Many young people in Vietnam are opting to remain in the city rather than returning to their hometowns for the Tet holiday, seeking to avoid family pressures and expenses.
"I've decided to stay in Hanoi to work this Lunar New Year instead of going home," said Hoang Tung, 24, from the northern province of Nam Dinh. Tet (Lunar New Year), Vietnam’s biggest and most important festival, will last from Feb. 8 to 14, 2024, with the traditional festival peaking on Feb. 10.
Tung, who obtained his university degree two years ago and currently works as a ride-hailing driver, expressed his reluctance to face inquiries from relatives about his job and income, as well as comparisons with more successful family members, whenever he visits home for Tet. Consequently, he has grown disillusioned with celebrating Tet in his hometown and prefers to stay in the city to work, seeing it as the more comfortable option for the holiday.
The trend of Vietnamese youth choosing not to return to their hometowns for Tet is becoming increasingly common. Illustration photo by Freepik
Financial considerations also play a significant role in Tung's decision to stay in Hanoi for Tet.
"Going home means spending a lot of money on gifts for relatives and offerings," he explained, noting that working in Hanoi during Tet can yield him two to three times his normal salary, up to VND15 million (US$616) in just one week.
"My family suggests going home, but I choose work over family reunions for a happier and more comfortable holiday."
Statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs indicate that during the 2022 Tet Lunar New Year holiday, 1 million workers opted to stay in the city, including 420,000 industrial park workers, marking a 30% increase from 2021.
Data from the Southeastern Binh Duong province’s labor union for Tet 2023 also revealed that over 450,000 workers stayed at their workplaces, nearly double the figure of 250,000 in 2021.
Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, head of the Social Life Research Institute, believes that the trend of young people avoiding returning to their hometowns for Tet has become widespread over the last five years, driven primarily by economic pressures and apprehension about family expectations.
Sharing Tung’s sentiments, Thuy Hien, a 27-year-old office worker in Hanoi, has chosen to avoid Tet celebrations for the past two years, partly due to her belief that the money saved from a year's work is insufficient for a Tet homecoming.
"I worked hard last year and saved about VND40 million," she said. "But spending on snacks, food, peach blossoms, clothes, house decorations, and giving lucky money during trips to my hometown for Tet may quickly deplete this amount, leaving nothing for savings."
Moreover, Hien is weary of repetitive inquiries from relatives about her "love life, job, and salary," which she finds exhausting.
Despite anticipating criticism from relatives, Hien has decided to remain in the capital throughout Tet for a more relaxed holiday. With her parents’ support, she plans to embark on a solo trip during this year’s holiday to unwind after a challenging year and save money for future needs.
Tourism statistics indicate that traveling during Tet is becoming increasingly popular in Vietnam. The Ministry of Transport of Vietnam recorded 9 million domestic tourists during Tet 2023, nearly a 50% increase from 2022.
Nguyen Minh Man, marketing director of travel company TST Tourist, noted a significant rise in Tet tour bookings, with tourists preferring all-inclusive packages to distant destinations.
While this trend appears beneficial for some young people, Loc warns of its potential downsides, such as the erosion of traditional customs.
According to the expert, Tet reunions serve not only as occasions for celebrations but also as opportunities to pass down cultural knowledge and collective memories to future generations.
"If young people choose to stay in cities for Tet not because of pressure but to live differently from traditional customs," he said, "it will be a concerning social phenomenon related to the disruption of tradition and the discontinuation of passing down traditional stories, a concept that sociologists have pointed out."
Therefore, he suggests that each family, community, and region adopt more suitable cultural practices to ensure that young people view the Lunar New Year reunion as a joy rather than a burden of pressure, facilitating the continuation and transmission of cultural knowledge and collective memory in each place.
Otherwise, young people will continue to experience what Tung and Hien did.
"If I say I don’t have a boyfriend, they say I’m not competent," Hien said. "If I say I have one, they continue to ask what his name is, where he lives, what his job is, how old he is, and so on."
"Every family gathering during Tet feels like an unpleasant interrogation."
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