Seasonal home helpers are earning more than double the usual daily rate as many regular household employees take time off during the Tet holiday, agencies say.

Cost of relief house helpers up this Tet

Home help agencies are reporting a hike in daily rates in Hanoi of up to four times the normal rate as regular home helpers take time off to head home for the holiday.

"The price of house help for Tet is between VND400,000-500,000 a day," one broker said, adding that the usual rate was about VND200,000.

An agency in Cau Giay District is broker helpers at VND520,000.

"Families are very careful when choosing house helpers," a representative said.

Most relief helpers at this agency were middle-age woman from rural areas experienced in seasonal domestic work and with good references.

Phuong, a manager at a broker agency in My Dinh Commune, said she had been inundated with dozens of calls and internet messages seeking relief workers during Tet.

Nguyen Duc Hung in Hanoi said he was looking for someone who was familiar with household electrical equipment and every year he needed to find a casual house helper.

"The prices differ each year, but this year prices are especially high, staying at around VND500,000 a day for a helper," he said. "We also have to pay a broker fee of VND800,000."

Nguyen Thi Dinh, a seasonal helper from Thanh Hoa Province, said, "It's normal the price during Tet is higher since the workload will increase.

"I can earn tens of millions of VND during Tet," she said.