Thousands of workers attempt to return home amid COVID-19 spike in Ho Chi Minh City

August 15, 2021 | 18:00

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Many unemployed people decided to return to their hometown last weekend due to the city's decision to extend social distancing measures for another month.

Thousands of workers attempt to return home amid COVID-19 spike in Ho Chi Minh City

Thousands of workers attempted to return home amidst the spike in coronavirus cases in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Le Toan

At 12pm Sunday, Nguyen Chi Nam (26, Thu Duc City), was stuck in the traffic jam at the gateway of Hanoi Highway leaving Ho Chi Minh City. He said that he packed his belongings including a fan, a rice cooker, and spare petrol to return to his hometown in Quang Tri, 1,112km from the city.

He said that he and housemates departed their home at 6am. However, they were not allowed to pass road checkpoints by police forces.

Nam said that he earned his living as a worker in Ho Chi Minh City for the past one year. However, since the fourth wave of the pandemic, he has been unemployed for nearly three months. He could no longer survive in the city so he decided to leave.

Meanwhile, a couple from Binh Thanh district were carrying their 4-year-old child on the motorbike. They said that they could not pay rent and living expenses after losing their jobs last month. Thus, they decided to pack their belongings and take their child back to their hometown in Binh Dinh.

The police and security force at the checkpoints explained that Ho Chi Minh City is implementing social distancing measures under Directive No.16/CT-TTg. They could not let the stream of people to cross the checkpoints and return home due to the risk of spreading coronavirus to other localities.

Workers were requested to return home and comply with social distancing measures. Tran Van Dang (39 years old, Binh Chanh district) said, "We knew it would be difficult but we still tried to leave the city. The security forces bid us return to our lodgings. I am so worried about the future."

Ho Chi Minh City is currently the largest coronavirus epicenter in Vietnam. Many of its residents have become unemployed and cannot make ends meet due to factory closure.