Transnational Labor in the Greater Mekong Sub-region: Vietnamese Migrant Workers in Thailand and the Lao PDR
Watcharee SRIKHAM

Abstract
This research aimed to offer a comparative analysis of push and pull factors contributing to the Vietnamese workers' arrival in Thailandand Laos. Also comparatively examined were their employment channels, social adaptation processes, and lifestyles. The research was based on in-depth interviews with 50 Vietnamese workers in each country. It was found that key factors encouraging Vietnamese workers to enter Thailand and the Lao PDR include the economy, population growth, and family issues. Both Laos and Thailand offer an economic incentive for these workers. The difference between Thailand and Laos lies in that employers in Thailand offer these workers food, shelter, and monthly travel expenses. In Laos, a positive state-to-state relationship between Laos and Vietnam helps Vietnamese workers to live with a sense of security. Laos and Thailand depend on social network of workers to recruit and help new-coming workers to adjust to life in the new country.

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