The train departed Saigon Station at around 8 am, carrying workers facing financial hardship who had been unable to afford travel home during previous holiday seasons.
Under the theme “Tet for all workers, leaving no one behind”, city trade unions have rolled out a series of Tet support programmes.
The Ho Chi Minh City Labour Federation said it received nearly VND 2 billion (approximately USD 76,000) from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to fund return train tickets for 124 workers and their families, benefiting more than 2,200 people travelling to northern provinces.
Outbound journeys are scheduled from February 9 to February 14, with return trips from February 20 to February 24.
For many passengers, the ticket represented more than transportation, marking a long awaited family reunion after years of spending Tet in cramped rented rooms or working overtime to send money home.
“I haven’t been able to take my daughter home for Tet for two years,” said Nguyen Van Thien, a worker from Nghe An Province. “This train saved us nearly VND 10 million in travel costs, a large part of my accumulated earnings.”
Union leaders also distributed Tet gifts before departure, offering encouragement and practical support ahead of the journey.
Alongside the train programme, city trade unions are arranging union funded buses and flights, with a total budget of about VND 15 billion, to help more than 3,000 workers return home ahead of Tet.
Organisers said each union supported journey carries not only workers home for the holiday but also a message of solidarity and social responsibility, reinforcing ties between workers, trade unions and the wider community.