Mr. Minh left Vietnam in 2008 and he came legally to work in Slovakia. He was employed as a factory worker. In order to get this job, he ran up debts and when the factory closed down due to the crisis, he found himself in a hopeless situation and without any money for returning home."When my residence permit became invalid, I earned some little money working as a construction worker or as a waiter in restaurant, but I did not feel good," he says.He could not work, travel or go shopping without the fear of being arrested.

The situation was getting worse because he was separated from his family. "When I emigrated, my son was too young and every day he called me to ask when I would come back home," he says. At that point he decided that despite the huge debts, he had to return to Vietnam.

With a help from his friend he contacted the International Organization for Migration (IOM) which covered the costs of his travel home. After his return IOM provided him with additional assistance which helped him start a business: "It was a very valuable help to me," Minh says.

After coming back to his homeland he intended to work as a taxi driver, but at the end he decided to pursue farming. Nowadays he and his wife earn their living from poultry farming and from growing fruit, which they sell at the market.

Minh knows that this is only a starting point, but he is determined to be successful in his business: "I have to learn a lot and work day by day," he says. "I do not have much now, but I feel satisfied that I run my own business in my country and that I can focus on my children´s education."

You can watch the whole Minh´s story in the documentary film:

(Personal names were published with their consent. / Names were changed for protection reasons.)

For more true stories of migrants who returned home from Slovakia with the help of IOM under the Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme you can visit the website www.avr.iom.sk.

Voluntary Return and Reintegration in Country of Origin (Individual Project). The project is co-funded by the European Union from the European Return Fund. Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows.