Go home for Tet

Representative of Tinh Loi Company Limited gave gifts to employees before Tet holiday

eager

Green bean cakes, gai cakes, Kinh Mon yellow sticky rice... are specialties of Hai Duong that Ms. Pham Thi Muon and Ms. Tran Thi Huong, workers of Tinh Loi Garment Company, have prepared to bring back as Tet gifts for their relatives. Both of them are from Dak Lak and have been working in Hai Duong for 3 years now. Ms. Huong calculated that it would take more than 2 days to get home by car from Hai Duong. Although it is tiring, it will be fun. She is happy because after a year of missing her appointment, Ms. Huong can return home to celebrate Tet with her family. Last year, Ms. Huong had prepared enough Tet gifts for her parents, siblings and grandchildren, but she contracted Covid-19 on the last working day of the year. "My mother just called and said that there are enough yellow apricot blossoms and banh chung, just waiting for me to come back to reunite," Ms. Huong boasted.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2022, although the Covid-19 epidemic in Hai Duong as well as many regions across the country has eased, many workers still have to stay because they unfortunately contracted Covid-19 or are afraid to return home to celebrate Tet after a difficult year due to the epidemic. Even on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, many localities across the country still apply strict regulations in epidemic prevention, causing many people to choose to stay in Hai Duong to celebrate Tet.

Mr. Pham Van Bon, a worker at Prettl Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Dai An Industrial Park, Hai Duong City), from Van Chan District (Yen Bai), said: “Near the Lunar New Year, Yen Bai province still requires people returning from the yellow zone to quarantine at home for 7 days and have to be monitored for the next 14 days even though they have received 3 doses of vaccine. At that time, Hai Duong was already a green zone, but when I returned home, I still had to limit my travel and monitor my health for 14 days. Going home for Tet was not so comfortable, so I decided to stay and wait until the epidemic was under control this year to visit home.”

After a Tet holiday of "wherever you are, stay there" and then choose to stay for the safety of your family and loved ones, this year many workers and laborers living far away have happily welcomed the joy of reunion, ready to pack their luggage to bring the scent of spring and the atmosphere of Tet from all over the country back to their families. Thanks to vaccination and the effective Covid-19 epidemic prevention campaign nationwide, the Tet Quy Mao reunion with the people is approaching. Many Hai Duong children who work far away are also eager to return. Ms. Pham Thi Tuyet Mai has been working in Thu Dau 1 Industrial Park (Binh Duong) for 5 years. This year, she and her small family members returned to visit their hometown to celebrate Tet.

“Because of the pandemic and having a baby, this is the first year my family has returned to visit my grandparents in Ha Thanh commune, Tu Ky district. My mother said that this year we will celebrate Tet in a big way because not only my family but also my brother's family will return after nearly 10 years in Japan," said Ms. Tuyet Mai.

Spring sharing

Many workers living far away take advantage of the opportunity to go shopping to return home for Tet.

After the pandemic and the global economic crisis, many businesses have fallen into difficulties. Therefore, when returning to their hometowns, workers still hope to have a safe and happy Tet holiday and return to their companies to work enthusiastically and contribute. Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan, representative of Brother Vietnam Industrial Co., Ltd. in Phuc Dien Industrial Park (Cam Giang) affirmed: "Despite the difficulties, this year the company still ensures Tet bonuses for employees and is ready to welcome them back to work after Tet. The company is making efforts to find orders and overcome difficulties in the supply chain so that employees have stable jobs."

According to a survey by the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, this year most businesses in the province have given Tet bonuses to their employees. Despite many difficulties, the average monthly salary paid by businesses and production facilities in Hai Duong to employees in 2022 still increased by 4-7% compared to the previous year. This is a meaningful gift for each employee, motivating them to be ready to return to work after a long Tet holiday.

These days before Tet, with the attention of local authorities, trade unions at all levels and enterprises, many activities to care for workers and laborers have been organized. Many enterprises have arranged convoys or supported travel expenses for workers to return home for Tet. The "0 dong" booths and Tet gift packages, although small, contain the concern and sharing of the whole community for the lives of workers and laborers who are still in difficulty. At the program "Tet sum vay - spring tiet" organized by the Hai Duong City Labor Federation and the Provincial Industrial Parks Trade Union on January 8, Ms. Ma Thi Hon (from Son La), a worker at Fomostar Vietnam Garment Company Limited (Hai Duong City) emotionally shared: "For workers far from home, in difficult circumstances like us, receiving the concern and sharing of the community makes Tet feel warmer and happier. We will return to Hai Duong to work on schedule to overcome difficulties and develop with the enterprise".

Leaving behind the hardships and difficulties of the old year, each worker happily returns home to celebrate Tet. There, family, friends and hometown await them with the wish for a healthy and peaceful new year of the Rabbit...

HAI MINH