'Porters' struggle to make a living in the last days of the year

TPO - In the days before Tet, in order to have a full Tet, the "cuu van" at the agricultural wholesale market in Quang Ngai City (Quang Ngai Province) have to work all night to make a living in the cold by carrying goods on trucks with the hope of earning a little extra income to cover the Tet holiday.

01/28/2025 | 16:16

QUANG NGAI:

TPO - In the days before Tet, in order to have a full Tet, the "cuu van" at the agricultural wholesale market in Quang Ngai City (Quang Ngai Province) have to work all night to make a living in the cold by carrying goods on trucks with the hope of earning a little extra income to cover the Tet holiday.

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 1

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 2

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 3

According to the reporter, at 1am on January 28 (December 29), the atmosphere at the agricultural wholesale market in Quang Ngai City (Quang Ngai Province) was extremely bustling. The later it got, the more vehicles carrying goods such as fruits, flowers, vegetables, etc. poured in. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 4

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 5

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 6

As soon as the trucks arrive inside the market area, the porters start their work to make a living. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 7

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 8

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 9

They carry and transport hundreds of tons of goods to kiosks in the market and put them on small trucks to take them everywhere in and out of the province to serve people's Tet shopping needs. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 10

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 11

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 12

Amidst the vast sea of goods, everyone wants to "sell their strength" to earn more income, cover their living expenses and have a more prosperous Tet. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 13

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 14

The days near Tet so the amount of goods coming in is 4-5 times more than usual, every night there are hundreds of "cuu van" here staying up all night to make a living. Normally, they work until 2-3am, but now they have to work until almost 7am. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 15

Motorbikes of shoppers have also arrived at the market since the clock struck a new day. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 16

For more than 20 years working at the wholesale market, Mr. Nguyen Phu (58 years old, residing in Quang Ngai City) has been away from home all night. In the cold of the middle of the night, his face was covered in sweat because he had to pull hundreds of shipments of fruits and vegetables. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 17

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 18

“During the days near Tet, there are many goods arriving, so the porters at the wholesale market have to work continuously and do not care about sleep time. When the goods are gone, they rest. It is very tiring, but in return, we have money to take care of our children and have a warm Tet, so no matter how hard we work, we have to try. Every day we work from 9pm until 7am the next morning,” said Mr. Phu. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 19

Although tired, the "coolies" still smile. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 20

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 21

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 22

Not only are “cuu van” men, many women also do this hard work. Looking around the market, it is not difficult to see images of women around 40-50 years old also working hard to load goods for hire. They quickly load goods into the cart and pull it away. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 23

Working all night, energy drinks and coffee are indispensable drinks for manual workers. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 24

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 25

Mr. Pham Van Anh (residing in Nghia Hoa commune, Tu Nghia district, Quang Ngai province) shared that every night he pulls about 300 boxes of goods to deliver to all over the market, and near Tet, the number increases 3-4 times. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 26

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 27

“Each crate pulled from the truck to the merchant’s counter is paid 2,000 VND. A trip usually carries 10 crates. Each person usually pulls 300-400 crates at night, earning about 800,000 VND. During Tet, although the work is hard and long, with the desire to earn extra income to cover Tet, no matter how tired, they have to do it,” Anh confided. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 28

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 29

Staying up all night made everyone's eyes sunken, lethargic and tired. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 30

Pulling tons of goods around the market in one night, their hands and feet are exhausted. During the short time waiting to load goods, the "coolies" take the opportunity to rest. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 31

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 32

'Cuu van' struggles to make a living in the last days of the year photo 33

The closer it gets to Tet, the more the porters try to find more work. They don't mind the fatigue because for them it's not just about making a living but also about hoping for a full Tet for the whole family. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc