So how can we make it reasonable?

Both individuals in this article are planning to spend around 5 million VND for the 2025 Lunar New Year.

Having been laid off before Tet (Lunar New Year), the young family reduced their spending by three-quarters compared to previous years.

Speaking about her spending plans for Tet (Lunar New Year), Ms. Hai Yen (born in 1992) - a teacher at a primary school in Soc Son district ( Hanoi ) with a salary of 7 million VND/month - said that Tet 2025 is the Tet with the most financial worries.

"Currently, my husband and I have two children who are both in school. One is in elementary school and the other is in preschool. Although they both attend public schools and the costs aren't too high, my husband was laid off a month ago, so all household expenses depend entirely on my income," said Ms. Yen.

Previously, Ms. Yen's husband worked in IT for a small company in the district. His income was only 15 million VND per month.

After being laid off, Yen's husband took on additional freelance projects instead of working at the company. This was partly to have more time to care for his sick mother and his eldest daughter, who had just started first grade. However, because he worked on projects, his income was not fixed.

"It's been a difficult and eventful year, and my husband and I have no choice but to encourage each other and try to save money to make ends meet," said Ms. Yen, adding that she is taking on a side job to supplement her income. Specifically, she makes and sells flower baskets/gift baskets herself to earn some extra money. Her husband also helps out whenever he has free time.

Regarding expenses, Ms. Yen also said she plans to spend about 5 million VND on this Lunar New Year.

" I will give 1 million VND to both sets of parents (500,000 VND each) for them to spend on necessary things. For gifts to relatives on both sides of the family, I will spend an additional 600,000 VND to buy ingredients and pack 4 gift packages myself," Ms. Yen said. She explained that in her hometown, people usually give food, spices, and sweets for offerings, so she plans to buy seasoning, MSG, sugar, or a box of cookies along with the cost of the cookies. The gifts will be arranged flexibly, with a maximum budget of 150,000 VND per household.

She also set aside an additional 1.5 million VND to buy food, fruit for offerings, and some sweets and sunflower seeds to serve guests. In addition, she spent about 1.4 million VND on New Year's gifts and 500,000 VND on new clothes for her two children.

"Due to the difficult economic situation , we will give less money as New Year's lucky money this year, only 20,000 to 50,000 VND per child. Parents on both sides might give 100,000 VND each for good luck in the new year."

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With unstable incomes, Gen Z freelancers struggle with the challenge of managing their Lunar New Year expenses.

As of now, with less than two months until Tet (Lunar New Year), Bao An (born in 1998) still has no plans for the holiday. She said that despite working hard all year in 2024, due to limited projects and unstable income, Bao An hasn't saved a single penny, not to mention her credit card debt.

"I've been freelance for over two years, but I've never felt it so difficult to earn money and had so few projects coming in as this year. Not to mention, there are a few completed projects that haven't been paid yet, making my finances really unstable this year," An shared.

The mention of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) fills my friend with anxiety and fear, even though she doesn't have her own family yet.

"Luckily, I'm still living with my parents, so things are a little easier. But because of this, people often ask about my work and finances during Tet (Lunar New Year). Everyone assumes that living with parents, without having to worry about rent or living expenses, means I'll have plenty of money, but I'm still struggling," An said, adding that she is still trying to find additional work to earn money for Tet.

However, when asked about her Tet holiday spending budget, Bao An said she might only be able to spend a maximum of 5 million VND this time. This includes 2 million VND for gifts to her parents, 500,000 VND for New Year's lucky money for her niece, and 1 million VND for lucky money for children, relatives, and friends. In addition, 1 million VND will be for entertainment and meeting friends during Tet, and 500,000 VND will be used to buy herself a traditional Vietnamese dress (áo dài).

"That's my estimate, but the amount might be slightly different depending on project funding," Bao An expressed, beginning to feel anxious about her freelance work.

"Although a normal life offers more freedom and comfort than working in an office, the income is very unstable. Having gone through these difficult economic years, I've come to clearly understand the downside of this type of work," Bảo Ân said, planning to return to an office job next year.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/co-het-suc-cung-chi-de-ra-duoc-5-trieu-tieu-tet-vay-lam-the-nao-de-hop-ly-172250109145745601.htm