I'm not coming home this Tet.

(Baonghean) -Nghe An is one of the provinces with the largest number of labor exports nationwide, mainly concentrated in the markets of Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Middle Eastern countries. Visiting families with relatives working abroad during Tet, we can understand their feelings...

Tet Nguyen Dan is a day of family reunion. “No matter where you go”, you still try to save money and arrange time to return home to celebrate Tet with your family. That is the desire of everyone, those who are far away as well as those who are at home. However, not everyone can fully enjoy that happiness, especially those who work abroad. Even in many countries, the traditional Tet holiday of Vietnam does not coincide with the holidays of the host countries, it is normal for Vietnamese workers to still have to go to work and work overtime.

Many families with relatives living far away cannot help but feel sad when Tet comes but the reunion is not complete. Nghi Hai Ward (Cua Lo Town) is one of the localities with a large number of people working abroad. In the days before Tet, coming to this countryside, the atmosphere here is somewhat quieter. Mr. Vo Tai Dong's family in Hai Binh confided: "My family has four children, three girls and one boy. The two older sisters are married, the eldest sister got married in Dong Nai, the youngest son was born in 1989 and went to work in Korea after finishing school, for more than four years now. This year, the third daughter has followed her to Korea for seven months now. So out of four children, two celebrate Tet in Korea, the eldest daughter lives in Dong Nai. At the end of the year, the children's work gets busier, when I hear my son calling to ask how the family is preparing for Tet, I feel sorry for him but have to bear it. What's even sadder is that for the past four years, the only son in the family has only been home once, and every Tet he is absent." Mr. Dong's wife confided: "What mother doesn't love her child, especially her youngest son? Whenever there is an acquaintance over there, she can send him some gifts from home and Tet goods. Otherwise, she has no choice but to accept it. She loves her son but can only encourage him to try his best to complete his work."

Nguyen Thi Hoa's family situation is different. In 2007, her husband packed his bags and went to work abroad in Spain, staying behind to take care of their two children (the older one is in 5th grade, the younger one is only 5 years old). Since then, for the past 5 years, the four of them have celebrated Tet without a husband and without a father. She confided: "Because of the need to make a living, I have to accept the lack of affection. Since my husband went abroad to work, the family's finances have been less difficult, but the atmosphere in the house has always been absent from the presence of a man." All the work to prepare for Tet has fallen on the woman's shoulders, from visiting both sides of the family, shopping, and preparing for the Spring Festival, all of which she has been responsible for. Her two children, one in 10th grade and one in 4th grade, sometimes ask why their father is taking so long to come home? Will he come home for Tet? At those times, she can only comfort her children, "Dad is working to earn money to raise you, try to be good and study well until he comes home." Every time Tet comes, seeing other families gather together and feeling sorry for her husband who is abroad trying to earn money to build a family life, she tries even harder to complete her housework.



Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly (Cua Lo) has a child who has been working abroad in Korea for 5 years and has not returned home for Tet.

That is for families whose relatives have been working abroad for a long time, and for families whose Tet Quy Ty 2013 is the first Tet away from their husbands and children, they have their own worries. For Ms. Phan Thi Nam in village 3 (Quynh Doi - Quynh Luu), this is the first Tet she and her husband have been apart. In 2012, Mr. Ho Sy Toan went to work abroad in Malaysia, so this year's Tet, his young wife and two children, the older one is only 6 years old and the younger one is still in kindergarten, have to celebrate Tet without the warmth of their husband and father. Every year, with her husband at home, the preparation for Tet is somewhat easier, but this year, it is already the 20th day of the lunar calendar and she has not prepared anything for Tet. Partly because of her business, farming, and taking care of her two children alone. She sadly confided: “When my husband went to work abroad, I also moved back to live with my sister-in-law (Ms. Nam’s younger brother also went to Malaysia), so the two of us lived together to have fun and not feel empty in the house. When a husband is at home, Tet is much warmer and happier. But for the sake of our children’s future and our lives, we have to accept it.”

The end of the year and the beginning of the new year are occasions for family members to gather together and share stories of the old and new year. However, not everyone can have those sacred, warm moments with their family. Mr. Nguyen Phuc Son (in Vinh Tan ward - Vinh city) has just returned from working in Korea, said: “4 years ago, I applied to work in Korea, in 3 years, I could not visit home even once, every Tet holiday I had to endure, I was abroad and could not return home for Tet so my relatives at home were sad. But in fact, if my relatives are sad at home, then those of us who are far away from home are ten times sadder. Celebrating Tet in a foreign land is very lonely. Although the company still gives me a few days off during Tet, I still miss home, my friends, and the Tet atmosphere in Vietnam! Although there are many Vietnamese people there, almost everyone has the same mood, so we Vietnamese brothers organize Tet together to ease the sadness. My contract has expired so I can return home to reunite with my family, Tet is coming soon, I am trying to prepare a decent Tet with my family after months of separation”.

The families we met all shared the same feeling, missing each other, missing each other, and feeling the absence was inevitable, but they all tried to encourage each other to overcome it because of work and life, waiting for tomorrow, the day of reunion...

Hong Quang