Stay awake with the 1080 hotline.

(Baonghean.vn) -On the evening of the 30th of Tet (Lunar New Year's Eve), the intersection near the city post office was packed with people, like a festival, as streams of people flocked to Ho Chi Minh Square to watch the New Year's Eve celebrations and await the fireworks display. Not far away, on the 5th floor of the post office building, the atmosphere of New Year's Eve was quite different, filled with the sounds of ringing telephones and the voices of operators answering calls....

Having worked at the 1080 Call Center for 18 years, Ms. Hoang Thi Tu Anh – Head of the 1080 Call Center (Nghe An Telecommunications) – is quite used to celebrating New Year's Eve at work. However, the feeling of unease and regret on the night of the 30th of Tet (Lunar New Year's Eve) remains as strong as in the early days, because at this time, she, as a wife, mother, and daughter, should be at home preparing the ancestral offerings. Now, all those tasks are handled by her mother. Fortunately, she has a husband, two children, and a mother who are very understanding of this "special" job, so for almost 20 years, despite "neglecting" her household duties, she has always felt at ease when starting her shift.

On duty at the 1080 hotline.

At the 1080 hotline, the twenty husbands of the twenty female employees seem to have gradually become accustomed to their wives' absence on important family occasions. Due to the nature of their work at the 1080 hotline, which requires someone to be on duty 24/7, even on holidays, during heavy rain or storms, the women must be present to promptly answer customer questions and concerns. This job might seem monotonous and dry, but the amount of information provided to customers is vast, covering many specialized fields such as taxation, law, and administrative procedures. Therefore, each hour spent on the phone requires careful consideration and selection. To date, no school has ever provided training or refresher courses in this area. This is also a job that caters to a wide range of people, so everything from speech and communication skills to selecting accurate information and addressing customers is meticulously honed. Many customers have repeatedly asked questions designed to "test" 1080 operators' knowledge and patience, thus making experience and composure crucial. Numerous individuals have been forced to switch to other jobs due to the demanding requirements and professional pressure of the job.

The busiest time for the 1080 hotline was in the mid-2000s. At that time, the hotline had up to 40 operators, but there was never a shortage of work. Now, that number has been halved, but during Tet (Lunar New Year), almost 100% of the female operators have to take turns on duty due to the sudden surge in customer demand. Speaking about Tet at the hotline, it's hard work, but every woman feels happy because during this important moment of the new year, they become a bridge connecting those far away with their hometowns. Operator Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen still remembers New Year's Eve 2011, when the first fireworks exploded in the square and she received a phone call from a soldier on Nam Yet Island, Khanh Hoa province. Over a distance of more than 1000km, the phone call was intermittent, but her voice choked up as he confided: "On this remote island, I miss the sound of home so much. I just want to hear the Nghe An dialect through the switchboard, to know how my relatives back home celebrate Tet." She spoke to me very honestly: "I've been married for five years, and my husband also works in the military far away, so we've never been able to celebrate New Year's Eve together because we have to take turns on duty. Thinking about the soldiers on Truong Sa Island, I suddenly thought about my own situation and couldn't hold back my emotions."

Telephone operator Phan Ha Than couldn't contain his joy when, on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year), he unexpectedly received a call from a former customer. Through 1080, on the occasion of the new year, he sent his sincere thanks to all the call center staff for a very special "connection" with 1080 that he can never forget. With a heartfelt voice, he shared: "You ladies may forget, but I can't forget the last phone call I made to 1080 when I was lost in the Pu Huong forest last year. Thanks to your timely help, I was 'reborn' once again."

Each telephone operator receives approximately 300 calls a year from all over the country. There are calls of joy, sadness, questions, concerns, and, of course, calls of encouragement and support during the New Year. As the New Year approaches, the telephone operators become even busier. From this end of the line, hearing the Nghe An accent on New Year's Eve, I suddenly felt an unusual warmth.

Ly - Ha