Students in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City will be provided with free bus tickets to return their home towns on Tet festival this year.
These three municipalities each run similar separate programmes with funds mainly gathered by private donors. Among the beneficiaries will be 3,150 students from Ho Chi Minh City, 1,350 from Hanoi and 1,000 from Danang.
These programmes are meant to help students from areas that are underprivileged, remote or underdeveloped. Children of the disabled and veterans who’ve perished in war will also benefit.
Ho Chi Minh City has arranged 60 free coaches on January 25 for students to return to their home towns, which mainly are in places like Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, Hue, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and the central highlands.
Ho Chi Minh City has provided this service to students for eight years. Up to now, the city has helped nearly 23,000 students from these groups.
Similarly, Hanoi has been organising around 30 free coaches for students on Tet. Beneficiaries mainly come from Lang Son, Yen Bao, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Hue.
This is the fifth year that the capital city has provided coaches for students during the festival.
In the meantime, Danang plans to grant 1,000 train and coach tickets. The programme is thee years old in that city.
To Van Hung, secretary of Danang University’s Communist Yoth Union, said the school plans to provide gifts worth between VND50,000 and VND100,000 (USD2.5-USD5) for disadvantaged students who can not return their home towns on Tet.
Students of colleges and universities all over Vietnam crowd the bus and rail stations for this seasonal journey.
Some images of students on the way to their home towns:
Sitting at station
Waiting for free coaches
Many things to take back for Tet
Heavy load
Happy together
Lining up for free coaches
Onto the bus!
Homeward bound
