But they died in a box, and came home in coffins.
For the 39 migrants who set off from one of the poorest parts of the Southeast Asian country in search of work in Britain, the promise of riches outweighed the risks of the perilous journey through Latvian forests and Belgian streets, to the oxygen-starved truck container in which they met their fate.
The bodies were discovered in late October, in the back of a refrigerated lorry, just outside London.
On Saturday, the last bodies were repatriated to Vietnam.
Here are the stories of three of the victims.
THE LOST BOY
Teenager Nguyen Huy Hung had