No bonus, no jobs : Thousands of Vietnam garment workers struggle as Korean factory shuts down before Tet
More than 2,700 workers at Panko Vina in Ho Chi Minh City are bracing for uncertainty as the garment factory prepares to shut down in mid-January, leaving many without a year-end bonus and unsure how they will find work with Tet fast approaching.
For nearly a week, Nguyen Thi Cam Thi has barely slept. The 28-year-old seamstress, nearly four months pregnant with her third child, learned she will lose her job on Jan. 15. The factory’s doors will close for good at the end of the month, or two weeks before the country’s biggest holiday Tet (Lunar New Year).
« I don’t know how to plan for Tet anymore, » she said. Thi earns around VND7 million (US$266) a month, nearly VND10 million with overtime. With her husband’s unstable freelance income and two small children, the factory shutdown feels like a cliff edge.
« There’s no 13th-month salary, and I’m pregnant. It’ll be hard to find a new job. »
Her coworker, Le My Ten, who is more than five months pregnant, shares the same fear.
Tien has planned to work for several more months to save for childbirth, but the factory is closing « before I could save anything, » she said.
Pregnant, young mothers hit hardest
According to the labor union, more than 100 workers currently on maternity leave may not qualify for benefits if their insurance contribution period falls short. Even after giving birth, many say firms hesitate to hire women with infants.
Panko Vina, part of South Korea’s Panko Textile Group, has operated in Vietnam since 2003 and once employed over 8,000 workers. But orders began shrinking after Covid-19. A potential factory takeover by a Hong Kong investor collapsed at the last minute, forcing the company to halt operations.
Workers will receive full January salary plus VND2 million in support. However, many are anxious about life after Tet, especially veteran employees who built their lives around the factory.
Vo Thi Hoa, 33, has spent 15 years with Panko Vina. Her family relied on two garment worker incomes, renting a room near the plant and sending their children to nearby schools. She had planned to use her year-end bonus for Tet and school expenses. Now, she says, everything is uncertain.
« I never thought the closure would come right before Tet, » she said.
Employment promises
Truong Van Phong, deputy manager of Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority, said Monday that seven businesses in the area have registered to recruit all of Panko Vina employees.
The companies operate in electronics and engineering, home interiors and industrial manufacturing and currently have demand for nearly 3,800 new employees, Phong said.
Representatives from the companies are expected to arrive at Panko Vina to directly interview their potential employees in another two weeks, he said.
The Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor says it is also connecting workers with other factories that have signaled interest in hiring.
The union says it will meet with Panko Vina this week to negotiate benefits. It has asked Panko Vina to provide 13th-month pay for those who worked through 2025, offer at least three months’ minimum wage in support, and provide additional aid for pregnant workers.
Workers are also being advised not to withdraw social insurance prematurely to protect long-term benefits, especially if a new investor eventually takes over the site and resumes production.
But for Thi, Ten, Hoa and thousands of others, the countdown to closure is weighing heavily. With Tet just weeks away, many are wondering how they’ll manage rent, food and the holiday, let alone find work in the new year.
« Year-end is the hardest time to plan anything, » Hoa said.
By Le Tuyet – VnExpress.net – December 29, 2025