Reluctant to return

(Baonghean) - After returning to their hometowns to celebrate Tet, now workers, employees, students, civil servants... have a journey back to cities, industrial parks, export processing zones to work and study. It's only the 5th and 6th of Tet, but groups of people are already lining up, standing and sitting crowdedly at train stations, bus stations, and National Highway 1A to buy tickets or catch North-South buses. After Tet, they set off again to begin their days away from their hometowns and families.

In the first days of the Year of the Horse, the weather was dry and sunny, but early morning fog still covered the area, especially in the highlands. At 4am, the sound of a bus horn sounded in the center of Quynh Tan commune, Quynh Luu district. Every year, after Tet, many children in the commune set off to the South and North to work. Carrying bags in their hands and under their arms, Nguyen Thi Ut and her children said goodbye to each other with tears in their eyes as if they did not want to part. Le Thi Nga, Ut's daughter, who works as a garment worker in Linh Trung Export Processing Zone (Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City), had just returned home to celebrate Tet on the 28th of the lunar calendar and now had to leave for the South. She had been away from home for a whole year, and after a few days back, she fell ill, so she could not visit her relatives much. Mother and daughter had not finished talking before they had to say goodbye. Seeing her daughter get into the car, Mrs. Ut burst into tears: "I really want her to stay home because she is a single woman in a foreign land. But our family has a few acres of dry rice fields, and working hard all year round is not enough to eat, so we have to let her go."

Go to the bus station.

Holding his young child and holding his wife's hand while waiting for a bus on National Highway 1A, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung in Quynh Xuan Ward, Hoang Mai Town, was sad as if he did not want to say goodbye. Working as a construction worker in Tan Uyen, Binh Duong, his salary was not much, each year he only took a few days off Tet to visit his wife and children. The child kept hugging his father's neck, Ms. Hoa (Mr. Hung's wife) kept petting the child but he did not let go. Stuttering, Ms. Hoa told her husband in tears: "You go there to focus on business, do not follow bad friends to gamble, drink and make me and my children sad. You can rest assured and go to be healthy, stay at home with your parents, I will take care of the children". Mr. Hung hugged his child, kissed all over his face, then held his wife's hand tightly. Tears welled up in his eyes, making the morning of parting even more touching.

In the districts of Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh... for many years now, the movement of going to the South to work for hire has become bustling, especially in industrial parks and export processing zones in Binh Duong and Dong Nai. Therefore, every time Tet passes, thousands of people leave their families, wives and children to "go South" to earn a living. Only 17 years old, but Pham Minh Tai in Dien An commune, Dien Chau has spent 2 years struggling in Saigon. Saving and saving all year round, when Tet comes, he returns to visit his parents and grandparents. Standing on National Highway 1A through Dien Chau district, catching a bus with his friends, Tai confided: "Earning money in a foreign land is very difficult, brother. But I have a low education level, I don't have any capital, so what can I do to make a living at home? Every time Tet comes, I am very happy to be able to visit my family like this." After saying that, Tai took some banh chung and candies that his mother gave him and stuffed them into his backpack. The Saigon-licensed bus arrived and started moving, carrying many children from the poor land to the South to make a living. Fathers and mothers hurriedly held their children’s hands, their voices filled with emotion, their words of advice broken. The weather at the beginning of the year was warm and sunny, but why did it feel so cold in the hearts of those who stayed and those who left?

On National Highway 1A, through Nghi Loc, Dien Chau districts, Hoang Mai town, thousands of people stood and sat on the roadside to catch a bus. Because this year many bus companies chose to depart on even days, the number of passengers on odd days increased dramatically. Mr. Phan Van Le, a resident of Dien An commune, Dien Chau, said impatiently: "I've been waiting here since the 4th day of Tet but still haven't caught a bus. Needless to say, the price is almost double last year's ticket price. I was able to go home for Tet for a week but it took 3-4 days to come back and leave." While waiting for the bus, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu in Dien Bich commune, Dien Chau took the opportunity to confide and advise the children. Due to difficult economic conditions, every year when she returns to Ho Chi Minh City to work, she has to take a long-distance bus. "Where do I get the money to take the train or plane? Going in and out costs nearly a few million VND," Ms. Nhu explained.

The North-South buses are packed with passengers, spilling out onto the aisles. On normal days, even if the bus conductors hoarsely invite people to come, no one will take them, but now that the number of passengers is "full", the bus companies are very "proud" of their prices. Mr. Nguyen Duc Nam in Quynh Thach commune, Quynh Luu district said: "Because the workers mainly work in the South and the Central Highlands, the buses running these days are packed with passengers." Although the sleeper buses have sky-high ticket prices, they are all sold out in advance, while the seated buses, although cheaper, are all crammed with "extra seats", so the aisles are packed.

At the station, the train was also very crowded, the rows of waiting seats were full. Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, a passenger waiting at Vinh Station to buy tickets, said: "We have been standing since morning but my wife and I still haven't bought tickets. Every year, at this time, tickets are sold out." Just like previous years, the trains to the North were very empty, but the trains to the South were always packed.

In the days after Tet Giap Ngo, not only long-distance buses and trains but also airlines are "sold out". As a businesswoman, because she did not book tickets in advance, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha in Nam Dan district had a hard time buying a Jetstar Pacific ticket to Ho Chi Minh City for 2.9 million VND. At Vinh Airport, passengers lined up to check in and wait for their flights. Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, a civil servant working in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, said: "Due to irregular working hours, I did not book a round-trip ticket for the day I returned. So these past few days, I had to call friends for help to buy an early ticket."

Every year, after the days of gathering to celebrate Tet with family and neighbors, the children of Nghe An leave their hometown to work far away in a foreign land. The journey home to celebrate Tet is as difficult as the journey back to work. But in the atmosphere of the joy of the new year, everyone shakes hands, smiles, and wishes each other good things. And in the luggage of the children far away from home, a pair of banh chung and Tet gifts to give to friends and colleagues are indispensable.

Dynasty