Youth shun Tet at home for nagging, money

"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. The traditional festival will peak on Feb. 10.

Tung mentioned that he had obtained his university degree two years ago but has not yet found a job, so he is currently working as a ride-hailing driver. Every time he goes home for Tet, he feels vulnerable to questions from relatives about his job and income, and comparisons with more successful family members. Therefore, he has gradually developed a dislike for celebrating Tet in his hometown and prefers to stay in the city to work, seeing it as his only option for a comfortable holiday.

Another motivation for Tung staying in Hanoi for Tet is finances.

"Going home means spending a lot of money on gifts for relatives and offerings," he said, adding that working in Hanoi during Tet can earn 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."

The trend of Vietnamese youth choosing not to return to their hometowns for Tet is becoming increasingly common. Illustration photo by Freepik

Statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs show that during the 2022 Tet Lunar New Year holiday, 1 million workers chose to stay in the city. These included 420,000 industrial park workers, a 30% increase from 2021.

Southeastern Binh Duong province’s labor union data for Tet 2023 also recorded over 450,000 workers staying at their workplaces, nearly double the figure of 250,000 in 2021.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, head of the Social Life Research Institute, believes the trend of young people avoiding returning to their hometowns for Tet has become common over the last five years, mainly due to economic pressures resulting from the gloomy big picture and fear of family expectations.

Sharing Tung’s sentiments, Thuy Hien, a 27-year-old office worker in Hanoi, has chosen to avoid Tet for the last two years, partly because she feels the money saved from a year’s work is not enough 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 tired of repetitive questions from relatives about her "love life, job, and salary," which makes her exhausted, she said.

Because of that, despite knowing she will face criticism from relatives, Hien accepts it in order to be in the capital throughout Tet for a more relaxed holiday. With her parents’ support, she has planned a solo trip during this year’s holiday to both unwind after a hard year and save money for future needs.

Tourism statistics show 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 that Tet tour bookings are rising sharply, with tourists preferring all-inclusive packages to distant destinations.

While this trend seems to benefit some young people, Loc warns of its downsides, such as the erosion of traditional customs.

According to the expert, Tet reunions are not only an occasion for celebrations but also crucial for passing 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 needs more suitable cultural practices so that young people feel the Lunar New Year reunion is more of a joy 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."