Save money to go back home to pay for children's schooling
"My parents were very happy when they knew I was going back to my hometown to celebrate Tet," said Ngo Thi Lan, a worker at a garment company in Binh Duong.
Over the past 10 days, a feeling of excitement has spread through her mind when she learned that she was one of the workers who received free plane tickets to return home to celebrate Tet from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.
She jumped up and down to express her joy after 10 years of celebrating Tet away from home. She immediately called her parents to inform them about this.
"These days, every night my parents-in-law and my parents call me to ask what I like to eat and what I like to prepare at home. For many years now, the feeling of longing for the traditional Tet holiday has resurfaced in me," said Ms. Lan.
Many workers are supported with free cars and plane tickets to return home for Tet (Illustration: TLĐ).
She recalled the difficult youth of the couple. At that time, in her hometown of Kien Xuong (Thai Binh), the industrial park had not yet flourished. Her and her husband were introduced by an acquaintance to work as factory workers in Binh Duong, with a good income.
At that time, the roads, paths, and means of transportation were not as convenient as they are now. Her family had to travel by bus for 2.5 days to reach Binh Duong province. Everyone hoped that this trip would help increase their income and change their lives.
For more than a decade working in a foreign land, both husband and wife have been workers in an industrial park. She has skills and works on a sewing line. Having to work overtime, the couple's income is almost 20 million VND.
This money is used to provide a monthly allowance for the first child who is studying at university in Ho Chi Minh City, for the second child who is in 7th grade, to pay for a room rent of 3 million VND/month, to pay for daily meals...
Although she is very frugal, she still saves a little in case of illness, disease, or any unexpected events that may occur. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit, and the global economic recession has affected workers, causing them to reduce their work, have their work cut back, or even lose their jobs.
According to Ms. Lan, the company has gone from 26 sewing lines to only 16 now. Before, she worked overtime every day, spending more time at the factory than at home, but now she only works 8 hours a day, with Saturdays off.
Work has decreased significantly, and her salary has also shrunk to only 5.3 million VND/month.
"My husband's income is similar. We both tell ourselves that we are lucky not to have lost our jobs. We have to save a lot of money to make ends meet," Lan shared.
Her husband and wife's income is limited. She calculated that a trip back to her hometown for Tet for the four of them would be enough to pay for a year's tuition for her children. Thinking about that, she had to put aside the idea of going back to her hometown for Tet.
One year after another, it has been 10 years since her family returned home to celebrate Tet with their family. During the years celebrating Tet in Binh Duong, her family cut back on everything. Everyone just gathered in the 30m2 rented house, hanging out around the living area, so Tet here is quite boring.
If you don't have any winter clothes, borrow from others.
Luckily, the union gave her a free plane ticket from Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC) to Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi). This time, she went home alone, her husband and two children celebrated Tet in Binh Duong.
For the first time in her life, she was filled with indescribable emotions. She wished to soon reunite with her family, to be in her parents' arms, to visit relatives and neighbors.
She received a Tet bonus of only 1 month's basic salary. She spent 2 million VND on a bus from Thai Binh to Binh Duong on the 8th day of Tet, and partly for the three of them to stay in the city to spend during the Tet holidays.
The bus took workers home to celebrate Tet after many years of not being able to fulfill this wish (Photo: TLĐ).
So, her luggage when returning home was a few sets of thin clothes. She said: "Everyone at home said there was no need to buy any gifts, nor clothes. If the weather is cold in the North, it's okay to take a few sets of clothes from your brothers to wear."
In her mind, she imagines Tet days in her hometown, when everyone gathers to eat pigs, wrap banh chung, buy peach blossoms, flowers to display on Tet... "Tet in her hometown, reuniting with family is the most meaningful," said Ms. Lan.
The program "Union Train and Flight - Spring 2024" provides free support for nearly 1,300 workers in difficult circumstances or with excellent achievements working in the Southern provinces, whose hometowns are in the North, to return to their hometowns to celebrate Tet and return to their workplaces after Tet, with an estimated amount of more than 7 billion VND.
Being able to return home on the last day of the year, she planned to celebrate Tet at her husband's house. After that, Lan took advantage of the little time she had left to visit relatives she had not seen for a long time. This was truly a memorable Tet for her before returning to Binh Duong to work.
At the end of 2023, with many orders coming in, workers like Ms. Lan will start working overtime, improving their income. In the new year, she hopes that the company will have many orders, creating jobs for workers. From here, workers like her will have a better life and be able to take care of their families.
Ms. Lan is one of the workers supported by the union with plane tickets to return home for Tet.
According to the report of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, this year 162,818 workers received support for train, bus and plane tickets, with a total support amount of nearly 76 billion VND.
At the same time, trade unions at all levels organized and coordinated with agencies, units, and employers to organize 3,382 free buses to bring over 112,000 workers home for Tet with a total amount of nearly 31 billion VND.
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