At the beginning of the year, many lodgers in Thu Dau Mot city’s Phu Hoa ward have received good news when their proprietors gave them gifts and reduced rent by 30%-40% in February. Hundreds of millions of dong were deducted from rent by proprietors in the early days of the new year.
Joy of the New Year
After several days returning to their hometowns for Tet, many lodgers in Phu Hoa ward returned on the morning of February 4 to clean their rooms, rest and prepare to get back to work. Unexpected good news came to many when their proprietors visited and gave them Tet lucky money, gifts and reduce their rent by 30%-40% in February.
Bui Van Nhi, the owner of a 20-room lodging facility in quarter 9 shared that through the encouragement of the local People's Committee, his family has been participating in the "Compassionate lodging facility - Meaningful Tet in Thu land" model since 2021. Every year, during Tet, his family prepares a year-end meal and invites all the lodgers to join in the celebration. They also give each family a Tet gift worth around VND 300,000, including cakes, jams and essential goods. Lodgers who return after the Tet holiday are also given gifts and lucky money. Mr. Nhi explained: “Each lucky envelope contains just VND 50,000, but it’s mainly to bring joy and good luck for the new year to everyone. Every year, after Tet, my family proactively reduces the rent by 30%. I rent out my room for VND 1.2 million to VND1.5 million per month. In general, we only collect rent for 11 months a year and set aside one month to take care of Tet for lodgers. For those who are ill or facing difficulties, we adjust the rent depending on their situation, sharing the hardships with them”. Holding the New Year's lucky money envelope in her hand and receiving a rent reduction of over VND 300,000 in February from her proprietor, Nguyen Bao Vi, a native of Soc Trang province couldn't hide her joy. She shared: “I’ve lived at Mr. Nhi’s lodging facility for more than five years. The whole community here is very warm-hearted like a family. Whenever I’m late with my salary, Mr. Nhi allows me to pay later. That’s why we’ve stayed here for a long time and we see Binh Duong as our second home that is so friendly and affectionate”.
At the lodging facility of Huynh Thi Muoi in quarter 4, 70% of lodgers have returned after Tet. The lodging facility has more than 40 rooms, many of which are occupied by workers from nearby factories. Recently, Mrs. Muoi has visited her lodging facility to give gifts, distribute lucky money envelopes and wish lodgers a happy Tet. Mrs. Muoi shared: "The lodgers here have been living with me for many years, so I consider them as my family members. Whenever someone is sick, I visit them. If any lodger faces financial difficulties, they can tell me and I'll let them pay later. Some lodgers take 3-4 months to pay the rent and that's fine". Nguyen Thi Kieu, who has lived in Mrs. Muoi’s lodging facility for many years said: “Mrs. Muoi is very kind to all of us, so we feel at ease living in Binh Duong. This year, due to financial difficulties, my family stayed at the lodging facility for Tet, but we didn’t feel lacking because the local People's Committee and the proprietors showed great care by giving us Tet gifts”.
Compassion and solidarity
Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, understanding the difficult circumstances of lodgers, the People's Committee of Phu Hoa ward has developed and launched the "Compassionate Lodging Facility - Meaningful Tet in Thu land" model”. To date, this model has been expanded throughout Thu Dau Mot city. In Phu Hoa ward alone, there are more than 700 proprietors who provide support for lodgers, spending between VND3billion to 5 billion VND annually, with VND 7 billion allocated in 2024. In January 2025, properietors in the area provided nearly VND 500 million in assistance to lodgers through rent reductions and Tet gifts. The proprietors have continued offering gifts and rent reductions to workers and students as they return to the ward to live, work and study after the Tet holiday.
The "Compassionate Lodging Facility - Meaningful Tet in Thu land" model is currently enthusiastically supported by all proprietors in Phu Hoa ward, making it a friendly and safe destination for lodgers. When lodgers move here, they are cared for and supported by both proprietors and local authorities. Proprietors voluntarily build basic cultural facilities for lodgers such as free Wi-Fi and provide QR codes to share information on urban hygiene, epidemic prevention, food safety, anti-drug campaigns, HIV, prostitution, fire safety, gambling, fraud and more. These efforts aim at raising tenants' awareness and helping them protect themselves from various dangers.
To help this model spread, grow and support lodgers in overcoming difficulties, the People's Committee of Phu Hoa Ward conducts annual detailed surveys. This allows them to identify lodgers in difficult circumstances, providing them with gifts and essential goods during holidays and Tet. At the same time, propriotors are promptly recognized and honored by the local People's Committee, working alongside local authorities to better care for lodgers and help them feel more connected to Binh Duong.
Good model, rewarded
Tran Thi Ngoc Bich, Vice Secretary of Phu Hoa ward’s Party Committee shared that thanks to achievements over the past years, the "Compassionate Lodging Facility - Meaningful Tet in Thu land" model has been recognized and rewarded by the Central Propaganda-Education Commission. Especially during the annual Tet festival, proprietors collectively reduce rent, which is a highly humanitarian activity. Our locality will further maintain, expand and effectively implement this model in the coming years.
Reported by Quang Tam-Translated by Kim Tin
