'Ho Chi Minh City has too little Tet holiday'

'Students in Ho Chi Minh City have too little Tet holiday', that is a familiar saying of many students, teachers and parents in Ho Chi Minh City recently. This year, students in the city only have 9 days off for Tet, instead of 16 days like last year.

"Tet holiday is too short, I don't dare go back to my hometown"

There are less than 2 months left until Lunar New Year 2025, but in the cold weather, students in Ho Chi Minh City are eagerly waiting for the holiday to come. However, according to the announced holiday schedule, students in Ho Chi Minh City will have 9 days off this year, from December 26 to January 5 of the lunar calendar. This makes many students, parents, and teachers disappointed because it is "too little".

Ho Chi Minh City students at the festival to learn about traditional New Year's Day

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Nguyen Thao, a 9th grade student in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, said she wished that students in Ho Chi Minh City would have a longer Tet holiday, at least 15 days like last year. The reason Thao gave was that Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in the country, with a very high rate of immigration. At the end of the year, the pressure of traveling by train and plane is very high, because everyone is looking forward to returning home to reunite with grandparents, parents, and relatives after a whole year apart.

Students also hope to return to their hometowns with their parents and grandparents, to rest after months of stressful studying. "But this year, the Tet holiday is too short, so my family probably won't be able to return to their hometowns. Because train and plane tickets are expensive, and we can only return for so short a time, and we won't have time to do anything before we're worried about returning to the city," this female student shared.

Having made an appointment with her relatives a year in advance, Ms. Thuy Hien (name has been changed), a teacher from Hai Duong in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, eagerly awaited the Lunar New Year to reunite with her relatives after many years of celebrating Tet away from home. But this year, Ms. Hien and many of her colleagues felt sad because they only had 9 days off for Tet.

"This year, the Tet holiday for students and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City is from December 26 to January 5, which are the peak days for Tet flight tickets. I checked the ticket prices and found them very high, many routes are already fully booked. Not to mention this year there is no December 30, only December 29 of the lunar calendar, so Tet feels shorter. I am also wondering whether I should go back to my hometown or not," the teacher confided.

"Buying a plane ticket for 24 million VND just to stay home for 5 days of Tet"

Lunar New Year is always the most special holiday of the year for Vietnamese people, because more than the days of reunion with relatives and family, Lunar New Year holidays have great value in preserving culture, maintaining the traditional beauty of the nation, and educating children about many good things about the country and homeland. Therefore, many people believe that no matter how many times they can return to their hometown on normal days, it is not as good as the Lunar New Year holiday of reunion and family reunion.

Many students in Ho Chi Minh City want the 2025 Tet holiday to be longer.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Mr. Van Nguyen (character's name has been changed), a teacher at a high school in Ho Chi Minh City, from Nam Dinh , after much consideration, booked a ticket to return home on December 27th despite the high airfare because "for many years now, my wife and I have not been able to return home for Tet, we promised our child that we would let him return home to celebrate Tet with his grandparents, so now we cannot not return". The Tet holiday is only 9 days, so Mr. Van Nguyen said that the upcoming holiday will be very busy. Returning home on the 27th of Tet, on the 4th he went to the airport early in the morning to fly back to Ho Chi Minh City, the whole family of 3 members spent nearly 23 million VND on airfare just to be home for 5 days of Tet.

Comments on Thanh Nien Online , the majority of opinions expressed that the Tet holiday should be extended for students. Especially in large, modern cities with a large immigrant population such as Ho Chi Minh City, students should have a longer Tet holiday, creating conditions for students far from home to visit their grandparents and relatives, connect with family, and understand the national culture. This also helps stimulate tourism, reducing pressure on train and plane ticket prices near Tet.

Thanh Nien Online raises the question, in reality, students need to ensure 35 weeks of actual study in a year, so is it possible to reduce summer vacation days to increase Tet holidays, without affecting the number of actual study weeks of students? Participating in this survey, 92% of readers wanted to 'reduce summer vacation days and increase Tet holidays for students'.

The survey was launched on Thanh Nien Online on November 1, 2024, and was conducted in the context of many provinces and cities announcing the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday schedule for students. Many provinces and cities give students 12 days off; students in Ho Chi Minh City will have 9 days off for the 2025 Lunar New Year (7 days less than last year).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-sinh-phu-huynh-giao-vien-than-tphcm-nghi-tet-it-qua-185241201161505834.htm