According to the reporter's records, on the night of December 31, 2024, early morning of January 1, 2025, when every family and every person was gathering together to welcome the New Year's Eve, somewhere on many streets of Hoa Binh City, there were still images of people working hard, making a living in the cold.
It's almost midnight in Hoa Binh, the outside temperature is only 15 degrees Celsius, but for Ms. Nguyen Thu Oanh (41 years old), the cold weather does not stop her from doing her work.
Her hands are red and blistered from the fan and the cold. She has been selling grilled corn and sweet potatoes on Chi Lang street for nearly 8 years.
According to Ms. Oanh, her husband died early so she is the main breadwinner of the family, single-handedly raising two children.
“During the day, I wash dishes for hire, and at night I sell corn and baked potatoes. My income in one evening is only 300,000 VND. With that extra money, I have to be careful with every penny to have any left over,” Ms. Oanh confided.
Not far away, Mr. Pham Van Dong (45 years old, selling grilled rice paper near the Chi Lang roundabout) was frying food for customers and sharing that he has been doing this job for 6 years. But since then, there has not been a single holiday that he has stopped selling.
“I just keep working and never dare to dream of a day off. Because I earn money by the day, if I don’t work, where will I get money to feed my children and send them to school?” said Mr. Dong.
For him, every day is the same, rain or cold. Near the end of the year, he tries to do more to have a warmer Tet.
It was almost nighttime, but Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh (66 years old) was still alone in the cold night cleaning up her drink stall at the central bus station of Hoa Binh city.
According to Ms. Oanh, on busy days, she closes her stall at midnight, and on days with few customers, she tries to stay until 11pm. Because of her old age, her limbs often ache, but thinking about her family's difficulties, she accepts any hardship.
“I don’t have a pension, my children have their own families, but life is still hard, so I still sell drinks to help my children,” Ms. Oanh confided.
In a small corner on Chi Lang Street, Ms. Pham Thi Lan (26 years old), who has been making a living selling snacks for more than 3 years, is also working hard to make late-night food for customers.
According to Ms. Lan, both her husband and she are street vendors so their income is not stable, just enough to support the family.
"Normally, I sell from 3pm to 11pm, but on a special day like today to prepare for the New Year, I sell until all customers are gone" - Ms. Lan confided.
In the stories of the people who make a living on New Year's Eve that we met and talked to, although each person has a different job, they all have the same situation. They make a living, struggling to have more income, to raise their children and support their families.
