"Are you home? I'll come over and rest for a bit because I have an appointment with a partner at 7pm," Hung Huy (28 years old, living in Thanh Loc ward, district 12, HCMC) asked his former colleague.
You can't help because you're not home either, so he agrees to spend 200,000 VND to rent a private room at a coffee shop and rest area in District 1 to have 2 hours to rest.
"Similar cases, the times I go to a motel to "take a quick nap" for 1-2 hours often happen to me because I finish work at 5pm, if I go home at that time, it will take another 2 hours of traffic jam, not enough time to return to the city center in time for my evening appointment," Huy explained.
The distance from Huy’s house to his company is 24 km, and it takes 4 hours to go there and back if there is a traffic jam. Therefore, the young man always has to wake up early and come home late to avoid rush hour, in order to reduce travel time.
However, every time it rains, he is late for work or encounters an unavoidable situation, Huy still has to endure traffic jams and even has his pay deducted for arriving late to the company.
The topic of working away from home receives much attention from young people (Screenshot).
Going to work is like going on a trip.
Similarly, Ho Thi Tuong Vy (25 years old, living in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City) also takes more than 60 minutes every day to travel 15km from home to the company in District 2. To ensure that she arrives at work before the clocking time, Vy always has to calculate the time, especially during the rainy season, she always wakes up earlier because the traffic jam will be complicated, and at the same time, she has to carefully check the car and pay attention to filling up with gas.
"I've rented the area since I was a student, so I'm familiar with the roads, restaurants, atmosphere, etc., so I don't want to go anywhere else. In return, District 2 is expensive, and food is also more expensive, so I always make sure to bring food from home to the company," Vy said.
Thanh Phong (24 years old, living in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) admits that his daily commute to work is a backpacking trip. Working at an e-commerce platform in District 1, Phong spends nearly 30km and 2.5 hours commuting every day.
"When I get stuck in traffic at the city gates, my work is greatly affected. Sometimes, by the time I get to work, I'm exhausted from inhaling so much dust and smoke," Phong said.
Thanh Phong shared that he encountered many awkward situations when he was away from the company at home (Photo: NVCC).
To avoid the traffic jam, Phan Van Duc (26 years old, living in Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City) chose to travel by bus. However, not being able to control his time and destination also forced him to always add hours to his daily schedule.
"If I miss a bus, I'll be late for work. If I don't have enough change to get on the bus, I'll be embarrassed to pay 200,000 VND for a ticket. In reality, it takes me at least 2 hours every day to travel more than 20km," Duc said.
Many traffic jams in districts affect the working hours of employees (Photo: NVCC).
What is worth the trade-off?
Living in an area far from the city center causes many young people to encounter many awkward situations. At least every day, they always spend 2-3 hours "swinging" on the road, having to leave early and come back late.
Living in Nha Be district, every day on her way to work (Ton Duc Thang University, District 7), Nguyen Thi Men (28 years old, design staff) spends many hours wading 40km back and forth.
"My job has flexible hours, so if I come home late and the suburban roads are deserted, I'll sleep over until the next working day," Men said.
Despite checking regularly, Tuong Vy still accidentally ran out of gas many times, forcing her to walk long distances through deserted areas in District 2.
"I can't call my friends for help because everyone is so far away. Maybe a kind person passing by will help push the cart to the gas station," Vy said.
Ngoc Dan Thanh (24 years old, living in Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City) still can't forget the feeling of arriving at work and realizing she forgot to bring urgent documents. Unable to retrace the journey that would take more than an hour, the young woman had no choice but to call her relatives for help.
"If I forget my phone and wallet halfway there, I'll be at least 30 minutes late for work if I go back to get them. I'll have to accept the fine," Thanh said.
Dan Thanh cried because of the times she forgot her documents and had to turn around and go home (Photo: NVCC)
Despite the ups and downs of living so far away, young people still tend to choose to live in the suburbs. The main reason is because of low housing prices, low cost of living, significantly reduced pressure, and it is worth the trade-off compared to living in the city center.
"Every month I receive an additional 2 million VND in gas and phone allowance. In addition, the company only requires 3 working days/week, so the remaining days can be worked remotely. I am used to the comfortable lifestyle and lifestyle in the suburbs, so the trade-off for moving is reasonable. Once I adapt, everything will be fine," Hung Huy stated his opinion.
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