HCM City traditional markets report beginning of Tet sales
HCM City traditional markets report beginning of Tet sales
With the Lunar New Year approaching, demand for dried foods and confectionary is surging in HCM City’s traditional markets.
Dried foods such as shrimp, cuttlefish, cat’s ear and thin-top mushroom, and vermicelli (made of cassava) are sold at markets like Ba Chieu (in Binh Thanh District), Pham Van Hai (Tan Binh District) and Thanh Da (Binh Thanh District).
New products here include dried beef, cuttlefish, chicken, and anchovy, which are traditionally served to guests during the Tet holidays.
According to a shopkeeper at Thanh Da Market, the demand for vermicelli, cat’s ear and thin-top mushroom and dried bamboo shoots are expected to rise further.
Beans and peas, which are used to make cakes and sweetened porridges, are also in demand at these traditional markets.
Their prices are not higher than last year, with dried beef remaining at VND180,000 per kilogramme, green bean at VND60,000, thin-top mushroom at VND200,000-250,000, and first-grade dried bamboo shoot at VND200,000-300,000.
A shopkeeper in Ba Chieu Market said shops have stocked large volumes of goods for Tet.
According to the management of Ba Chieu Market, since the country’s economy has been doing well in recent years, improving people’s purchasing power, high-quality, highly-priced goods are in demand.
An executive at the Saigon Co.op Investment Development JSC (Saigon Co.op) said not only shops in traditional markets but also supermarkets, convenience shops and malls have stocked lots of goods to meet Tet demand.
To stabilise prices, Saigon Co.op has stocked inventory worth VND3 trillion (US$132 million).
It has also announced promotions one month ahead of Tet.
With the traditional markets facing intense competition from the city’s supermarkets and convenience stores, Viet Nam News discovered shopkeepers there quoting reasonable prices unlike in the past.
According to Le Van Tien, deputy manager of the Hoc Mon Wholesale Market, sales would rise from 28 January and peak around a month later. The New Year is on February 5.
He said the market would join hands with the HCM City Food Safety Management Division to monitor and inspect the quality of goods.
The market would also work to enhance traders’awareness of the need to ensure goods quality, he said.
