A stirring note on the train carrying the joy of reunion

Video : On trains carrying the joy of reunion.

Train journeys during Tet (Lunar New Year) always have many unusual aspects, leaving both passengers and train crew feeling a sense of wistfulness.

Out of 12 months in a year, there are 8 months of off-peak train ticket sales. During those times, trains mostly run empty, with no passengers, even if ticket prices are reduced by up to 50%. Few people talk about how the train staff feel during those periods.

During Tet, which is the peak season for serving customers, they are the last to return home, welcoming spring the latest. Their joys and sorrows, their sacrifices, are simply suppressed in a sigh, using the desire to bring the joy of Tet reunions to all corners of the world as their motivation to continue "sticking to the tracks."

The saying "perfecting one's profession means being unable to fulfill one's duty" has always been a source of anguish for those working in the railway industry.

Family reunions during the Lunar New Year are the wish of every family. But railway workers celebrate the New Year in a place where they are surrounded only by colleagues. They find happiness in bringing the joy of family reunions to millions of families.

For 11 years since starting their careers, Le Thanh Van (38 years old) and his wife Tran Thi Nhung (33 years old) have never been able to be home on the 30th and 1st day of Tet (Lunar New Year). Van is the train conductor of passenger train AE3/4 running the North-South route, and Nhung works in the cabin crew. Because they work on different trains, when he's on leave, she's on board, which is why their colleagues often call them "the sun and moon couple."

“ What can we do? Because of our child, my wife and I have to work on different trains so we can spend time with her. But that ‘division of labor’ isn’t always smooth. Sometimes, when the railway has problems, we have to ask neighbors to look after the child. For example, in 2017, a problem caused both my wife and I to be stranded at Tuy Hoa station ( Phu Yen ) for almost a month. If it weren’t for our neighbors helping to look after the child, we wouldn’t know how to manage, ” Mr. Van shared.

He said his 8-year-old daughter has never once experienced New Year's Eve with her parents. Often, he and his wife just wish that, at the moment of transition from the old year to the new, the train would stop a few more minutes at the station near their house so they could rush home to quickly light an incense stick at the ancestral altar, sit down in bed, affectionately kiss their sleeping daughter, and send their parents, wife, and children one more New Year's greeting… But that wish has remained a distant dream for over 10 years.

“ The cozy feeling of New Year's Eve is something everyone longs for, but for us railway workers, that expectation has to be put aside. Because passengers are waiting, and our happiness lies in bringing the joy of reunion to many passengers and their families ,” Mr. Van shared.

Since starting their careers 11 years ago, Le Thanh Van (38 years old) and his wife Tran Thi Nhung (33 years old) have never been able to be home on the 30th and 1st day of Tet (Lunar New Year). (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

After a few moments of reflection, Mr. Van continued his story: “ The recent New Year's Day was a time of great sadness and regret for me. On January 1st, 2024, at 2:15 PM, while preparing to take a group of tourists from Phan Thiet back to Saigon station, I received a call from home informing me that my father had passed away. I had to rush into my room on the train to hide my emotions and cry a little because I couldn't be by his side when he took his last breath.”

When I arrived at Saigon station, all flights to Vinh were sold out. The next morning I took the earliest flight home, but I didn't make it in time to see my father, and there were only 5 minutes left before his burial. I only had time to grab a few handfuls of sand to fill his grave. My whole family was waiting anxiously because I was his only son .”

The nature of their job means that railway employees like Mr. Van suffer disadvantages because they have to be away from home and loved ones during New Year's celebrations or important family events, making it impossible for them to be present.

“ There are many sorrows, but there are also many joys, so my wife and I still choose to work on the railway because we get to meet many people and travel to many places… That’s something other professions can never offer ,” Mr. Van said with a slight smile, his eyes still red with tears.

And the idea that "being dedicated to one's profession means being unable to fulfill one's duties" has always been a source of anguish for those working in the railway industry.

On the morning of the 28th of the 12th lunar month, Nguyen Huu Toan, the deputy conductor of train SE3/4, was en route from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi when he received news that his mother at home had been in an accident and was being treated in the hospital. His father was also receiving treatment in Ho Chi Minh City for a serious illness, and with few family members, his mother currently had no one to care for her.

His heart was burning with anxiety, so he quickly called his superiors, asking for permission to go to Nghe An station to take care of his mother for a day. " During the peak Tet season, taking a day off means the workload falls on the other crew members on the train. It's very distressing ," Toan mused.

And the experience of celebrating New Year's Eve on trains along the tracks has gradually become a "daily occurrence" for those who have been involved with the railway industry for many years.

The train's whistle echoed as it left the station on a chilly night, the silhouettes of people and vehicles receding behind it on either side of the tracks. The train sped through the night, continuing its noble mission.

The last trains of the year, laden with love and the joy of reunion, are hurrying along the tracks one after another...

On the small table in the conductor's room of the SE10 North-South train, a bouquet of wild plum blossoms, insisted upon by a passenger upon disembarking at the station "to add a festive atmosphere to the train," silently budded within its rough, mossy bark...

The Lunar New Year reunion is drawing near for everyone, but it remains a distant dream for those who work the trains that run through the New Year's Eve celebrations.

Let me conclude this "year-end journey" with a message from Captain Le Thanh Van to his colleagues, as a thank you to those who "bring spring to every home":

Where will you be this Tet holiday?

As the new year approaches and families gather together to celebrate, we railway employees continue as usual.

The task of selecting who will work on New Year's Eve or throughout all three days of Tet (Lunar New Year) is something all railway employees experience. We see passengers' suitcases and bags overflowing, while we ourselves seem much heavier, filled with so many memories.

Everyone is eager to go home after a year of hard work. But this year, I, the little girl who used to accompany my father on the train because there was no one to look after me, was able to go home to celebrate Tet with my maternal grandparents on my own.

So, like every other day, at 8:30 PM, my child called me on Zalo to talk, but today she just kept crying and wouldn't stop, only asking: "Why do other people have their parents by their side, but I don't, Dad? I feel so sad, Dad."

Those words made my heart stop. I had to swallow my tears, hide my true feelings, and reply to my child, "Just wait, Dad will be back!" - "How many more days will I have to wait, Dad?"

One unfortunate thing for all the children and staff working on the ship is that when everyone else is happiest, we are the saddest. We're taking people home to reunite with their families, taking them on spring trips, but we can only watch when the ship stops at their hometowns, unable to go back ourselves. If we were in the same situation as you, who would take you home?

Every job has its own mission and is noble when placed in the right context.

"Keep going, my friends! Don't be sad, don't be sad! "

Source: https://vtc.vn/not-tram-xao-xuyen-tren-chuyen-tau-cho-niem-vui-sum-hop-ar852703.html