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 who have gone to work abroad during the Tet holiday, we can understand their feelings...

Lunar New Year is a day of family reunion. “No matter where you go”, everyone tries to save money and arrange time to come home to celebrate Tet with their family. That is the wish 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 Vietnamese New Year 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 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 block confided: "My family has four children, three girls and one boy. The two older sisters are married, the eldest sister is 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 sister to Korea for seven months now. So out of four children, two celebrate Tet in Korea, the eldest daughter is 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 I 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 children, especially her youngest son? Whenever there are relatives over there, they can send him some gifts from the countryside or Tet goods. Otherwise, they have to endure it. I love my son, but I can only encourage him to try to complete his work."

Nguyen Thi Hoa's family situation is different. In 2007, her husband packed up and went to work abroad in Spain, staying alone to take care of 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 to work abroad, the family's economy has been less difficult, but the atmosphere in the house is always without a man." All the work to prepare for Tet falls on the woman's shoulders, from visiting both sides of the family, shopping, and preparing to welcome Spring, she is in charge. 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 gathering 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 chores at home.



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 are apart. In 2012, Mr. Ho Sy Toan went to work abroad in Malaysia, so this year's Tet, his young wife and two small 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, but she has not prepared anything for Tet. Partly because of her business, farming, and taking care of her two small children alone. She sadly confided: “When my husband went to work abroad, I also moved back to live with my sister-in-law (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 people have their husbands at home, Tet is much warmer and happier. But for the sake of our children’s future and for our lives, we had 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 past and the new year. However, not everyone can have those sacred, warm moments with their family. Mr. Nguyen Phuc Son (in Vinh Tan ward - Vinh city) 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 miss home, my friends, and the Tet atmosphere in Vietnam very much! 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