In Phu Hoa ward alone under Thu Dau Mot city, lodging houses’ owners committed to reducing room rent for workers and students by more than 400 million VND during Tet, and all owners have also given Tet gifts to lodgers. Some large lodging houses organize year-end parties and Tet feasts for lodgers. Communes and wards in Thu Dau Mot City and Ben Cat Town are doing well the above activities, helping workers and students have the conditions to enjoy spring and welcome Tet.
Bui Thi Mai presents Tet gifts to workers and students at the end of the year.
Build a kind-hearted lodging house
Phu Hoa Ward has 700 lodging houses with more than 10,000 workers and students as lodgers. Since the beginning of 2023, as realizing many workers having difficulties with employment and income, Phu Hoa Ward People's Committee has called on owners of lodging houses to reduce room rent helping workers. Through the campaign, many owners responded enthusiastically and reduced rent on holidays for families having difficult and sick circumstances. During the year, to share difficulties with tenants, lodging houses’ owners decreased rent level for more than 8,000 rooms, with a reduction of 300,000 - 500,000 VND per room/month, a total reduction of more than 3.5 billion VND.
In the last days of the year, People's Committee of Phu Hoa ward commended lodging houses’ owners who enthusiastically responded to "Kind-hearted lodging houses in Thu Land" program that has been maintained and implemented by the locality in recent times. The ward also continued to call for exemptions and reductions in room rents during the 2024 Lunar New Year and more than 100 lodging houses’ owners in 9 quarters enthusiastically responded to this. It can be said that the "Kind-hearted lodging houses in Thu Land" has truly spread and shared love in the community, a humane deed of lodging houses’ owners in Phu Hoa ward. There are people who has just over 10 rooms, the monthly rent is just over 1 million VND/room but still reduces by 200,000 - 300,000 VND/room before, during and after Tet.
In recent days, Bui Thi Mai's 50-room lodging house in Quarter 5 has become more enchanted as students and workers continuously received Tet gifts from the owner. Each gift included cooking oil, instant noodles, soft drinks, and biscuits worth totally hundreds of thousands of VND. Mai also informed about a 500,000 VND reduction in each room rent for the months before and after Tet, and organized about 10 year-end dinners on January 21 for all lodgers to enjoy Tet atmosphere, making all people feel heartwarming. Hoang Thi Thuy Nhung, a long-time lodger here, said: “Mai considers us as her family, not as tenants. Whenever I return home late at night, she waits for me and calls to know if anything happened to me. When I went back to my hometown, she took me to the bus station, and when I returned, she picked me up. If I am sick, she cares, buys medicine, and cooks porridge for me. I've lived with her since I was a student. Now I've graduated and worked for 4 years, but I still don't want to leave this friendly lodging house."
Bui Thi Mai said: “Just the exemption of rent during the Covid-19 and support of necessities was worth more than 1 billion VND. In recent years, I have been giving regular discounts to my lodgers, especially workers having difficult circumstances. I always think that we live together must have love and sharing."
Meanwhile, Tran Ngoc Hoan, owner of a lodging house in Quarter 4, Phu Hoa Ward, shared: “Even though my family's income only depends on 16 rented rooms, I find it very meaningful to reduce rent for workers during tough times, so I support local programs. During the past year, every big holiday, I reduced by 200,000 VND/room, and this Tet holiday’s reduction is the same. In addition, my family will give each room a Tet gift including rice cakes, soft drinks, and biscuits worth about 300,000 VND."
Help workers lessen difficulties
In 2023, many lodging houses’ owners in Thu Dau Mot City joined hands to reduce rent for workers, helping them overcome some of the common difficulties. For example, at Nguyen Thi Luyen's lodging house in Quarter 1, Phu Tan Ward, workers many times received a rent discount of 300,000 - 500,000 VND/month. Pham Hong Nhi, born in Ca Mau province, who lives here, said: “I am one of 10 workers who was laid off by our company 3 months ago due to lack of orders. All expenses of the four family members are put on my husband's salary, so it is very difficult. I'm also older, finding a stable job right now is not easy. Luckily, I met a kind landlady. Here, any family that loses their job, stops working, or is in difficult circumstances will receive a rent reduction from the landlady."
Calling on lodging houses’ owners to reduce rent for workers during difficult times has also been done quite well by communes and wards, such as Thoi Hoa, An Dien, An Tay, My Phuoc... of Ben Cat Town in the past year. Local lodging houses’ owners also joined hands to help lodging children with books, tuition, and clothes at the beginning of the new school year. Especially during Tet, there are always gifts for lodgers. Depending on the monthly room rental price, the landlord will reduce the rent by 20 - 30% throughout the year. There are also benevolent lodging houses that reduce room rent by up to 50% for workers throughout the year, such as Nguyen Thi Kim Quyen's lodging house in Quarter 4, My Phuoc Ward. When Tet comes, lodging houses’ owners in My Phuoc ward also organize year-end parties for tenants to celebrate the spring, creating a warm atmosphere for those who cannot afford to return home on Tet holiday.
Nguyen The Thao, Vice Chairman of My Phuoc Ward People's Committee, said: “The ward regularly cares for workers by many practical activities such as giving gifts to workers having difficult circumstances, awarding scholarships to poor students who are children of workers, and encouraging workers to stay with their job. The program of lodging houses’ owners reducing rent is regularly implemented by local organizations such as the Youth Union, Women's Union, Fatherland Front..., so it has been responded actively by many landlords."
“In 2023, under many difficult economic conditions, many owners of lodging houses in the area enthusiastically joined hands to reduce rent throughout the year. During this year-end time, lodging houses’ owners give gifts, train tickets, and provide some support to workers; encouraging the spirit of workers to continue returning to Binh Duong to work after Tet and contribute to the locality." (Phan Cong Khanh, Party Secretary of Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City)
Reported by Quang Tam - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
