Bustling "Union Trains - Spring 2025"

Thanks to the union, a 12-year dream has come true

Saigon Station was bustling on the morning of January 20, with the atmosphere of the farewell ceremony for workers returning home for Tet, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation.

Arriving very early, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tho - employee of PouYuen Vietnam Co., Ltd. - with her husband and 3 young children, their faces were radiant, their mouths constantly smiling, because of the joy of being reunited with the extended family during Tet. Ms. Tho said that she and her husband are both from Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province. They got married in 2009, and in 2013, they moved to Ho Chi Minh City to work for PouYuen Vietnam Company. The couple's salary, including overtime, was only a little over 20 million VND, while they still had to rent a house and raise 3 young children to go to school. Therefore, for many years, her family did not dare to return to their hometown.

In April 2022, when her mother passed away, she and her husband brought their children back to mourn her and then rushed back to work. For the past 12 years, the desire to return home to celebrate Tet with her family has only been a dream for Tho and her children, because the train fare alone costs more than 20 million VND, not including other expenses, a huge amount of money compared to the couple's income.

When she learned that her whole family would be given tickets by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor on the "Trade Union Train - Spring 2025" to return home to celebrate Tet with her family, Ms. Tho quickly called her father to show off. Her father had been a farmer all his life in the countryside, and did not know what kind of organization the trade union was, so he was moved to tears: "Who is the trade union that is so good to me, so good to our family?" Her whole family was overjoyed because their dream of the past 12 years had now come true.

“My children kept counting down the time and asking when they could go home, Mom. They were very excited, because this was only the second time they had gone home after their grandmother passed away. Last night, almost no one in the family slept at all. On the morning of January 20, at 4am, the whole family rented a car to go to Saigon station to wait for the train,” Tho shared.

Sitting next to Ms. Tho's family is the family of Ms. Bui Thi Thuy, also an employee of PouYuen Vietnam Company, from Anh Son District, Nghe An Province. Ms. Thuy's family also has 3 young children. Ms. Thuy's husband is a freelance mechanic, with work that comes and goes, so his income is unstable. For the past 6 years, her family has not been able to return home for Tet.

This year, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor gave the whole family train tickets to go home for Tet and then return to work in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nguyen Van Anh, Ms. Thuy's husband, was moved and said: "I really don't know what else to say, I can only thank the Trade Union organization very much. Thanks to the Trade Union, my family was able to have a family reunion this Tet."

Bringing the care and warmth of the union

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu, an employee of Tai Loc Producing Communication Shoes Company, from Nong Cong District, Thanh Hoa Province, said that she works as a factory worker, with a monthly salary of about 6-7 million VND, and if she works overtime, she gets a little more, about 7-8 million VND. Her husband is a construction worker, sometimes he has work, sometimes he doesn't, so his income is unstable, and the family's life depends mainly on her salary. That's why she hasn't been able to come home to celebrate Tet with her extended family for 7 years.

“Honestly, everyone wants to be close to their parents during Tet, especially when they are old and weak, but due to difficult circumstances, I can only suppress my dreams and dare not think about being reunited with my extended family during Tet. The program “Union Train - Spring 2025” is a gift of great material and spiritual value that my family and many union members and workers always dream of. This ticket not only helps me and my family return to our hometown to reunite, but also brings with it the care, sharing and warm affection of the Union organization,” Ms. Lieu said emotionally.