Despite economic hardship, businesses in the southern province of Binh Duong plan to raise the bonuses for their employees in the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the longest and most important festival in the year.

According to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Phung Trung, a survey of 300 businesses shows that private enterprises take the lead, with the biggest bonus standing at 199 million VND (9,476 USD), and the average level at 3.5 million VND (167 USD) per person. 

State-owned companies will give bonuses from 7.5 million VND (357 USD) to 87.5 million VND (4,167 USD) while those in joint stock firms will range from 9.5 million VND (452 USD) to 40 million VND (1,904 USD). 

Employees at foreign invested enterprises will receive Tet bonuses between 4 million VND (190 USD) and 89.7 million VND (4,271 USD), Trung said. 

Added to the increased bonuses, around 29,000 workers in Binh Duong will also benefit from free bus and train tickets offered by businesses and trade unions to return home. 

The provincial Federation of Labour will offer 1,000 free tickets, worth 1 billion VND (47,600 USD), to disadvantaged workers. Meanwhile, trade unions at businesses will give some 300 tickets worth 300 million VND (14,300 USD) to its members.

The province is home to 28 industrial zones with hundreds of thousands of workers coming from various localities from the north to the south.-VNA