Bustling Tet shopping on the last day of the year

Supermarkets and traditional markets in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue were crowded with shoppers on the last day of the old year, but not as bustling as the previous two days.

In Hue , many people took the opportunity to choose the remaining goods at Go! Hue before the supermarket closed at 2 p.m. on the 30th of Tet. An employee here said the number of shoppers today was quite large, because this is one of the city's major shopping and supply points.

"Many Tet goods are deeply discounted, making people want to buy more," this person said.

People buy goods at Go!Hue in the early afternoon of the 30th of Tet. Photo: Duc Minh — People buy goods at Go! Hue in the early afternoon of the 30th of Tet. Photo: *Duc Minh*

In Ho Chi Minh City , Coopmart Cong Quynh supermarket (District 5) is open until 12:00. The number of customers coming to shop is large, but not as bustling as the previous two days.

Supermarket staff said that this morning the system continued to import more herbs of all kinds to meet people's needs, while the popular fresh vegetable counters such as Malabar spinach and various types of cabbage were empty.

"The supermarket has reduced the prices of flowers for Tet to stimulate demand at the end of the year," said an employee.

Supermarket staff restock shelves. Photo: Quynh Trang — Supermarket staff restock shelves. Photo: *Quynh Trang*

At wholesale markets, traders imported goods from the night before until about 5am today. Stalls with remaining goods were sold at cheap prices, including many types of fruit at "floor prices". For example, a box of yellow Rosy apples is now 550,000 VND for an 18kg box, or only 30,000 VND per kg, Thai yellow tangerines are only 20,000 VND per kg, green-skinned pink grapefruit is 30,000 VND per kg; Buddha's hand is 30,000 VND per fruit. Gladiolus and chrysanthemums are also sold at many stalls at the end of the year for only 20,000-50,000 VND per bunch (depending on the type). The prices of these types have decreased by 40-50% compared to before, so the number of buyers is quite large.

In Hanoi , people still go shopping for Tet. At Big C Ha Dong, staff said the store is open until 2 p.m. Many shelves of vegetables, fruits, and candy were empty by noon.

People shopping at Big C Ha Dong. Photo: Phuong Dung — People shopping at Big C Ha Dong. Photo: *Phuong Dung*

Similarly, at the nearby Coopmart supermarket, many shelves in the area were also out of stock and were being cleaned by staff. A supermarket representative said that demand had increased sharply since around the 26th of Tet. The most purchased products included meat, fruit, dried food, household goods, candies, and Tet jams.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang, Director of Co.opmart Operations, said that the system's retail units have reached their highest level since the start of the Tet business program until today. In the last week, the system welcomed more than 2.2 million visitors, with purchasing power increasing 2-3 times compared to a normal month.

For the MM Mega Market system, the number of customers buying on the 30th of Tet also increased. The representative of this system said that revenue in the days before Tet increased by 300% compared to normal days. In particular, Tet gift baskets increased by 15% compared to the same period last year. Of these, discounted goods accounted for 10-15% in the food, green vegetables and candy groups.

The same-day report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the Tet shopping atmosphere on the last day of December was quite bustling. This year, people tend to focus on shopping later than previous years, with the amount of purchases gradually increasing in the week after December 23 due to the need to balance shopping plans with year-end salaries and bonuses.

Supermarket staff also acknowledged that most of the customers at this time are office workers, who do not have time to shop for Tet. In addition, many housewives are tight-fisted and choose discounted items on the last day of the year to buy more.

By the 30th of Tet, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, consumers mostly focused on buying fresh food, vegetables, flowers and fruits to make offerings for the New Year's Eve.

Quynh Trang - Phuong Dung - Thi Ha - Duc Minh

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