I also have 2 helpers now and I have also sufferred from bad experience.
All I can say is that being an employer is the luck of the a draw. Especially when you are hiring someone you have never seen and have no idea at all. I don't think one should complain if they are happy to hire someone who they have no idea of.
Having said that, there is still the chance of hiring a bad apple in HK. Just like any other employer and employee. That's why I said it is the luck of a draw.
There is always pros and cons in everything, different family have different needs. As for mine, I wonld not leave my family to someone who comes straight from the middle of nowhere country side.