Southern retail market heats up as year-end sales surge

Southern retail market heats up as year-end sales surge

The four-day New Year holiday from January 1 to 4 has driven up demand for shopping and travel, serving as a key trigger for year-end consumption stimulus programmes.

Supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City attract many shoppers thanks to their promotional programmes. VNA/VNS Photo

As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, many southern localities have rolled out coordinated measures to stimulate consumption, with goods having been prepared early and in ample supply, coupled with large-scale promotional programmes, helping sustain market momentum, stabilise prices and build a springboard for growth in 2026. 

In the closing days of last month, shopping activity at supermarkets and shopping malls across southern provinces and cities became more bustling than usual. The four-day New Year holiday from January 1 to 4 has driven up demand for shopping and travel, serving as a key trigger for year-end consumption stimulus programmes. 

Capitalising on this trend, major retail chains have launched extended and strong-discount promotions.

GO! supermarkets nationwide are running a promotion from late December to mid-January, offering significant discounts on food, household goods, and Tết gift items, with many of those discounted by more than 20%, making quality goods more accessible to consumers at reasonable prices. 

At Lotte Mart Đồng Nai, a promotional campaign is offering 30-40% discounts across a wide range of products, from fresh and packaged foods to household goods, electronics, and personal care items. It aims to stimulate consumption and help ease spending pressures for consumers.

Meanwhile, Co.opmart’s promotional campaigns concentrate on essential goods, private-label products, and made-in-Vietnam items. This approach both stimulates consumer demand and helps local businesses expand their market share.

Shopping habits are also changing noticeably. Apart from visiting supermarkets in person, many shoppers are turning to online channels via retail chains’ apps.

According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), Việt Nam's total retail sales and consumer service revenue in November grew 9.1% year-on-year, indicating that purchasing power has picked up despite ongoing economic challenges.

Alongside efforts to stimulate consumption, balancing supply and demand and stabilising the market have been top priorities for local authorities.

The People’s Committee of southern Đồng Nai province issued directives for departments, agencies, and businesses to develop production and business plans early and prepare supply strategies for the year-end period and the Lunar New Year 2026, focusing on preventing shortages, supply disruptions, or sudden price spikes.

Large-scale market-stabilisation programmes have been rolled out in HCM City, with goods prepared to meet a significant share of Tết-month consumer demand, helping curb inflation and reassure residents.

Economists view promotions as a useful stimulus, but stress the need for transparency and quality to prevent backfiring. They note that opting for cost-cutting and production optimisation to lower prices, rather than misleading promotions, is a more sustainable way to build long-term market confidence.

As the peak shopping season approaches, year-end consumer activity in southern localities reflects coordinated and proactive efforts across production and distribution. Ample supply, widespread promotions, and strong engagement from authorities are providing a key boost, not only helping residents celebrate Lunar New Year with sufficient provisions but also supporting economic momentum. 

Bizhub