“Labor export” village celebrates Tet

Only elderly couples in many spacious houses are images commonly found in Phuong Ky commune

However, many families in a “labor export” village in Phuong Ky commune (Tu Ky district, Hai Duong province) have got used to celebrating Tet without their relatives for years.

Absence

The working and production atmosphere in Phuong Ky commune in the days just before Tet is more bustling than usual. The pleasure to welcome spring appears obviously on radiant faces of numerous people, but many are still sad because their children are working abroad and will not return home for Tet celebrations.

Pham Trung Khoi in Nhu Lam hamlet has not had any full Tet with his children for years. His two-storeyed house was built spacious but is always deserted because it only accommodates him and his wife. Up to three of his four children have gone to work abroad, and the only daughter staying in the country has taken a husband far from home. He said only his youngest son is currently working in South Korea, and his first two children have repatriated because of labor contract expiration but settled in Ha Nam province, thus rarely having a chance to return home.

"Several years ago, there were only us an old married couple on Tet holidays. Now, one of my children is working abroad, and the others have settled far away, so they can spend only one or two days returning. I want to have a Tet with all descendants, which is, however, too difficult. It can be sad even on Tet," shared Khoi.

Not only Khoi’s family but also many other families whose children go to work abroad fall into the same situation. Pham Van Ninh in the same hamlet also has two sons going to South Korea and one son setting himself up in business at home.

“The labor contract of one of my sons will not expire until this April while the other has just gone for more than one year. I have many children, but very few of them are present on Tet. Fortunately, there is one son staying at home and celebrating Tet with me. Circumstances cause them to work in as far as foreign countries. In the next few years when their contracts expire, Tet may be fuller and cozier,” said Ninh.

Also in Nhu Lam village, one of Pham Dang Binh’s children is working in Japan, so he has got used to Tet occasions with only him and his wife. He said overseas working has become a movement in Phuong Ky commune with waves of people following in others’ footsteps to go abroad. Many pupils failing university entrance exams also stay at home to wait for procedures to go abroad. There are also those who have some capital settling in other provinces after repatriation. A Tet without children has become familiar to many families.

For future

Pham Hai Phu, Vice Chairman of the Phuong Ky commune People’s Committee, said: “There are about 270 residents of the commune currently working abroad and 40 – 50 people going to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, etc. each year to work with an income of VND13 million – VND15 million/ person/ month.”

“After returning home, many people have helped and imparted their experience in doing business and living in foreign countries to those wishing to work abroad.

“Besides, well-off repatriates also actively participate in contributing to upgrading the village’s roads and lanes, building public welfare works, renovating the communal house and pagodas, etc., making their native land’s look increasingly change.”

Previously, the people's lives depended on agriculture all year round with just enough food to eat despite hard work. For the last over ten years, labor export has become an important solution in local poverty reduction. The commune’s poverty rate accounted for about 35% in 2000 but only 6.6% in 2014.

Two-third of exported laborers in the whole commune come from Nhu Lam hamlet. To create the best conditions for the people to work abroad, the commune authorities often coordinate with the district Division of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and enterprises in and outside the province to organize conferences to give advice on policies about, the order of, and procedures for labor export, help them with bank loans at low interest rates, and mobilize the people to strictly abide by legal provisions when working in a foreign country.

Mixed with the lack of members in many families in Phuong Ky during traditional Tet celebrations are pleasure and hope for a full and well-off life and a bright future.

TRAN HIEN