Economic challenges have left many workers in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province uncertain about their Tet bonuses. Some have already decided to stay in their rented accommodations, knowing that even with additional income, the cost of returning home would be unmanageable.

Struggles in the countdown to Tet

On a mid-December weekend, workers in the Hung Loi 2 rental area in Tan Uyen City, Binh Duong Province, stayed home instead of taking extra shifts during the year-end peak.

Without sufficient orders, weekend work has ceased, leaving workers like Le Thi Kieu Tan and her companions to pass the time chatting and plucking gray hairs. When asked about their Tet bonuses, their smiles fade, and they simply laugh nervously, still waiting for updates.

Among the residents are Cao Thi Mai and Mai Thi Quynh, two Khmer women who left their hometown of Soc Trang years ago for a better life. Once a garment worker and a construction laborer, respectively, they now scrape by with sporadic jobs, like collecting leftover rice to dry and sell for 5,000 VND (around $0.20) per kilogram.

“On good days, we can dry about 10 kilograms, but rainy days leave us idle. The money we earn only covers basic needs like gas and some vegetables,” Quynh shared.

As Tet approaches, they anxiously await news of bonuses from their families. Mai’s husband’s company has announced that the bonus will only be disclosed after January 23.

“We stayed here last year, and we’d love to go home this time, but it’s uncertain if we can afford it,” Mai said, her voice tinged with worry.

Sacrificing traditions for survival

Mai Thi Thu Ngan, a worker from Can Tho City, has already resolved to spend Tet with her young daughter in their rented room. Last year, they stayed in the city as well.

“My daughter will start first grade soon, and I have to save every penny,” she explained. Like most workers, she will only find out about her bonus once her company announces it at the start of the holiday.

Ngan works late shifts until 9pm to earn extra income, leaving her daughter in full-day care. Weekends are the only time they share meals together in their small room, often joined by a neighbor.

For Nguyen Minh Dat, who lost his factory job, this year’s Tet is about scaling back. He helps his wife run a small grocery shop in their rental area but noted that business has slowed significantly as more tenants return to their hometowns due to job losses.

Dat’s experience mirrors that of Chua, a 23-year-old Hmong worker who moved to Binh Duong six months ago. Without enough tenure to qualify for a bonus, Chua has resigned himself to spending Tet in his modest room.

Coping with uncertainty

In Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan District, Nguyen Thi Thu and her husband have decided to forgo their trip home due to high costs and a lack of overtime work or bonuses this year. “We can’t afford the journey and the gifts for family back home,” Thu explained.

Similarly, Le Thi Ngoc Binh, who has lived in a 20-square-meter room with her family for a decade, was laid off two months before Tet when her company declared bankruptcy. While grateful to have received her final paycheck, she laments the loss of her year-end bonus.

Now, she stays home to take care of her child, waiting for news of her husband’s bonus to decide whether they can afford to travel.

For others, like Tu Hanh, a grandmother from An Giang, the holiday brings mixed feelings. She helps support her children by selling clothes she sews in her rental area. “I’ll try to sell until just before Tet, then we’ll ride our motorbike home. Staying here is tough, but back home, there’s no suitable work either,” she said.

Children’s simple Tet wishes

Despite the hardships, children in the rental areas bring a touch of lightheartedness. In the evenings, they gather to play, their laughter filling the narrow alleyways.

When asked about their Tet preparations, one child, wearing a yellow shirt, softly replied, “Mom said there’s no bonus this year, so I’ll just wear my old clothes.”

With Tet less than two weeks away, for most workers, any holiday celebration hinges on their year-end bonuses. For many, these bonuses determine whether they can travel home, purchase festive items, or simply make ends meet.

Dao Phuong