Average Tet bonus down 5 pct

Wholly state-owned companies will pay an average of VND5.85 million ($254), down 5 percent, according to a report from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs following a survey of 30,000 companies and 4.65 million workers.

Domestic private enterprises will pay VND6.05 million ($270), down 6 percent, while foreign businesses will pay VND6.99 million ($298), up 2 percent.

In HCMC, the highest bonus is VND1.07 billion ($46,388) paid by Shinryo Vietnam Corporation, a Japanese air conditioning, plumbing, fire service and electrical engineering firm.

In Hanoi, it is VND400 million ($17,331) by a private enterprise which has not been identified.

The ministry said around 50 percent of companies have not yet made bonus plans since they were hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nearly 30,000 companies also paid an average bonus of VND2.34 million ($101.49) for the New Year, up 151 percent.

The pandemic caused 32.1 million workers aged 15 or above to either lose their jobs or have their working hours reduced last year, according to official statistics.

Vietnam experienced two waves of Covid-19 last year in January and July, forcing many businesses to suspend operations or scale down.

A new outbreak emerged last week, just weeks ahead of Tet, Vietnam's biggest festival, which peaks on February 12 this year.