Three women and 27 men from Vietnam, aged 25-30, were found on a ship off the coast of Pingtung County, said Huang Shih-hsien, deputy head of the CGA’s Investigation Branch, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

The Vietnamese were later transported to a quarantine facility in Taichung City, where they would stay for 14 days per existing Covid-19 prevention measures. None of them had a fever or any respiratory symptoms, according to the CGA.

Once the quarantine period is over, the Vietnamese would be handed over to Taiwan’s Immigration Agency, it was confirmed.

Of the group, 29 had previously worked legally in Taiwan, said the CGA, which suspects the Vietnamese were smuggled into mainland China first, before boarding the fishing vessel.

Two Taiwanese, the captain and a crew member, were detained for further investigation by local authorities. According to the CGA, it received a tip-off saying a human trafficking group planned to smuggle Vietnamese into Taiwan, so it stepped up patrols in the waters around the territory. The fishing vessel carrying the Vietnamese was intercepted by three patrol vessels Monday night.

Taiwan has become a sought-after destination for Vietnamese seeking jobs overseas ever since it lifted a 10-year ban on certain categories of Vietnamese workers in 2015.

Vietnamese in the territory can earn $700 - $800 a month, three or four times the typical remuneration back home.