Ms. Hua Thi Linh and her husband (who works for a company in Bac Giang) decided to stay at their rented house to celebrate Tet instead of returning to their hometown. Ms. Linh said that her family's circumstances were very difficult, so she and her husband had to leave their hometown to earn money to support their living expenses, support their parents, and send their children to school.
“We try to stay in Bac Giang to work through Tet, earn more money so that after Tet we can have more money for our family,” said Linh. Linh received gifts from the company’s union to make Tet away from home warmer.
Meanwhile, Ms. Pham Thi Yen decided to stay in Bac Giang even though the company did not organize extra work. “I miss my child so much, I want to go back to my child, but due to difficult circumstances, I have to stay. I plan to find a part-time job outside to earn more income,” Ms. Yen shared.
Mr. Hoac Cong Lang, a landlord in Nui Hieu residential group, Quang Chau ward, Viet Yen town, Bac Giang province, said that only one worker out of 40-50 workers staying at the boarding house to celebrate Tet because he worked overtime during Tet; the rest of the workers had returned to their hometowns to celebrate Tet. According to Mr. Lang, there were cases where workers agreed not to return to their hometowns to celebrate Tet, staying to work to get paid higher than usual.
“The landlord treats the workers as his children. For those who stay, the landlord gives them banh chung, gio, and candy to create a Tet atmosphere and ease their homesickness,” said Mr. Lang.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Ba Quang (Tam Tang residential group, Quang Chau ward, Viet Yen town, Bac Giang province) said that during the Lunar New Year 2024, the boarding house had many workers staying, but this year, only 1-2 people celebrated Tet away from home.
The owner of this boarding house said that for the workers staying in the boarding house, he will give them banh chung and candies to encourage them and bring the Tet atmosphere into the boarding house.
Recently, the Labor Federation of Viet Yen town (Bac Giang province) coordinated with the Town Youth Union and the Town Youth Union to organize the program "Tet Sum Vay - Spring of gratitude to the Party" associated with "Tet not far from home".
The program "Tet not far from home" aims to create an emotional bridge between workers and their relatives in their hometown, so that workers from far away places, due to circumstances and conditions, although unable to return home for Tet, can still feel the closeness and warmth of family love.
The program has many meaningful activities such as: Cultural exchange, launching of workers' boarding house clubs, making banh chung, especially preparing a year-end meal with the meaning of reunion so that each worker and laborer can enjoy the Tet atmosphere as if in their own family.
At the program, the organizers presented 300 gifts (worth 800,000 VND/gift from the Provincial Labor Federation's budget) to workers in boarding houses in difficult circumstances; living far away but unable to return home for Tet.
At Mr. Pham Van Hung's boarding house (Nhue village, Kim Chung commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi), there was only one case, Mr. Nguyen Quang Thanh (born in 1977, from Phu Tho) who stayed to celebrate Tet. According to Mr. Thanh, he stayed at the boarding house to celebrate Tet for personal reasons. Being old, it was difficult to find a job as a worker, so he had to work as a freelancer, doing whatever work was available.
"I hope to have a stable job next year, which will give me a good income and ensure my life," Thanh shared.
