Hanoi: Bustling Shopping
With only a few days left until Tet holiday, the people of Hanoi are rushing to shop at supermarkets, causing crowded stores. According to the reporters of People’s Labor Newspaper on February 5th, large supermarkets and shopping centers in Hanoi such as Big C Thang Long, AEON Mall Ha Dong, AEON Mall Long Bien… are bustling with shoppers. Many Hanoi residents are taking the opportunity to buy gifts to bring back to their hometowns, preparing for the Lunar New Year of 2024, the Year of the Rat. The stalls selling Tet cakes, nuts, and candies are always crowded with customers. Tet gift baskets with eye-catching designs, priced from 299,000 – 699,000 dong/basket, are popular among consumers. This is also the segment that supermarkets are focusing on preparing for this year.
At Big C Thang Long supermarket, due to the overcrowded shopping carts, some stalls selling cakes, food, and fruits are “traffic jammed” at certain times. According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, the supermarket manager, the number of customers shopping increases towards the evening. To meet the needs of people during Tet, the GO! and Big C supermarket systems nationwide will be open from 7 am to 11 pm every day. From the 2nd day of Tet, the system will operate normally, opening from 8 am to 10 pm.
As reported by reporters and reflected by the people, Tet goods in supermarkets this year have stable prices and abundant supply, so there is no sudden price increase. Ms. Hoang Minh Nguyet (living in Ha Dong district) said that due to the large number of customers, she had to wait quite a long time to pay. According to Ms. Nguyet, her family’s Tet shopping this year is reduced compared to previous years due to general difficulties.
Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Lan, Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, said that Hanoi has more than 14,500 shops supplying goods for the Lunar New Year of 2024. It is estimated that the total value of goods is nearly 41,000 billion dong, an increase of about 10% compared to the previous year.
Hanoi residents waiting in line to pay at the supermarket. Photo: MINH CHIEN
Da Nang: Stable prices, decreased purchasing power
In Da Nang city, goods for the Lunar New Year at markets and supermarkets are abundant, meeting the shopping needs of the people. The Department of Industry and Trade of Da Nang said that many stable sales activities have been implemented during Tet to ensure the balance of supply and demand for essential food items and meet the consumer needs. The city has organized 19 stable sales points including livestock and poultry in 3 days from the 27th to the 29th of the last lunar month at markets throughout the city. These sales points are committed to ensuring food safety, posting prices, and maintaining stable prices. The Department of Industry and Trade also mobilizes businesses to stabilize rice prices at 5 locations with prices lower than retail prices by 5% – 15%.
Large supermarkets in Da Nang are organizing stable sales at reasonable prices. Many businesses, supermarkets, shopping centers, and distributors are also simultaneously organizing promotion programs to stimulate consumption and contribute to serving shopping demands and stabilizing the market during Tet.
In traditional markets in Da Nang, goods for Tet are abundant. However, it is observed that the purchasing power of the people this year is lower than last year. Despite being the 26th Tet, some large markets are still thinly populated. Supermarkets are mostly crowded in the evening.
Customers choosing groceries for Tet at Con Market, Da Nang. Photo: BICH VAN
Mekong Delta: Commitment to no price increase
In the Mekong Delta region, localities have proactively secured the goods source to serve the shopping needs of the people before Tet. The Department of Industry and Trade of An Giang province said that it has coordinated with 24 registered businesses, 212 agents, shops, and stable sales points for the Lunar New Year. Among them, there are 113 stores for food, groceries, consumer goods, and cosmetics; 99 petrol stations and LPG stores are located throughout the province. The total reserve value of goods is about 1,249 billion dong. “We will continue to monitor and evaluate supply and demand, especially for essential and highly demanded items or those with price fluctuations. Based on that, we will proactively propose plans to relevant agencies to ensure the supply-demand balance, market stability, and prevent shortages and disruptions that cause sudden price increases” – said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Huan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of An Giang province.
The CP Viet Nam Livestock Company – Dong Thap Branch has also planned to secure a stable goods source in the An Giang market. “We commit to the supply of pork and poultry eggs for An Giang province to ensure the shopping needs of the people, avoid interruption in the supply, and unreasonable price increases. Even with fluctuations in the pork and poultry egg market, when the market price is high, the company still ensures the supply” – said Mr. Ngo Thoai, Director of the CP Vietnam Livestock Company – Dong Thap Branch.
There are 20 businesses in Ca Mau participating in reserving goods for Tet with a total value of over 1,000 billion dong, focusing on 6 groups: foodstuffs; food technology (sugar, MSG, seasoning powder…); OCOP products, typical rural industrial… To prepare good conditions to serve people during Tet, the Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee has issued a directive to propose the Department of Industry and Trade, Market Management Agency to closely monitor the market situation to proactively ensure the supply of essential items, ensure quality… Thereby, prevent shortages, hoarding, disruption of supply that cause sudden price increases; strictly handle violations to ensure the interests of consumers.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, owner of Nguyen Gia Food Production Facility (Binh Tan district, Vinh Long province), said that although the price of sugar has increased, the selling price of the types of candies her facility produces is still the same as usual. The main product of this facility is boxed pomelo peel candies. The selling price of this product during Tet is 85,000 dong/box (220 grams) and 170,000 dong/box (450 grams).
Soc Trang – Purple Onion – selling like hot cakes
