Chinese dried vegetables flood the Tet market, passing through the hands of traders and becoming expensive "royal goods"

Wholesale traders are rushing to sell Tet At Ty goods, including dried Chinese vegetables. Notably, these vegetables are being turned into "royal goods" in Vietnamese markets and sold at extremely high prices.

“Royal specialties” - a phrase used to refer to the delicacies and rare things from ancient regions that were offered to the king. And in recent years, “royal specialties” has become a familiar phrase used by traders to advertise many agricultural specialties.

In late 2024, on online wholesale markets, the phrase "royal specialty" or "royal goods" appeared again in ads selling a type of dried vegetable imported from China.

At an online wholesale market with more than 150,000 members participating in wholesale trading, Ms. Ngo Thi Xuan continuously advertises selling royal vegetables at 270,000 VND/kg.

Advertised as a royal product, Chinese dried vegetables are flooding the Tet market. Photo: NVCC

Ms. Xuan said that the royal vegetable is also known as the boiled vegetable, sea celery or dried vegetable, originating from Jiangsu province of China. This dried vegetable is imported to Vietnam all year round, but during the Tet season, consumer demand increases so the amount of vegetables she imports also increases sharply with each trip.

This dried vegetable only needs to be soaked in water to expand and can then be processed into stir-fried dishes, salads, pickles, etc. When eaten, the vegetable is crunchy and has a characteristic aroma, so it is quite popular with housewives.

"Therefore, from mid-November until now, each trip I usually import about 1-2 tons of these dried vegetables to pay for wholesale orders from customers," Ms. Xuan revealed.

However, this weekend's shipment, the amount of vegetables she imported was up to nearly ten tons to gradually sell for the whole Tet At Ty season. Because, the closer to Tet, the more goods from China arrive in our country. At that time, transportation is often delayed. Now, importing early to store in the warehouse ensures the supply to deliver goods to wholesale customers.

Similarly, since the beginning of December until now, every day, Mr. Phung Van Quang (wholesale distributor of Chinese royal vegetables in the Lao Cai border gate area) has been selling to wholesale customers about 300 kg of royal vegetables.

He imported this type of dried vegetable from China. On this occasion, to make it easier for customers to choose, he imported both type A and B and then sold it wholesale at prices ranging from 250,000 to 275,000 VND/kg. Accordingly, not only customers in the North but also customers from the Southern provinces ordered a lot.

On the market, rau tien vua costs from 350,000-550,000 VND/kg. Photo: NVCC

“The Lunar New Year holiday is quite long, people often choose to buy green vegetables to store, including this dried vegetable for the king. Therefore, during the peak season of Tet goods, the amount of goods I sell is about 3-4 times more than usual,” he said, emphasizing that the royal vegetable can be kept for several months without fear of spoiling because it is dried.

In our country today, this royal vegetable is grown in many provinces such as: Nam Dinh , Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh... However, in the market it is very difficult to distinguish which is domestically produced and which is of Chinese origin.

The retail price of this dried vegetable ranges from 400,000-550,000 VND/kg. The goods are usually divided into bundles of 0.5-1kg or divided into bags weighing 200-500 grams/bag.

Compared to the price of other dried vegetables, Rau Tien Vua is a super expensive item. Therefore, many families consider it a precious specialty, not only to buy for personal use but also as a gift during Tet holiday.

Source