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Nicaragua’s navy has rescued three Vietnamese nationals after a boat carrying 17 migrants sank in its waters this month, Vietnam’s state media reported.
The boat carrying Indians, Iranians, Egyptians and Vietnamese sailed from San Andres Island in Colombia on Feb. 4 and sank in the waters near Nicaragua’s Corn Islands, about 150 meters (yards) off the coast early the next day, the Vietnam News Agency, or VNA, said. Five people died and four were missing, according to initial reports.
It identified the three Vietnamese survivors, a woman and two men, as Truong Thi My Khanh, 24, Ho Long, 25, and Nguyen Van Duoc, 26.
The first two hold Hungarian residence permits, while the third was carrying a Vietnam driver’s license, VNA said.
Nicaragua’s foreign ministry asked Vietnam’s embassy in Cuba to help repatriate the three, it said. Radio Free Asia emailed the ministry but it didn’t reply.
The boat’s final destination was not clear. However, the route from San Andrés Island to Nicaragua, across the Caribbean, is commonly used by migrants attempting to reach the U.S. illegally, as it is considered less dangerous than trekking through the Darien Gap, a stretch of treacherous forest in northwest Colombia and Panama.
An investigation by Insightcrime.org found that the number of migrants who came to the U.S. by this route increased sharply between 2021 and 2023. Citing Colombia’s immigration department it said 45 Vietnamese nationals were discovered by Colombian authorities to be taking this route to the U.S. in 2023.
Many Vietnamese migrants have also attempted to enter the U.S. in recent years by trekking overland to reach the Mexico-U.S. border.
An RFA Vietnamese investigation found that a common journey involved flying from Vietnam to a European country before continuing to South America and then attempting to cross into the U.S.
Vietnamese migrants usually pay smugglers between US$65,000 and US$70,000 for the journey.
That may not prove to be a sound investment. Vietnamese migrants who enter the U.S. illegally now face a higher risk of arrest and deportation as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Many Vietnamese also head to Europe, both as an initial stop and a final destination.
A Vietnamese source, whose relative is studying in Hungary, told RFA that foreigners who legally enter Hungary for study or work can obtain a residence permit, which ranks just below permanent residency and citizenship in status.
If the two Vietnamese with Hungarian residence permits were not citizens, the Vietnamese government would still have a responsibility to provide them with consular protection, he told RFA on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject.
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According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, nearly 3,300 Vietnamese entered the U.S. illegally by crossing the southwestern U.S. land border between October 2022 and October 2023, with an additional 2,400 entering between October 2023 and February 2024.
Vietnamese migrants can apply for asylum upon arrival in the U.S. and must then go through an immigration court process, which can take several years, California-based immigration lawyer Ngo Thuan explained.
During this period, they are allowed to work and can earn significantly more than in Vietnam, he said.
“If they still have a chance, they will try to enter the U.S. because when weighing the challenges, the possibility to stay, the risk of arrest and deportation, and their lives in Vietnam, they would see the U.S. as the easier and better choice.”
Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Mike Firn.