Footwear and garment factories in Ho Chi Minh City experience surge in orders, leading to increased working hours for employees. Pouyuen Vietnam, the largest employer in the city, has seen a rise in orders and its workers are now working overtime for 30-60 minutes on certain days. The company, employing nearly 39,000 people, expects stable operation for the rest of the year, as stated by Cu Phat Nghiep, the chairman of the firm’s labor union. One of the workers, Huynh My Truc, has been working overtime for 30 minutes almost every day, earning an additional VND1 million to her monthly income of VND11 million. Truc, who has been with the company for 20 years and supports her family, expressed relief when overtime was announced, dispelling her fears of potential layoffs.

Another footwear manufacturer, Khai Hoan, has asked over 1,100 employees to work overtime starting from October, after previously having some of them take days off due to low order volume. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a five-year employee at the company, remained loyal despite her colleagues leaving due to reduced income. With 30 hours of overtime last month, Thanh earned an extra VND2 million, which she plans to use for buying new clothes for her son back home.

Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, the general secretary of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association, mentioned that as the end-of-year shopping season approaches, orders have resumed at factories, leading some companies to require overtime from their employees. Pham Xuan Hong, the chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Garments, Textiles, Embroidery, & Knitwear, stated that garment factories are operating at 85-90% capacity as orders continue to rise. Some factories have even received orders for the third quarter of the following year, indicating a positive trend and reducing the likelihood of employee layoffs. May Saigon 3, of which Hong is the chairman, currently operates at 90% capacity and is actively seeking new customers.