HANOI, April 8 (Oana-Xinhua) -- Vietnam sent 8,254 workers to work abroad in the first quarter of this year, according to a report of Vietnam News Agency today.

Most of the workers went to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia to work in joint ventures or through bilateral agreements.

This year, the country plans to send 40,000 to 45,000 people to work overseas and to explore opportunities in new markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Vietnam has exported workers to nearly 40 countries and regions with Laos, the Republic of Korea, and Japan being key markets. Last year, 37,000 Vietnamese were sent to work abroad, earning the country more than 1.2 billion U.S. dollars of foreign exchange.--Oana-Xinhua