Saigon Co.op organised a departure ceremony for workers and their relatives leaving HCM City for their hometowns for the Lunar New Year (or Tet) by 10 free buses on January 17 under its ‘Chuyen xe hanh phuc’ (Happy Bus) programme.

The buses began at Co.opmart Thang Loi in Tan Phu District, with 450 passengers leaving for 22 provinces in the south-western, Central Highlands and cetral regions.

The travel and food costs were covered by Saigon Co.op, which also gifted the passengers Tet hampers before their departure.

Nguyen Thi Thu, who got free tickets for herself and her father for HaTinh, said: "Due to the epidemic, my father and I were unable to go home to cerebrate Tet for the last two years. When I knew I was one of the lucky passengers of the Happy Bus, I was overjoyed.”

At the departure ceremony, Nguyen Ngoc Thang, Co.opmart’s operations director, said: "During two years of the epidemic, thousands of workers and students in HCM City had to celebrate Tet away from home. Realising that, Saigon Co.op thought there was nothing more meaningful than sending workers in the city with free bus tickets to their hometown to celebrate Tet with their families.”

The programme has the collaboration of Unilever Vietnam and Coca Cola Vietnam.

Besides free bus trips, Saigon Co.op has also set up a number of ‘Zero dong Tet mini supermarkets’ in HCM City, Ha Noi and Can Tho that gives labourers and people in difficult circumstances with free vouchers to shop necessities. — VNS