Heartwarming Tet for migrant workers
Instead of preparing to return to hometowns, many migrant workers in Hai Phong chose to stay in the city to celebrate Tet. Local authorities and businesses have consistently supported them, helping workers feel secure and committed to their “second hometown.”
Celebrating Tet in Hai Phong
At workers’ boarding-house areas in wards such as Do Son, Hung Dao, Duong Kinh, Tien Lang Commune, An Hai Ward, and others, the Tet atmosphere arrives early. Boarding houses are thoroughly cleaned, national flags are hung, and peach blossoms and kumquat trees are carefully arranged. Many boarding-house clusters even organize Chung cake wrapping and year-end gatherings, creating opportunities for migrant workers to celebrate Tet together far from home.
Ms. Lo Thi Tim, a 40-year-old Thai ethnic woman from Dien Bien Province and a worker at Dinh Vang Co., Ltd. in Hung Dao Ward, has been working in Hai Phong for the past 10 years. This year, she chose to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the port city. “This year, I decided to stay in Hai Phong for Tet. The company’s trade union organized a ‘Tet Reunion’ program with cultural performances and lucky draws. Even though I’m far from home, I still feel cared for. Although we live in rented rooms, the Tet atmosphere is still very much present,” she shared.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, a mechanical worker at the Japan–Hai Phong Industrial Park and a native of Nghe An Province, said this was the first year his family celebrated Tet in Hai Phong. After work, he and his wife cleaned their rented room and bought a small kumquat tree to place at the entrance. “Not going home is always a bit sad. But thanks to the ‘Tet Reunion’ program, visits to the Trade Union Tet Market with free shopping vouchers, a year-end meal with fellow workers, and Tet gifts, we feel much less worried. Being far from home but receiving such care helps us feel secure staying and working here, and we truly consider Hai Phong our second hometown,” he said.
Support for migrant workers
In 2026, Hai Phong continued to implement early and large-scale Tet care programs for trade union members and workers. The Hai Phong City Confederation of Labor plans to present 20,000 Tet gift packages, each worth VND 1 million, to workers facing difficulties, illness, work-related accidents, or occupational diseases. In addition, 49,444 transportation support tickets, valued at VND 200,000 each, are being provided to migrant workers, enabling them to return home for family reunions during Tet and contributing to social welfare and the protection of workers’ legitimate rights and interests.
Alongside resources mobilized by the trade union system, the Hai Phong City People’s Committee is supporting 11,800 Tet gift packages, each worth VND 1 million. This additional support helps expand care resources and reflects the close attention and companionship of authorities at all levels toward workers across the city.
Within the framework of the 2026 program “Tet Reunion – Spring of Gratitude to the Party,” the City Confederation of Labor is distributing 3,000 gift packages (VND 500,000 each) and organizing cultural and exchange activities to foster a warm and connected atmosphere among union members. Additionally, 5,000 shopping vouchers for the Hai Phong Trade Union Tet Market, each valued at VND 200,000, are being provided to help workers cover Tet shopping expenses. Notably, grassroots trade unions are encouraged to organize “Trade Union Year-End Meals,” with support of VND 70,000 per serving, combined with cultural activities to create moments of togetherness and sharing right at the workplace.
As Hai Phong continues to grow, the number of migrant workers coming to the city has steadily increased. Timely care and support from authorities at all levels not only help workers enjoy a warm Tet away from home but also contribute to retaining the workforce and building harmonious, stable, and sustainable labor relations.
Hai Van