This photo taken on December 23, 2024 shows Nguyen Thi Hiep, who works at Taiwanese shoemaker Pou Chen's Pouyuen Vietnam factory, checking her mobile phone as she stands in her apartment in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is among the world's largest exporters of clothing, footwear and furniture and Ho Chi Minh City and its hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have for decades helped power its manufacturing boom. But as living costs surge, a wave of workers are rejecting the commercial hub for a quieter life back home -- leaving city businesses struggling to fill their ranks. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP) / TO GO WITH: Vietnam-economy-labour-lifestyle, FOCUS by Tran Thi Minh Ha (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)