As many as 5,000 workers and their relatives in Ho Chi Minh City on February 12 got on buses to return to their hometowns in the central and northern provinces to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) with their families under the “Trade Union Bus Trip—Spring” program.
The program, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation, is part of activities to care for union members and workers during the Tet holiday.
In addition to free bus tickets, the federation also gave out gifts worth VND300,000 (US$11.55) per person and lucky money for workers’ children.
Speaking at the farewell ceremony for workers returning home for Tet on the morning of February 12, Bui Thanh Nhan, chairman of the federation, said that the federation supported a total of 350,000 union members and workers in difficult circumstances during Tet with the joint efforts of 146 ward, commune, and special zone labor unions and more than 20,000 grassroots labor unions.
After its merger with Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Duong provinces, Ho Chi Minh City has more than 7.2 million workers, with the majority of them being immigrants.
The Ho Chi Minh City Labour Federation and trade unions at all levels have implemented various programs to care for union members and workers during the Tet holiday.
It provided 2,293 train tickets, 820 airplane tickets, and 5,000 bus tickets to union members and workers in difficult circumstances who had not been able to return home to Tet for many years.
More than 350,000 union members and workers in difficult circumstances received financial support worth a total of VND350 billion through bank transfers.
The federation also coordinates with the Vietnam Fatherland Front and local authorities to visit, give gifts, and support union members who remain in the city during the Tet holiday.
