Material support is scheduled to be delivered to the poor as well as beneficiaries of preferential policies for those who rendered services to the nation as the Lunar New Year is drawing near, said Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen.

The official said the State President decided to give each beneficiary of preferential policies a Tet gift of 200,000 VND or 400,000 VND, while relevant agencies and local authorities would also lend their own support.

Meanwhile, low-income households will benefit from rice or financial assistance contingent on their specific circumstances, she noted.

Regarding Tet bonuses for workers, Chuyen said almost all businesses nationwide have developed plans to provide Tet bonuses for their employees, as the traditional holiday is less than a month away.

The ministry will survey ailing companies and ask local authorities to provide assistance for the workers of these firms, she said, while recommending workers to check the terms of their bonuses in their labour contracts to ensure their benefits are met.

Localities across Vietnam reported a 15 percent increase in this year’s Tet bonus to about 5 million VND (234 USD) from 2013, the official said, speaking highly of businesses’ increasing sense of responsibility towards their employees.-VNA