Workers are about to get on the coaches to return home for Tet. Photo: VOV

After a working day, Nguyen Van Cuong and his wife residing in the North Thang Long industrial zone on the outskirts of Hanoi, are busy cleaning their house and packing for their trip home. The couple carefully arranged Tet gift bags and meticulously wrote the recipients’ names on them. In just a few days, they will ride a motorbike to their hometown to celebrate Tet with their parents and eldest son.            

“Going home, I only ride a motorbike, wear a helmet and warm clothes. The company tests COVID for me every week, so I feel very safe. My hometown is 30 or 40 km from here.”

“When it's cold, it's a bit uncomfortable to ride a motorbike. But we can't afford a car. So we ride a motorbike back home.”

Like Mr. and Mrs. Cuong, Ms. Ha Thi Lua, a worker of Sumi Company in Ha Nam Province’s Dong Van 2 Industrial Park, is excited, choosing Tet gifts for her family. In addition to the gifts the company gave her, Lua bought a warm coat for her mother and tonic for her father. It's been two years since she returned home to celebrate Tet. On the 28^th day of the last lunar month of 2021, she will join her 1,200 co-workers on free trade union bus trips home.

“Before embarking on this journey, we have to undergo a COVID test and I feel secure when going on such a long trip. Everyone is strictly following safety measures,” Lua said.

“Before leaving, workers are informed about safety, reminded to wear face masks and then distributed disinfectant spray bottles. The union will buy a separate meal for each person on this journey to prevent crowd gathering,” Thu said.

Huynh Van Tuan, President of the Trade Union of Ho Chi Minh City Industrial and Export Processing Zones, said that from January 23, workers and their families began to depart for home.

“We gift air tickets and train tickets for households of workers who helped the company earn a profit value of between 15 million and 50 million VND or more. The trade union also provide for free 200 train tickets to households and 50 air tickets to workers in difficult circumstances to return home for Tet celebration,” according to Mr. Tuan.

Ngo Duy Hieu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, said compassion trips are offered to migrant workers all over Vietnam.

“Currently, trade unions are still organizing gratitude trips to bring workers home to celebrate Tet. We also organize tests to make sure that passengers follow safety measures on the entire trip. When the buses have to stop for workers to eat and rest, safety conditions must also be ensured,” he said.

After a year of hard work, workers are given free trips home for family reunion and a promise to welcome them back, which shows the trade unions’ support and sharing for the employees. After Tet, workers will come back to work for their companies with new hope for prosperity.