PHNOM PENH — Khmer New Year is typically a time for joy, togetherness, and celebration in Cambodia, as families reunite and welcome the new year with warmth and festivity. But for some, especially those working hard to provide for their families, this holiday season feels quite different.

This year marks the first time in 37 years that Mey Mon, 60, has not returned to his hometown in Prey Veng to celebrate the New Year with loved ones.

Earlier this year, Mon took up a job as a security guard at a supermarket in Phnom Penh, after retiring from his long-standing role as a city bus driver due to age-related health concerns.

Before working for the city bus service, Mon had spent years driving for private and express bus companies, having first arrived in Phnom Penh in 1988.

“I was a driver my whole life,” said Mon. “I made a living from driving, but I have to give up and be a security guard as it is less demanding. My eyesight is getting bad. I couldn't drive anymore.”

To earn a bit more, Mon chose to work throughout the New Year holiday, taking on extra shifts at the supermarket.

“I never miss a year going to my hometown during Khmer New Year,” he said. “I told my wife I wanted to earn extra money.”

For working during the holidays, Mon earns an additional $5 a day. His shift runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Mon is not alone in sacrificing time with family for the sake of work. Like him, Toek Sokhom, 66, has also traded festive tradition for responsibility.

Sokhom has worked as a trash collector in Phnom Penh for 26 years. This year, he was only able to spend half a day visiting relatives in Kandal province and had to forgo a visit to his wife’s family in Pursat.

He now works the night shift at a condominium in the Toul Kork district, collecting waste and keeping the premises clean.

“I need to ensure everything here is clean, so I have to return in the evening. This is my responsibility,” Sokhom said.

For Sokhom, working during Khmer New Year has become routine. He supports a family of five children and still carries the burden of providing for three of them who are currently studying.

Despite the challenges, Sokhom speaks with deep pride about his children.

"I am poor, and my job is challenging and exhausting. Yet, I live with dignity because all my children are good. They receive an education and possess good knowledge," he said.

Further across the city, another worker grapples with a similar struggle—different in nature, but rooted in the same desire to endure with dignity.

Voeurn Ngim, a 63-year-old motor taxi driver, couldn’t afford to travel to his hometown in Prey Chhor district, Kampong Cham province, this year. He has worked in Phnom Penh for over two decades.

“I need to earn money to pay for a rental room and daily expenses,” Voeurn said, as he sat idly in front of the National Museum. “Now, it has been hard to earn enough to survive, but that has become normal for us.”

With fewer passengers relying on motor taxis, Voeurn’s income has become increasingly unreliable. He sometimes receives food and small donations from kind strangers.

Although he continues working through the holidays, Voeurn has little hope for increased earnings during the festival.

“No one is interested in hiring motor-dob anymore. Such a problem has happened since before the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“At this point, I simply wish to make enough to get by. I realize I'm too old to embark on a new career. Even if I were interested in becoming a security guard, who would employ elderly people like us?”

While Khmer New Year brings lights, music, and laughter to some corners of Phnom Penh, for others like Mon, Sokhom, and Voeurn, it is a time marked by quiet endurance, heavy responsibilities, and the hope that their sacrifices today will mean something better for those they love.