In these days leading up to the Tet Festival, Da Nang’s residents have spent quite a lot of money buying food and other essential goods, and their spending for Tet seems to have begun earlier than it did last year.  The main reason might be that many local businesses have already revealed the Tet bonuses for their employees, and they are expected to be higher than those of last year.

As a result, many of the city’s major traditional markets have been very busy over recent days, and the volume of goods available is up to 3 times higher than usual.  Best-selling products include fashionable clothes and accessories, footwear, confectionery, Tet specialities, and many types of fish sauce and dried seafood.

The prices of dried, live, and fresh seafood at some local markets are climbing by up to 25% against last month.  In particular, the price per kg of best dried cuttlefish at Han Market has jumped from 550,000 VND to 650,000 VND, whilst that of large dried shrimps has increased by around 100,000 VND to between 750,000 VND and 800,000 VND.  Meanwhile, the prices of live and fresh seafood at Hoa Khanh Market have increased by up to 50,000 VND per kg.

Many of the city’s night markets are also very crowded with shoppers, including the Hoa Khanh, Thanh Vinh and Le Duan venues.

Shoppers at a local supermarket

Meanwhile, many local supermarkets have already stockpiled Tet goods, and the volume of their stock has risen by up to 20% compared with the same period last year.

BigC Mall has recently pledged not to increase the prices of its Tet goods until 7 February.  In particular, the prices of fast-moving consumer goods and textile products, along with electrical and household appliances, will remain unchanged.

Co.op Mart has spent around 30 billion VND on stockpiling over 10,000 tonnes of Tet goods.  The supermarket is offering big discounts on Vietnamese products to stimulate the shopping demands of local residents and visitors.  Thanks to this, the total spending by local consumers at the supermarket is expected to increase by 15% against the same period last year.

The Intimex supermarket is launching the ‘Jubilant Spring Colours’ promotional programmes with preferential discounts on a wide range of goods.  Included are Tet gift baskets, confectionery, jams, beer, wine, beverages, melon and pumpkin seeds, and dried and fresh products.  The supermarket has also stockpiled around 15 tonnes of sticky and fragrant rice, 4 tonnes of pork, beef and chicken, 3,300 cartons of canned beer and beverages, 2,600 cartons of instant noodles and 1,500 cartons of confectionery.