At a barber shop on Cu Loc Street in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District, the space was packed with customers. Shop owner Pham Quoc Huy said in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), his shop serves around 50 customers per day, three to four times the usual number. The nine-day New Year break begins Saturday.
“I can’t take on any more customers as our regulars have already booked all the available slots,” Huy said.
Huy noted that most of his customers are office workers who favor styles like light curls or brown-yellow hair colors. Curling and dyeing services typically cost between VND 1-1.5 million ($40-60) and require 2-3 hours to complete.
Smaller salons tucked away in Hanoi's alleys are equally bustling. At a men’s hair salon in Alley 58 on Vu Trong Phung Street, Thanh Xuan District, three barbers worked nonstop to keep up with the high demand.
To avoid lengthy waits, many customers chose evening appointments. Quoc Khanh, 18, shared: “I came in the evening to get the Ruffle hairstyle while most people were having dinner, so I didn’t have to wait.”
Nail and eyelash salons are just as busy. At a nail salon located in a narrow alley on Quan Nhan Street, Hanoi, four workers were constantly attending to clients.
“Close to Tet, customers come in nonstop throughout the day, and we’ve had to suspend hair washing services due to limited space,” explained shop owner Ha Hien.
This year’s trending nail designs, such as Cat Eye and Moonlight, are in high demand. Basic nail services are priced between VND200,000- 300,000, while more elaborate designs, requiring 2-3 hours to complete, come at a higher cost.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the demand for beauty services has spiked in the 10 days leading up to Tet. At Lam Anh’s nail salon on Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District, customer numbers have tripled compared to regular days. The salon has extended its operating hours from 9 a.m. to as late as 10 p.m., with some clients staying until 1 a.m. to complete their nail treatments.
Hong Phuc, a 22-year-old resident of District 9, shared that she had to schedule her appointment a month ahead of time.
Eyelash salons are experiencing high demand as well. A salon on Nguyen Gia Tri Street in Binh Thanh District has extended its operating hours from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. to accommodate customers.
Eyelash extensions take around an hour to complete, with a Tet surcharge of VND300,000, which is VND50,000 higher than the usual rate.
Minh Tam, 22, spent several hours waiting at a hair salon on Hung Phu Street in District 8. She shared that she has spent approximately VND5 million on beauty services in preparation for Tet.
