also said they want to speak to Ronan and Christopher Hughes, two brothers in the haulage business from Northern Ireland.

Three other people have been arrested and released on police bail.

Vietnam said Saturday that it "strongly condemns" human trafficking, after British police confirmed 39 people found dead in a truck last week are believed to be Vietnamese.

Vietnam said Saturday that it "strongly condemns" human trafficking, after British police confirmed 39 people found dead in a truck last week are believed to be Vietnamese. Most of the victims are thought to come from central Vietnam, where easy-to-find brokers help to arrange trips to Europe -- often via Russia -- for migrants hoping to earn money overseas. The extreme risks of the journeys were laid bare after eight women and 31 men were found dead in a refrigerated container in Essex, east of London, on October 23. Two people were arrested in central Ha Tinh province for human trafficking on Friday, as British police sought more suspects. Vietnam said Saturday it "strongly condemns human trafficking and considers it a serious crime," according to a statement from foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang. She called the incident a "serious humanitarian tragedy", urging help to tackle the scourge of trafficking. "Vietnam calls upon countries in the region and around the world to step up cooperation in combating human trafficking in order to prevent the recurrence of such tragedy," she added. Officials are now working to identify the victims after DNA samples were collected from families in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces in central Vietnam. "I think my son could be among the 39 dead," Nguyen Dinh Gia told AFP Saturday from Ha Tinh province where he has been anxiously waiting for news about his child Nguyen Dinh Luong. The grim case has shocked Britain and plunged families in remote Vietnamese villages into grief. It has also cast a light on sophisticated transnational trafficking networks helping to smuggle migrants into Britain. The 25-year-old Northern Irish driver of the refrigerated lorry has been charged with manslaughter, money laundering and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. In Dublin, another Northern Irishman appeared at Ireland's High Court for the start of extradition proceedings to bring him to Britain in connection with the incident. British police have also said they want to speak to Ronan and Christopher Hughes, two brothers in the haulage business from Northern Ireland. Three other people have been arrested and released on police bail.

Vietnam 'strongly condemns' human trafficking after UK truck tragedy

The traffickers have gone underground but they'll come back, villagers and brokers say, with the deaths of 39 migrants in a truck in Britain unlikely to deter the country's vast pool of rural Vietnamese from making perilous journeys abroad.

The dead are yet to be formally identified, but many are feared to be Vietnamese from the impoverished central provinces where the pull of a better life outweighs the risk of passage west.

Trafficking networks reach deep into these remote communities.

Brokers arrange flights -- often into Russia -- and plot the route into the UK on trucks, where many villagers end up working on cannabis farms tucked into suburban houses or in nail salons.

For now, the networks have vanished from the remote central Vietnamese towns stained by dread that their loved ones are among the British truck dead.&nbsp;

But they "are not going to disappear" said one broker in Hong Linh district in Ha Tinh province, where several of the missing come from. "They might just temporarily stop."

Towns in this part of the country are largely bereft of young people -- many have already left for overseas.&nbsp;

The money they send home has been used to fund house renovations and buy cars and motorbikes in a part of the country where most people are farmers and fishermen.

The ones that remain still harbour dreams of going overseas, enticed by success stories which ricochet across these quiet, cut-off communities.

"I want to go abroad when I finish school next year," said 17-year-old Tran Manh Thang in Hong Linh, whose father is a farmer. &nbsp;

"It's easy to earn money and I can have a better life."

He says he will try to go to South Korea first and from there set his sights on Europe, where he hopes to work as a waiter.&nbsp;

"It's nicer in Europe, from what I see on the internet and hear from neighbours," he said.&nbsp;

'They were unlucky'

While the UK deaths are a warning, young villagers "still have the exact same options and the same beliefs that they had before," according to independent trafficking expert Mimi Vu.

"They're still poor, they still lack access to opportunities in Vietnam."

There is a grim precedent for dangerous journeys.&nbsp;

During the Vietnam War, people mostly in south Vietnam boarded boats to escape the violence that engulfed the country.

Horror stories of deaths en route to safety filtered back from the hundreds of thousands of so-called boat people.

"That didn't stop people from still trying to send their families out," Vu said.&nbsp;

Many these days head for Britain, able to hide their illegal status inside its large Vietnamese community and black economy.

Even for those who have come back from the UK -- deported for working illegally in cannabis farms or caught living in the country illegally -- life overseas still appeals.&nbsp;

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, one migrant deported from Britain in 2008 after he was caught growing weed said the allure of money in the UK outsizes the risks.&nbsp;

"For sure people will still keep going," the 41-year-old told AFP, requesting anonymity.&nbsp;

The UK truck dead "were unlucky and it was very unfortunate," he said, but "it doesn't mean anyone else will die".

The traffickers have gone underground but they'll come back, villagers and brokers say, with the deaths of 39 migrants in a truck in Britain unlikely to deter the country's vast pool of rural Vietnamese from making perilous journeys abroad.

The traffickers have gone underground but they'll come back, villagers and brokers say, with the deaths of 39 migrants in a truck in Britain unlikely to deter the country's vast pool of rural Vietnamese from making perilous journeys abroad. The dead are yet to be formally identified, but many are feared to be Vietnamese from the impoverished central provinces where the pull of a better life outweighs the risk of passage west. Trafficking networks reach deep into these remote communities. Brokers arrange flights -- often into Russia -- and plot the route into the UK on trucks, where many villagers end up working on cannabis farms tucked into suburban houses or in nail salons. For now, the networks have vanished from the remote central Vietnamese towns stained by dread that their loved ones are among the British truck dead. But they "are not going to disappear" said one broker in Hong Linh district in Ha Tinh province, where several of the missing come from. "They might just temporarily stop." Towns in this part of the country are largely bereft of young people -- many have already left for overseas. The money they send home has been used to fund house renovations and buy cars and motorbikes in a part of the country where most people are farmers and fishermen. The ones that remain still harbour dreams of going overseas, enticed by success stories which ricochet across these quiet, cut-off communities. "I want to go abroad when I finish school next year," said 17-year-old Tran Manh Thang in Hong Linh, whose father is a farmer. "It's easy to earn money and I can have a better life." He says he will try to go to South Korea first and from there set his sights on Europe, where he hopes to work as a waiter. "It's nicer in Europe, from what I see on the internet and hear from neighbours," he said. 'They were unlucky' While the UK deaths are a warning, young villagers "still have the exact same options and the same beliefs that they had before," according to independent trafficking expert Mimi Vu. "They're still poor, they still lack access to opportunities in Vietnam." There is a grim precedent for dangerous journeys. During the Vietnam War, people mostly in south Vietnam boarded boats to escape the violence that engulfed the country. Horror stories of deaths en route to safety filtered back from the hundreds of thousands of so-called boat people. "That didn't stop people from still trying to send their families out," Vu said. Many these days head for Britain, able to hide their illegal status inside its large Vietnamese community and black economy. Even for those who have come back from the UK -- deported for working illegally in cannabis farms or caught living in the country illegally -- life overseas still appeals. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, one migrant deported from Britain in 2008 after he was caught growing weed said the allure of money in the UK outsizes the risks. "For sure people will still keep going," the 41-year-old told AFP, requesting anonymity. The UK truck dead "were unlucky and it was very unfortunate," he said, but "it doesn't mean anyone else will die".

'Easy money and a better life': Vietnamese undeterred by UK truck tragedy

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Vietnam 'strongly condemns' human trafficking after UK truck tragedy

'Easy money and a better life': Vietnamese undeterred by UK truck tragedy