The Ultimate Guide to Northern Delights: A Tasty Trek Through the Seasons’ Best Veggies and Fruits

Panic Buying of Vegetables and Meat

On September 11th, with concerns about heavy rain and flooding in many areas, Hanoi residents stocked up on food. Green vegetables in local markets saw a significant price increase. High demand also caused temporary shortages in some supermarkets, with retail systems working urgently to increase the supply of vegetables from the South to the North.

A survey by Tien Phong Newspaper on September 11th in Hanoi’s local markets revealed a continued increase in green vegetable prices compared to previous days. In Cho Xom, Cho Cong, and Cho Van Noi (Ha Dong) markets, prices of vegetables such as sweet potato leaves, water spinach, and amaranth ranged from 15,000 to 17,000 VND per bunch, while water spinach was priced at 15,000-20,000 VND per bundle. Bitter gourd cost around 25,000 VND per kg, while green squash was 30,000-35,000 VND per kg, and onions were priced at 15,000 – 20,000 VND per kg. At Vinh Tuy Market (Hai Ba Trung District), in the early morning of September 11th, there was an abundance of fruits and vegetables, but prices of green vegetables like sweet potato leaves and water spinach surged to 20,000 – 25,000 VND per bundle.

Meat and fish prices remained stable. Mr. Nguyen Tuan Vu, owner of a pig slaughterhouse in Van Giang (Hung Yen) – a supplier to many local markets in Hanoi – said that the purchase volume from traders had increased significantly compared to regular days. On the morning of September 11th alone, Mr. Vu’s slaughterhouse sold over 3 tons of pork.

“After selling out, I continued to slaughter more pigs to ensure a sufficient supply for the people. Pork prices have risen slightly, but we are maintaining stable selling prices and are committed to providing enough goods for the people,” said Mr. Vu.

At supermarkets in Hanoi, the sudden surge in demand led to continuous restocking of food items, but they were quickly snapped up by customers. On September 11th, Winmart, BigC, and Tops Market outlets experienced temporary shortages of vegetables and meat at certain times. During the lunch break, a supermarket located in a large apartment complex on Minh Khai Street (Hai Ba Trung District) ran out of vegetables and meat.

With a large number of residents living in over 20 buildings in the area, the unexpected high demand caused the food items to sell out quickly. Another supermarket on Pham Ngoc Thach Street (Dong Da District) also ran out of leafy vegetables, with only lettuce, roots, and fruits remaining. While vegetables were continuously restocked, the high demand from customers meant that they were quickly sold out. An employee at the supermarket stated that the next batch of vegetables would be available within the next two hours.

Continuous Transportation to the North

In recent days, staff at MM Mega Market supermarkets have been working at full capacity to transport vegetables and other food items from the South to the North. Currently, the system has increased the number of daily trips to transport vegetables and fruits from Binh Duong and Lam Dong to Hanoi, equivalent to 16 tons of produce.

Ms. Tran Kim Nga, Director of External Relations of MM Mega Market Vietnam, said that the supermarket has built a closed supply chain with 5 purchasing and supplying stations, 2 large warehouses in Binh Duong, and 6 B2B delivery depots. “Thanks to this, we can ensure a supply of up to one month for the North. In addition, we have a system of small trucks to deliver goods to areas near the depots. The movement of goods from the South to the North and from the Northern warehouses to MM (Mega Market) customers is guaranteed and increased by three times,” said Ms. Nga.

According to Ms. Nga, some suppliers are currently facing challenges in transporting goods, and the heavy rain and flooding have caused damage to some products. MM (Mega Market) is purchasing as much as possible based on the suppliers’ capacity. At the same time, priority is given to suppliers who can centralize goods at MM (Mega Market)’s central warehouse in Binh Duong province. However, due to the impact of the heavy rain and flooding in the Northern and North-Central regions, there may be delays in the supply of goods.

A representative of the Saigon Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op) said that they had increased the stock for the Northern region by three times compared to regular days. Leafy vegetables and fruits are the most affected by the weather, so Saigon Co.op has increased the supply of these items from Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Dalat, and some provinces in the Mekong Delta.

“Saigon Co.op has ordered more than 200 tons of vegetables and fruits, including water spinach, sweet potato leaves, bitter gourd, grapefruit, bananas, mangoes, etc., from gardens, cooperatives, and businesses, and will continuously transport them from the South to the North. Co.opmart instructs meat suppliers to deliver their products directly to the supermarkets, thus ensuring freshness and maximizing the transportation capacity of both sides,” the representative of Saigon Co.op said.

At each sales point, Co.opmart has extended its operating hours and delivers online orders on the same day. They also offer discounts of 10-35% on essential items to support consumers.

According to Central Retail Vietnam, their GO! and Big C systems have doubled the supply of vegetables compared to regular days. In the past two days, four shipments totaling about 150 tons of vegetables and fruits were transported from the South to supermarkets in the North.