A meaningful meal at the end of the year
Keeping the tradition as every year, Ms. Kim Hong (landlord in Binh Tan District) will continue to organize a cozy tea party and give Tet gifts 2025 to workers in her boarding house. Ms. Hong said that this year she prepared about 40 Tet gifts worth 200,000 VND each to give to workers renting the house.
“Last year the economy was difficult, but I tried to save money to organize a year-end party to invite my roommates to a warm and happy meal after a year of hard work. I hope they are happy and motivated to do business in the new year,” Kim Hong shared.
For Tet 2025, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam and his wife in Thanh Loc Ward, District 12 plan to prepare more than 30 free-range chickens, order more spring rolls, pork rolls, and rice vermicelli from their hometown to hold a party for about 25 tables of tenants. This is the 19th year that Mr. Tam and his wife have organized a year-end party for workers who are renting a room. This year, the party will take place earlier so that everyone has time to return to their hometown to celebrate Tet.
“Almost every year I hold a year-end meeting at home, only in 2020 did I have to cancel the program because of the pandemic. But I still gave Tet gifts to everyone to enjoy the Spring,” said Mr. Tam.
30 years ago, Mr. Tam moved from Binh Dinh to Ho Chi Minh City to start a business. He used to work as a worker and live in a rented house, so he understands the feelings of people far from home every Tet holiday, always longing for a family meal. That is why he and his wife spend their own money to organize a year-end meal every year to invite people who live in the house, especially workers who cannot return home to celebrate Tet.
“The party is an opportunity for everyone to gather, share the joys and sorrows of the year, and encourage each other to strive for the coming year. Looking back on everything that has happened, no matter what, I see that humanity is still above all,” Mr. Tam confided.
Wrapping banh tet to warm the hearts of people far from home
This Tet, Ms. Bui Thi Ben and her fellow women in Tang Nhon Phu Ward, Thu Duc City, planned to wrap hundreds of banh tet cakes to give to tenants to “eat for the sake of gratitude”. “I want to send a little gift to make everyone happy”, Ms. Ben explained her meaningful action.
Leaving her hometown of Hai Phong to start a business in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly 40 years, traveling many times, doing whatever job anyone hired her to do, helped Mrs. Ben understand the hardship of living on the sidelines. After retiring, the family's economy gradually became more stable, she decided to organize a year-end party, wrap cakes and give lucky money to the workers in the boarding house, to help them have a full and happy Tet. She said that one year she wrapped about 200 Tet cakes, and in years when the economy was less fortunate, she managed to wrap about 100 cakes. Regardless, her family's Tet cake pot has been red hot every Tet holiday for the past 15 years.
This year, the number of unemployed workers is still high, causing many workers to decide to leave their rooms and return to their hometowns to start a business. In addition, having just spent a large sum of money to renovate the dormitory, the family's finances are more limited, so Mrs. Ben decided not to hold a year-end party. However, the tradition of wrapping banh tet and giving lucky money for Tet is still maintained.
Mrs. Ben said that the ingredients for making banh tet will be carefully selected by her. Because she believes that "the way you give is better than what you give". Usually, about a month before Tet, Mrs. Ben and her family will spend a whole day preparing sticky rice, soaking beans and marinating meat.
“Tet must have banh chung and banh tet. People who are far from home and cannot return home, they come here to gather around the pot of banh chung and feel a little warm during Tet,” said Mrs. Ben.
