Tet shopping frenzy at Hanoi supermarkets

A view of a supermarket on Tran Duy Hung Street in Cau Giay District at 9 p.m. on Saturday.

This woman has been standing in line at the cash counter for 20 minutes, and with lots of people in front of her, she is likely to stand much longer. The The supermarket has opened 60 counters but is still struggling to cope with the rush.

The biscuit shelf has emptied rapidly. For Tet, confectionery, fruits and other foodstuffs are the most popular purchases.

Imported apples are among fruit products that lure most customers.

There is a scramble to jelly candy, which costs VND50,000 (more than $2) per kilogram. Some buy 10 kg of it.

A man says he was well aware the supermarket would be crowded but still prefers to shop there because prices of most products are cheaper than at other places. He buys confectionery in bulk and packs it in boxes to gift relatives.

"However much we add, they buy it all," a supermarket employee says as he and a colleague repeatedly add various kinds of candies to the shelves.

After jostling to lay their hands a product they want, customers have to wait in line for long to weigh what they have bought.

Some lose patience or run out of time and decide to leave without buying.

A worker cleans the floor as some customers eat their snacks right after buying and litter the place.

The alcohol aisles are not so crowded. Ever since a decree on fines for drunk driving which took effect on January 1 with fines doubled for drunk driving, sales of beer and liquor have dropped.

Long lines of customers remain at cash registers at 10 p.m. This supermarket remains open until 11 p.m., one hour later than normal, for Tet.

The situation is the same at most other supermarkets in the capital, who have to work until the last day of the old year on Friday or even through Tet.