Tet shopping rush begins in Hanoi, but not in HCMC

It was difficult to move inside Big C supermarket in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District on Sunday morning as customers with carts packed the aisles.

Sweets and cookies sold by the kilogram attracted large crowds at around 11 a.m. as sugary products are widely consumed during the Lunar New Year holidays, which fall on January 20-26 this year.

Children’s clothes drew many shoppers.

Staff were busy refilling shelves that emptied quickly.

Checkout counters had long queues.

Escalators for entering and leaving the place were packed.

On To Huu Road, dozens of flower vendors have put up shops since the beginning of 2023.

In complete contrast was the scene at Co.opmart Nguyen Dinh Chieu in HCMC’s District 3.

An official at Saigon Co.op, which owns Co.opmart, said the supermarket chain has stockpiled VND6 trillion ($250 million) worth of goods this year, and expects demand to rise as the festival nears.

Nguyen Thi Phi, who was looking at jams and nuts, said the prices of most items have increased since last year. “I will buy a few packs just for the holiday spirit.”

Some customers bought gift packs. Nguyen Thi Thuy Thanh bought seven packs costing a total of VND6.3 million for family and business partners.

At Tops Market Thao Dien in Thu Duc City, fruits were the most sought-after items.

There were no queues at the checkout counters, but the owner of Tops Market, Central Retail, has been increasing the number of staff here to meet the rising demand.

Vietnam’s biggest retail chain, WinMart, said it has increased stocks by 30% from normal days to meet the holiday shopping demand.