Long Bien wholesale market is at its busiest during the night and early in the morning, especially during Tet.
In the lead-up to Tet, porters there are required to work harder than usual, quickly unloading goods from trucks and carrying them to kiosks.
Hien, who has worked as a porter for 20 years, says her working day usually begins at 11 p.m. and ends at around 3 a.m. the following morning.
“The hard work makes us forget the night's chill," she says, "Even if it's down to 10 degrees."
Tu, 46, from the northern province of Nam Dinh, shares that normally she earns between VND200,000 and VND300,000, equal to between US$8.5 and US$12.79, a day unloading fruit crates from trucks and then carrying them to kiosks.
Tu reveals before Tet, her income may double or even treble. “I like to go home early and spend the Tet holiday looking after my children. However, the extra work I get during these days is to hold better celebrations for Tet," she adds.
Returning home early or late depends on the money they earn on the last days of the 12th lunar month.
All of the workers dream of sitting around the family dinner on lunar New Year's Eve.