As number of days till Tet dwindle, the grave clean-up and decoration business has boomed at many cemeteries in the central city of Ha Tinh, offering a chance to earn money for many local poor students.
Most students are from poor families
Grave decoration is a tradition in Vietnam during the holiday. It is done to show respect and gratitude to ancestors. On Tet, many people who are far away from their hometowns also return to the ceremony.
On this occasion, many students from suburban areas of the city go to cemeteries to clean and decorate graves. Their tools include crowbars, sickles and buckets of paint. Most of the workers are aged between 10 and 17.
Tools for grave decoration
A leader of a group at Chua Thieu Cemetery, in Ha Huy Tap Ward, said they have done this work for four years, starting from the 19th of every lunar December. The peak time is between the 23rd and the 27th of the month. His group has five members and each has his own task.
The price depends on the size of the graves, ranging from VND100,000 (USD4.76) to VND200,000.
They get quite a number of customers, and sometimes the group has to turn some away. They are all satisfied to earn some money for their family during Tet.
