Vietnam has largest number of residents in EU

The Vietnamese community is the third largest foreign group in the Czech Republic.

According to a survey conducted by the Czech Statistical Office (CSO) in 2011, foreigners accounted for 4 percent of the Czech population. With 60,000 Vietnamese living in the Czech Republic, Vietnam is placed third only after Ukraine and Slovakia in terms of overseas residents. But the number of Vietnamese residents in the EU is the largest.

Most of them have stayed for a long time in the country about 8 years on average, said sociologist Yana Leontiyeva from the CSO.

They regularly send 15 percent of their incomes to their relatives in the homeland. With an average salary of 19,070 korun per month, they work 54 hours per week.

Daniel Chytil, also from the CSO, said the trend of immigration into the Czech Republic has changed as foreigners like to stay long in the country. For Vietnamese people, the Czech Republic is one of the most attractive destinations.

The number of Vietnamese residents in Germany is larger than in the Czech Republic, but makes up a small proportion of the German population.

Other European countries have less than 5,000 Vietnamese residents, Daniel Chytil said.