Vietnamese Tet bonus ranges from 82 cents to $234,000

As of Tuesday, 28 localities have announced their Tet (Lunar New Year) bonuses, which do not include Ho Chi Minh City.

The country’s highest Tet bonus belongs to a general director at a Japanese-invested company in the Mekong Delta’s Long An Province, whose monthly salary is VND235 million.

The lowest Tet bonus is going to an employee in Vietnam’s southernmost province of Ca Mau Province.

Quang Nam’s highest Tet bonus this year is VND636 million, 1.9 times higher than the previous year’s at VND340 million.

Hanoi's highest Tet bonus is VND205 million, half of last year's.

In the south, Binh Duong and Can Tho also saw significant reductions in their highest Tet bonus figures. Ho Chi Minh City-adjacent Binh Duong’s highest Tet bonus this year is VND366 million, compared to last year’s 896 million. The Mekong Delta’s major commercial hub of Can Tho’s highest Tet bonus this year is VND96.3 million, compared to last year’s VND138 million.

Since last year, due to impacts of global economic downturns, manufacturing industries like wood, textile and leather have been suffering from a lack of orders. Several factories with high numbers of workers in southern localities such as HCMC, Binh Duong and Dong Nai have thus resorted to layoffs. Workers at many other factories have also had their working hours reduced, leading to lower incomes.

Businesses often give bonuses for Tet, Vietnam's biggest holiday, based on their business results of the year. The upcoming holiday will last from Feb. 8-14.