The number of Vietnamese workers going abroad in 2019 was a 3.2 percent increase over the previous year, and one-third of these were women.

This was the sixth consecutive year that the number of Vietnamese immigrant workers surpassed 100,000, and the fourth year consecutive year that it passed 120,000, according to the Overseas Labor Department.

It said Japan remained the largest market for Vietnamese labor with more than 80,000 going in 2019, followed by Taiwan with 54,480 workers.

In March, the number of Vietnamese living in Japan increased to 330,835, accounting for 8 percent of all foreign nationals, making Vietnamese the 3rd largest ethnic group behind Chinese and South Koreans, the Japan Times had reported.

Many young Vietnamese are interested in getting technical training in Japan due to the growing presence of Japanese companies in their home country, the report said.

With a new visa policy introduced in April, Vietnamese accounted for the largest number of new skilled workers in Japan as of the end of September, it added.