While Vietnamese families usually leave the cities to return to their home towns, some well-off people are worried about their expensive belongings falling prey to theft.
Some bonsais of Mr. Phu’s family
Mrs. Lien, managing director of the Van Chung Telephone Company Limited said she had to find someone to house sit every Tet. Last year she had to stay at home while her husbands and children visiting their hometown as she couldn’t find someone.
Thievery during Tet has become a major worry. Mr. Phu, a bonsai trader in Hanoi’s Thuong Tin District said, “At this time of the year, we try and find someone to house sit. We had to lock the doors pray we wouldn’t get robbed. When we returned on third day of the new year some of bonsais, worth hundreds of millions of VND had been stolen.”
Celebrating Tet at home
Hiring house sitters can prove costly and many families have decided to stay at home to welcome Tet instead of marking it at restaurants, hotels or taking overseas trips.
In previous years, Mrs. Nga’s family in Thi Sach Street, Hanoi, used to travel to Thailand or Singapore for Tet, but this year they are intending to stay at home.
Mrs. Nga might be busier this year, but she claims she enjoys it more, having to do the Tet-preparations herself. “This Tet, we’re just using domestic products to save money,” she claimed.
