Freelance workers on the eve of Tet (Lunar New Year)

Freelancers earn their living by selling fresh flowers around Dong Tho market area, Hac Thanh ward.

As usual, Ms. Le Thi Van in Hac Thanh ward regularly pushes her cart selling bread, sticky rice, and rice cakes to her selling spot. This is the main source of income for her entire family. However, recently, several other carts selling the same items have appeared around her selling area, causing a significant decrease in customers. To supplement their income, her husband not only helps her sell goods but also takes on additional services such as motorbike taxi driving and home delivery. As for Ms. Van, when she's not selling, she also takes on part-time house cleaning jobs. Ms. Van confided: "Although it's hard work, I always strive and try my best, hoping to earn as much as possible so that my children can have enough to eat, wear warm clothes, and have a happy Tet holiday."

For five years, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Mut (from Hoang Hoa commune) has been roaming the streets on her old bicycle with two small plastic containers of glutinous rice balls and sweet potato dessert, but she can't remember exactly how many alleys and street corners she's traversed to make a living. Her familiar cry, "Sweet potato dessert and glutinous rice balls for sale!", though not loud, is still familiar to her regular customers because they recognize her voice at that time of day or at first glance.

Ms. Mut shared: "I usually sell according to area and time slots, so my customers can be waiting at the door when they want to eat at that time. I also have regular customers who call to place orders. The income from selling sweet soups and cakes isn't much, only 200-300 thousand dong per day, but it's a stable source of income for me to support my family."

Among the freelance workers making a living in the central wards of the province, each has a different situation, and the vast majority are from distant places. Besides the burden of daily living expenses, they also have to balance a portion of their income to send back to their families. Especially with Tet (Lunar New Year) approaching, everyone hopes to earn extra income before returning home to celebrate with their families.

In Lam Son Square, Hac Thanh Ward, as dusk falls, amidst the bustling crowds, one can easily spot street vendors weaving their baskets among the sidewalk stalls. The goods they carry are simple items like chewing gum, nail clippers, tissues, and children's toys. Some lack capital, simply buying goods to resell and making a few thousand dong profit on each item. Despite the precariousness, this remains their sole source of income, supporting themselves and their families.

Ms. Le Thi Trieu, from Thieu Tien commune, who sells small, compact household items in plastic baskets to restaurants and cafes, said: “Some evenings I only earn a few tens of thousands of dong, not enough to cover the living expenses for my family of five. Some days I have to get up and go to work from 6 am to 10 pm, but the income is still not much. Meanwhile, for freelance workers like us who are far from home, there are many burdens, having to worry about rent and daily living expenses. Especially during Tet (Lunar New Year), we also have to worry about transportation costs to get back home and need to have some money left over to buy things for the family.”

No one wants to work hard from dawn till dusk, endure the rain and sun, or wander around all day if they could choose a "less strenuous" job that pays more. However, for freelance workers, those who make a living on the streets, earning money through honest labor is something precious. Every task, every step, every cry, every turn of the wheel not only contains love for their families but also simple desires, hopes, and dreams about food, clothing, and money, about a life that is becoming more and more fulfilling.

Text and photos: Le Phuong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/lao-dong-tu-do-ngay-giap-tet-276358.htm