In the small house in Tan Truong commune (Cam Giang district, Hai Duong province) of Ms. Hoang Thi Huong - a worker at Venture Joint Stock Company - the conversation between mother and daughter is bustling. Ms. Huong's husband passed away early, her eldest son went to work abroad, leaving only the mother and daughter in the family. Ms. Huong's youngest daughter is often sick, so her life is difficult.
Every year, the mother and daughter usually return to Quang Ninh to celebrate Tet with their grandparents, but this year, due to illness, Ms. Huong had to take several months off work, so her salary was low and she could not afford to return home to celebrate Tet. Therefore, this year, the mother and daughter decided to stay in Hai Duong to celebrate Tet together.
Although life is not yet full, the atmosphere in Ms. Huong’s house is still filled with laughter. The youngest daughter innocently tells a story about her lovely cat. Ms. Huong chats with her child while cleaning her husband’s altar.
Ms. Huong said that this year, although her income is not high, she still tries to make sure her daughter has a full and happy Tet. Having time off from work, the mother and daughter take the opportunity to go shopping for Tet. On the 29th of Tet, Ms. Huong and her daughter happily sat down for a New Year's Eve meal and talked about the past year.
"Although we don't have the conditions to go back to my husband's hometown to celebrate Tet, my daughter and I always feel happy because we are together. It doesn't matter where we are, as long as we are together, Tet is fine. I bought a small peach blossom branch to decorate, my daughter loves it" - Ms. Huong shared.
This year, Ms. Vu Thi Hue - a worker at Venture Joint Stock Company (from Nam Dinh) also stayed in Hai Duong to celebrate Tet. According to Ms. Hue, if last year she returned to her hometown of Nam Dinh to celebrate Tet, this year she will stay in Hai Duong. Talking about her plans for Tet, Ms. Hue said that this year, the whole family will celebrate Tet simply and with a small package.
"This year, I didn't buy anything else, just bought my children some new clothes. During Tet, I took my children to see the streets near my house. Before Tet, we gathered together to wrap banh chung. On the first day of Tet, we plan to go to a relative's house to wish them a happy new year," said Ms. Hue.
