Although she has Tet holiday from January 20 (December 21 of the lunar calendar), Nguyen Quynh Cham - a third-year student at Hanoi University of Architecture - chose to stay in the capital with the hope of earning extra income to help her parents.
Recalling the trip back to Ha Giang last year, the female student confided: “Even though I missed home, I still decided to stay and work part-time. With a salary three times higher than usual, the money I earned during Tet helped me pay for my tuition this semester.”
Working at a coffee shop on Nguyen Chanh Street (Cau Giay District, Hanoi), Quynh Cham is paid 23,000 VND/hour. During Tet, this number can increase to 60,000 VND. According to the female student, the salary students receive if working during Tet will be from 50,000 - 70,000 VND/hour.
With such a salary, it is estimated that Quynh Cham will receive about 500,000 VND per day. With only 7 days of working during Tet, the amount of money the female student earns is equal to a normal month.
This year, Thach Thanh Thuy (from Ha Tinh) - a final year student at Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment also decided to stay and work until the 5th day of Tet. The female student is working at a coffee chain in Ba Dinh district.
“Many students with poor family circumstances like me also decided to stay in Hanoi. It is not always possible to receive such a large salary, so I signed up to work from the 29th to the 5th of Tet,” said Thanh Thuy.
The amount of money the female student received in 6 days of work was approximately 3 million VND. Thanh Thuy plans to use all of her salary to pay for living expenses and tuition for the final semester before graduating.
“The amount of money may not be much for many people, but it is really meaningful to me right now. I asked my parents for permission to take the bus home on the 6th day of Tet. Because the school has a long break after Tet this year, I still have nearly a week to celebrate Tet late with my family,” Thanh Thuy added.
During Tet, many students in Hanoi also have to work overtime because most of the employees have returned to their hometowns. Pham Thi Ngoc Anh, a second-year student at Phuong Dong University, said: "At the moment, I have to work two shifts every day, morning and afternoon. The shop only has one more employee working the evening shift."
From her experience working part-time last year, according to the female student, restaurants during Tet are usually not as crowded as usual. Most restaurants are only crowded before the 28th of Tet, because many people who are shopping on the way will stop by.
“Although working overtime during Tet is more relaxing than usual, I also get paid 3 times more. In addition, if I work on New Year's Eve, my boss will pay me extra, the total amount I receive can be 4 times more,” Ngoc Anh shared.
In addition to her salary, the female student also received lucky money from some customers who knew she was a student. Ngoc Anh also plans to use the money from her extra Tet holiday to help her parents pay for her tuition as the school has announced an increase in tuition fees for the next semester.
