The social media campaign to be rolled out in Vietnam will use real people's testimonies "from those who regret coming to the UK illegally," stated the British government in a press release on March 25.

"Never again would I risk my life in a small boat, even if you bribed me," states one migrant, referred to as "K"* in the campaign.

In his compelling story, K said that before coming to the UK, he knew he wouldn't be legally allowed to stay in the country and that there was a chance he could be returned home, "but I was willing to take that chance to make some money."

I thought the UK would be 'like a meadow filled with flowers'

K recalls that before boarding the boat heading for the UK, he had been sleeping in a camp in France's Calais for five nights under the tight supervision of armed guards.

He remembers that the organizers of the camp "appeared to be Kurdish, and they were armed with rifles, preventing us from complaining or arguing."

In the run-up to the irregular crossing to the UK, he was assigned a group consisting of 32 other men, where his job was to carry a small boat alongside others — an arduous and painful task.

"We had to walk for about an hour while holding the boat, with the ropes striking our faces and legs."

Also read: How EU police disrupted Vietnamese people-smuggling gangs

Another migrant featured in the campaign as "B"* said that he had been told the UK would be like "a dream, like a meadow filled with flowers, and I would find everything I needed very easily."

However, he says that living and working in the UK did not match up with these expectations.

Channel crossing was 'scary' and 'a decision I regret'

B describes the boat crossing as "scary" and as a "decision I regret." Although the sea was calm when he set out, he recalls how heavy rain filled the boat with water up to everyone's shins.

"We used our hands to scoop out water, however this wasn't working. We were drenched from the rain and sea water."

The adverts sponsored by the UK government with testimonials by migrants like K and B will be placed on Facebook and YouTube to "directly target people who may be considering making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK."

Real people, real stories, real results

Using real people's regrets about making the crossing, the British government hopes to demonstrate the consequences to any would-be migrant if they are caught entering the UK "illegally" as well as highlighting the "risk of being indebted to and exploited by the people smuggling gangs who profit from facilitating small boat crossings."

This latest social media campaign was reportedly launched because of an increase in the numbers of Vietnamese migrants attempting to make the Channel crossing.

According to British government data, Vietnamese people are now among the top ten nationalities attempting to come to the UK from across the Channel.

No papers, no public services

The campaign also underscores the fact that without papers, migrants in the UK will have no access to public services or funding.

Along with the social media campaign, the British government is also launching a new website, highlighting these important issues which many migrants are unaware of or lied to about by smugglers.

The website stresses that "if you come to the UK illegally, you cannot rent property – it’s a criminal offense for landlords and agents to knowingly let property to an illegal migrant. You cannot access welfare benefits. You may be charged if you need hospital treatment or health care. If you have any outstanding payments for medical treatment, any further immigration applications may be refused. Your access to other services, like bank accounts and driving licenses is restricted."

Finally, the website underlines that those who arrive and then claim asylum "are not normally allowed to work whilst their claim is being considered." Currently the government has a lengthy backlog in terms of assessing asylum claims and so it can be months if not years before your claim might be assessed.

The government reminds migrants on the platform that if they do attempt to work without the correct permissions, "the likelihood of you doing hard labor for a criminal gang for very little money is high. You may be exploited. You can be imprisoned for up to six months because it is a criminal offense to work in the UK illegally."

Also read: UK, teenager linked to migrant lorry deaths to be extradited

Victims of modern slavery

As well as featuring migrant testimonies, the campaign features interviews with immigration enforcement officers and Border Force representatives to highlight the dangers of exploitation and becoming a victim of modern slavery.

Many Vietnamese migrants in the UK have indeed been found in exploitative situations, working in nail bars, restaurants or locked in illegal cannabis farms, where they are at the mercy of the gangs that control these businesses.

One Vietnamese person, whose name has been changed for his protection, told Anti-Slavery.org that he was locked up in the house "where I had to water cannabis plants." He said when the police raided the house he was arrested for being involved in criminal activities, before being later identified as a victim of modern slavery.

Also read: Vietnam, human trafficking on the rise amid COVID

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner in the UK writes in an intelligence brief that "evidence recorded between 2019 and 2022 has shown that Vietnamese irregular migrants are at risk of exploitation and other harms both en route to and on arrival in the UK."

According to a fact sheet from the organization Anti-Slavery.org, also based in the UK, Vietnamese nationals, along with people from Nigeria, Albania, Romania and Poland, are most likely to become victims of modern slavery in the UK, highlighting in particular that many of the women brought in this way end up being trafficked for sexual exploitation.

The British government meanwhile states that often "illegal migrants can be forced to live in inhumane, cramped and hazardous conditions by criminal gangs, with no access to basic hygiene, healthcare or legal employment."

Vietnam campaign follows 'successful' Albania strategy

The campaign follows what the British government termed as "successful social media activity in Albania last year," after which aspects of the Vietnam campaign are modelled.

The UK says the strategy contributed to a 90% reduction in Albanian small boat arrivals.

At the same time as the government ran the social media campaign in Albania, the UK and Albanian administrations also agreed on a returns agreement, and placed border force officials in Albania to help with deterrence at the airports.

Also read: Hidden from sight, the dangers of clandestine migration journeys

UK Home Secretary (Interior Minister) James Cleverly described the campaign as "powerful," saying that it demonstrated "first-hand that life for people arriving here illegally is a far cry from the lies they have been sold by the gangs on the other side of the Channel."

Cleverly also described Vietnam as "another key partner in our work to tackle illegal migration." He said he hoped the campaign would "help us to save more lives and dent the business model of the criminals who profit from this vile trade."

Meeting between Vietnam and UK set for mid-April

The British government says it has also run similar social media campaigns in France and Belgium, and is considering similar campaigns for "other priority countries."

In the press release, the government says that the UK and Vietnam are already working closely together "to prevent illegal journeys to the UK and remove those with no right to be here."

A meeting between the UK and Vietnam will meanwhile take place on April 17 to discuss making the working partnership between the two countries still closer.

Losing 'respect, authority and manliness'

Many of the migrants' stories in the social media campaign and on the website testify to the fact that they are still in debt to their families, who were forced to take out loans to pay for their journeys; in some cases, there also are reports of migrants still owing money to the gangs that had promised them work.

One man, known as "G"* on the government website, says that he ended up lying to his family about the reality of the life. Once he eventually was apprehended in the UK for his illegal entry, he says he lost his "respect, authority and manliness among my family," after failing to succeed and sending home money as he had been promised.

Similarly, the migrant known as B on the government website concludes that "the risks associated with attempting a new life in the UK are not justified. Working as a tradesman at home, with a house and family, often provides a better standard of living compared to the challenges you might face in the UK.

"The struggle to make ends meet and send money back home while being alone in a foreign country is very difficult. I would strongly discourage and do whatever it takes to prevent friends and family from undertaking the risky journey to the UK."

Also read: Disappeared, run away, dead, how gangs trade Vietnamese people across Europe

*Names have been changed by the UK government to protect the migrants' identities