The Ho Chi Minh City Student Assistance Center has announced a free bus program to help 4,500 students in the city return home for the Lunar New Year (Tet) in February 2010.

The file photo shows students waiting for bus tickets at Mien Dong Bus Station for the Tet holiday last year. The Ho Chi Minh City Student Assistance Center will this year give out 4,500 free tickets to students traveling home for the celebration. (Photo: Tien Phong)

Quach Hai Dat, the center’s director, said that bus tickets will be given to poor students from colleges and universities who regularly participate in social activities and are in good academic standing.

One hundred bus trips including 70 leaving from HCMC and 30 from Hanoi will take students to their homes in the Mekong Delta, central region, Central Highlands, and northern areas.

Students from central provinces like Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Phu Yen and Danang City, whose families have suffered after recent storms and floods, will be prioritized for the service.

The center will list the students selected to receive bus tickets on January 11, 2010.