Vietnamese workers celebrate Tet in foreign lands, tears turn to stone with falling snow!

Tears in the Snow

As usual, on the days leading up to Lunar New Year, Pham Thanh Chung (28 years old) finished his shift at the factory and returned to his dormitory when it was dark. Dragging his feet on the snowy streets of Ishikawa Prefecture (Japan), Chung felt his feet and hands were freezing.

During the snowy season, especially at the end of the year, Mr. Chung finishes work and returns home in the freezing cold (Photo: NVCC).

However, the loneliness in a foreign land is the most numbing and heart-wrenching cold. Although Chung is no stranger to this scene, she still shed tears unconsciously. Tears fell silently and froze in the white snow.

When he got back to the dormitory, Chung did not rush to make dinner but immediately picked up the phone and called home. The phone only rang twice before his wife picked up.

Through the screen of his worn-out phone, his wife boasted that she had bought new clothes for the children and was busy decorating the house for Tet. At that moment, Chung suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his nose.

Coming to Japan in August 2023, the young man said this was the first time he celebrated Tet away from home. Airfares are very expensive these days, so Chung had to make an appointment for his family to reunite at another time.

"This year I won't be returning to Vietnam to celebrate Tet with my family. Honestly, I miss my wife and children so much, but I have to endure it...", Chung confided.

Because of the time difference between Japan and Vietnam, and because he comes home quite late every day, Chung has to take advantage of every minute to call home to see his relatives for a few minutes.

Celebrating Tet away from home for the first time, Mr. Chung said he was filled with indescribable emotions (Photo: NVCC).

These past few days, every time he surfed social media, he had an indescribable feeling when he saw images of friends and family busy preparing for Tet.

"Because Japanese people do not celebrate Lunar New Year, I still have to go to the factory as usual, and I don't have time to experience the traditional New Year anymore. Before, when I was still in my hometown, I was very excited about the days before Tet, but now I feel sad and homesick. I don't look forward to Tet at all anymore," the young man confided.

Nhu Truc (23 years old, from An Giang ) also went to Japan to work since she was 21 years old, dropped out of university to work and earn money.

The girl determined that this year she would have to continue to celebrate Tet away from home because she still doesn't have much money, in the situation of the Yen's devaluation and the high cost of living.

Every day, Truc starts work from 6pm to 9am the next day. Truc currently works at a food company, specializing in cooking and processing canned meals, with a salary of 22-25 million VND/month. This amount includes overtime. In fact, Truc has to work overtime to have enough money to cover her living expenses and send money home to her family as planned.

"This Tet holiday, I have to miss the reunion. Hopefully next year I can save enough money to go home to celebrate Tet with my family. My parents and friends have told me many times, but I can only smile and make another date for next year...", Truc sighed.

Nhu Truc (in black shirt) celebrated Tet away from home with her compatriots in Japan (Photo: NVCC).

Celebrate Tet in your own way

Nguyen Xuan Hung (from Nghe An ) also experienced the feeling of celebrating Tet away from home for the first time. Hung has been working in Korea for a year now. The dormitory where he lives has many compatriots in the same situation, so the young man feels somewhat comforted.

"At this time, my family in Vietnam must have finished cleaning the house. Everyone called to ask about me and encourage me to ease my sadness. This is the first time I have experienced celebrating Tet without peach blossoms or apricot blossoms. Tet meals and New Year greetings are all done via mobile phone," Xuan Hung expressed.

For Hung, although he felt a bit sad and homesick, he also wanted to experience the Tet holiday in a foreign land to understand the meaning of reunion. From there, the young man hoped that he would mature and have a deeper insight into life.

Unable to hide his sadness at having to celebrate Tet away from home, Mr. Van Chung said he will still find a way to enjoy the traditional Tet holiday in a foreign land.

"At the company, I'm the only foreigner, so it's hard to share. Luckily, there are still some Vietnamese brothers and sisters living in the dormitory. Even though we're busy with work, we still make an appointment to have a New Year's party together on the first day of Tet to ease our homesickness," Chung plans.

Vietnamese workers hope that in the new year, they and their fellow countrymen will have good health, smooth work, and earn a lot of money to take care of their families (Photo: NVCC).

In the new year, the young man secretly hopes that he and his fellow countrymen will have a peaceful life and a smooth job.

"Vietnamese people living abroad just hope for a smooth job and a stable income so that the days of returning home can be shortened. Whether we are far or near home, for us, Tet still brings a feeling of excitement and hope," the young man confided.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/lao-dong-viet-don-tet-noi-xu-nguoi-nuoc-mat-hoa-da-cung-tuyet-roi-20240205184837366.htm