Three years ago, Vinay Yadav from Jamshedpur left for Vietnam to work as a yoga instructor.From Ranchi, Raja Kumar, 24, followed the same path in 2025. Together, they worked at the Adi Yoga Academy in Da Lat city where they hoped to change their families’ fortunes.On September 25, the dream was cut short when the duo, returning from work, met with an accident. While Raja died the same day, Vinay succumbed two days later at the hospital. Their families in Jharkhand are now waiting to get their bodies back.In Ranchi, Raja’s mother Rupa Devi is inconsolable. “Whenever someone comes home, my mother starts crying. She is only saying that the body of her son should come home soon,” Raja’s younger brother, Shubham Kumar, told The Indian Express.Raja had gone to the southeast Asian nation at the suggestion of his paternal uncle, Rahul Kumar, who lives there. The family had hoped that the job would give Raja, who had studied till Class 12, a chance to improve the family’s financial condition.Raja had trained in yoga for four years before heading to Vietnam. His father is an electrician. “He was the one looking after the house and sending money. He was earning for the family,” Shubham said.Raja used to speak to his family every day. His last conversations with them were ordinary ones: Asking his mother how she was, whether she had eaten and what she was doing.Story continues below this adOn the evening of September 25, Rahul said, it was raining heavily in Da Lat when Raja and Vinay were returning home after giving a yoga class. According to him, they were travelling on a company scooter when it slipped on the wet road and rammed into a car ahead of them.Raja died on the spot, while Vinay was rushed to a hospital where he remained under treatment for two days before breathing his last.Rahul said he is now trying to arrange for his nephew’s body to be brought back to India. “Whatever needs to be done, we are doing it,” Rahul told The Indian Express.The process, however, has been difficult and expensive. Raja’s family was told that bringing his body back could cost around Rs 20 lakh. Rahul and his friends in Vietnam are arranging money and completing the paperwork there, while the family in Ranchi is seeking help from local officials and political representatives.Story continues below this ad“Everyone is running around, trying to get some help,” Shubham said.Around 26 kilometres away, in Jamshedpur, the family of Vinay, 23, is going through a similar wait. His cousin Abhijit, who has been living in Vietnam for five to six years now, is helping with the arrangements to bring Vinay’s body back.Abhijit said the exact circumstances surrounding Vinay’s death were still not clear to him. “The road was wet and the vehicle reportedly slipped before hitting another car. Vinay was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to the main hospital…,” he told the Indian Express.Abhijit said the family in Jamshedpur has not yet been told the full truth about Vinay’s condition. “Only the men know the truth while his mother and other female members in the family know that he is under treatment. They are still hoping that their son will come back safely,” he said.Story continues below this adALSO READ | He slept hungry in Bengaluru. Now he is lifeline for city’s migrant workers“It is very difficult to hide it but it is also difficult to tell them that he is no more. All women in the family are praying and organising hawan for his recovery. I myself do not not know how many days it will take to bring the body… I am all alone here,” said Abhijit.The process could take another five days, Abhijit said, adding the estimated cost of sending Vinay’s body to India is over Rs 10 lakh.Both families said they are trying to approach officials in Jharkhand and the Indian authorities for help with the repatriation.Shikha Lakra, head of the State Migrant Workers Control Room, told The Indian Express that Raja’s family had arranged around Rs 14 lakh required for the repatriation of his body. “We have not received an application from the second family (Vinay’s) yet. Raja’s body is expected to be brought back within a couple of days, after which the administration will look into reimbursing the amount,” she said.Story continues below this adFor young men like Raja and Vinay, going to Vietnam has been a way to find lucrative work, thousands of kilometres away from home. Abhijit, who has been teaching yoga for years, said there was demand for yoga instructors because people in Vietnam were increasingly conscious about fitness.“They also see yoga as something that has come from India,” Abhijit said. That demand has brought several people from India, including from Jharkhand, to Vietnam to work as yoga instructors, he added.Shubham Tigga is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, presently based in Pune, where he covers the intersections of infrastructure, labor, and the modern economy. His reporting focuses on civil aviation, urban mobility, the gig economy, and workers' unions, providing critical insights into how transit and commercial sectors impact the daily lives of citizens. Expertise & Background Before moving to Pune, he reported extensively from his home state of Chhattisgarh, where he focused on Indigenous (Adivasi) issues, environmental justice, and grassroots struggles in mainland India. This experience gives him a unique lens through which he analyzes the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects on local communities. Academic Foundation He is an alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), where he honed his skills in investigative reporting and ethical journalism. His academic training, combined with his field experience in Central India, allows him to navigate complex socio-economic landscapes with nuance and accuracy. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More Tags:Jharkhand