The dilemma of returning home for Tet for migrant workers from Nghe An:
Nghe An is one of the provinces with a large number of migrant workers. Every time Tet (Lunar New Year) comes around, the problem of returning home for the holidays always causes headaches for poor laborers.
According to the plan, for the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake (2025), civil servants and employees will have 9 days off from January 27th, 2025 to February 2nd, 2025. However, due to the nature of their work, many workers in Nghe An are still unable to determine the exact time to return home for Tet. This makes them hesitant to book tickets early to secure a seat and reduce costs.
As of early December, train tickets are ranging from 800,000 VND to 1,400,000 VND. Meanwhile, airfares have risen to over 3,000,000 VND for a one-way flight from Can Tho to Vinh or from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh. It is predicted that train, bus, and airfare prices will continue to increase in the coming period, making the cost of returning home for Tet (Lunar New Year) even higher for workers.
As the Lunar New Year (Year of the Dragon 2024) approached, train and bus ticket prices sometimes rose to over 2,000,000 VND per ticket, while airplane tickets also reached nearly 5,000,000 VND. Besides the price issue, the scarcity of tickets also contributed to the situation.workersIt's difficult to choose a suitable mode of transportation that will allow you to return home in the most comfortable way.
To facilitate employees' ability to return home for a joyful Tet holiday, some companies have announced their construction and production schedules early. This allows workers to proactively book train and bus tickets, reducing costs. In particular, many companies have even proactively chartered sleeper buses to transport employees home for Tet and pick them up after the holiday. The cost for these round trips can reach nearly 150 million VND.
Although the cost is substantial, this helps workers feel secure in their jobs as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches. Meanwhile, these post-Tet transportation services allow companies to proactively manage their time and workforce after the Lunar New Year holiday.
However, not all companies have such detailed schedules and preparations. This causes considerable anxiety among workers when thinking about train and bus tickets during Tet (Lunar New Year), especially for those working in areas with inconvenient transportation.
Mr. Ho Van Linh (from Dien Chau, Nghe An province) - a worker at a private company in Kien Giang province - said: "Due to the urgent construction schedule of the project, our Tet holiday plans haven't been finalized yet, so we can't book plane tickets early. I'm worried that ticket prices will increase even more closer to Tet, while the company's ticket subsidy isn't much. Moreover, to get to the airports, we have to go through 2-3 train and bus journeys. Every time we think about going home for Tet, we migrant workers get a headache."
Vo Dinh Nam (from Nghi Loc district), a construction machinery driver in the Mekong Delta provinces, is in a similar situation. Despite having regular transportation connections to Nghe An, he is still apprehensive about having to jostle through crowded roads for thousands of kilometers during the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year).
"Last Tet (Lunar New Year), the company's leadership arranged overtime shifts to speed up progress, allowing employees from distant areas to take time off before the Kitchen God and Stove God ceremony on the 20th of December in the lunar calendar. Those living nearby were given later time off to complete the remaining work. This year, taking advantage of the good weather, since mid-November, the company has also continuously worked overtime until 9 PM. Hopefully, this year the company will continue to implement the same approach," said Mr. Nam.
Unlike Mr. Nam and Mr. Linh, Ms. Bui Thi Huyen Trang and her husband (from Que Phong) may not be able to return home for Tet because their company is currently facing many challenges.hard"Our income has decreased significantly this year, so my husband and I will struggle to buy train and bus tickets for the whole family to go back to our hometown for Tet (Lunar New Year), not to mention other expenses for gifts and preparations. Hopefully, in the last months of the year, the company will improve the situation so that our family can have a reunion for Tet," Ms. Trang shared.
Ms. Trang also considered the option of the two of them returning to their hometown by motorbike to save costs, but this would be an unsafe and very difficult option for the young couple.
Having worked far from home all year, the Lunar New Year is a time when migrant workers long to return home to reunite with their families. Hopefully, this journey home for migrant workers will receive support from many organizations, units, and businesses.
