For many people, winter shopping is also a pleasure. No wonder, as the last month of the year arrives and the cool winds start to blow, numerous stores and markets showcase winter fashion products, drawing in large crowds of shoppers.

Although not as diverse as summer fashion, winter fashion in the city by Han River remains fresh and elegant, meeting the needs of the local people. (Illustrative image)

These days in Da Nang, the winter chill is not yet strongly felt, and the winter fashion stalls still show no signs of the seasonal shift. On major fashion streets like Le Duan, Phan Chau Trinh, Hoang Dieu, Dien Bien Phu, Hung Vuong, and Nguyen Van Linh, stores continue to display autumn clothing.

Mr. Nguyen Dien, owner of Lana fashion shop (226 Le Duan), mentioned that this year, winter fashion items are not as diverse as last year, and the quantity imported is also lower, as the weather in Da Nang was forecasted to be not too cold. Nevertheless, his shop still ensures a full range of winter fashion items, including fleece materials, woolen dresses and sweaters, socks, and gloves in various colors and sizes for customers. "This year's winter fashion still features familiar designs, with no significant changes in materials or styles compared to previous years," said Mr. Dien.

When it comes to winter fashion, it's impossible not to mention high-demand items like tights, gloves, face masks, hats, and various types of warm headgear. At Hoa Giao shop (Le Duan Street), many cold-weather products are already on display. The most popular items, which people are purchasing the most, include warming gloves and scarves. Each product is priced from a few dozen to several hundred thousand VND. Ms. Le Nguyen Ha Tien (40 years old, a fashion retailer at Cho Moi) shared that this year, the quantity of warming products is lower than last year, with only a few dozen units of each design being imported to the store.

Time is slowly moving toward the new year of 2025, yet it seems that winter is still something many people are eagerly awaiting. Winter is not just a season of cold and rush, with countless worries as the traditional Tet holiday approaches, bringing with it plans that need to be completed before the old year ends. However, it is also a season of family bonds, a time for family members and close relatives to gather and share more with each other.

Ms. Tran Viet Ha (31 years old, from Nui Thanh Street, Hai Chau District) shared that among the four seasons, she likes winter the most because the chilly air brings people closer together, and encourages more sharing. In recent years, her family has continued their charitable work which is collecting warm clothes with the aim of helping the poor and people in remote mountainous areas experience a warmer winter. As for Duy Ngoc (30 years old, from Ngo Quyen Street, Son Tra District), although he doesn’t have the same shopping habits as the women in his family, he still feels the chill of winter, especially on mornings when he enjoys a cup of coffee on the sidewalk with friends. When he was younger, it was the feeling of riding his bike through the streets, battling the headwind, to really experience the sharp, biting cold on his face.

At the age of 75, Mrs. Le Thi Hien (from Hoang Dieu Street, Hai Chau District) still fondly remembers the cold winter days when her whole family gathered in the North. Back then, to stay warm, each family member was given a quilted jacket, and the family would sit around the fire to warm themselves by the glowing embers. The quilted jacket became a signature winter garment of Northern people. After moving to Da Nang, the distinct feeling of winter was no longer as vivid. Perhaps there were only a few chilly gusts of wind slipping through her clothes, but the sharp cold she once felt had been absent for a long time.

In the Vietnamese mindset, perhaps only the North truly experiences winter. Winter is like a "specialty" of this region, especially when the weather turns cold and temperatures drop sharply. To truly describe and capture the essence of the cold in the North, people often use the word "ret" (cold). It's a cold that feels sharp, like needles pricking through the skin, and when wearing a thin jacket, one is easily overtaken by shivers as the cold wind gusts through.

In his work "Gio lanh dau mua" (The First Cold Wind of the Season), the writer Thach Lam described winter in the North, specifically in Hanoi, as a cold that cut into the skin and flesh, and it is the one that causes lips to turn purple and teeth to chatter. For people in Da Nang, as far as I know, in nearly 20 years, they have likely never experienced a winter like the one Thach Lam described. Instead, it’s more like waking up early in the morning and having to put on a light jacket before stepping out to avoid the biting cold wind. It’s about wearing socks to help you fall into a deeper sleep when the outdoor temperature at night sometimes drops to 15-16°C. It’s also the sight of people hurrying through the streets, as if trying to escape the cold winds sneaking through their thick, warm coats. Although not as diverse as summer fashion, winter fashion in the city by Han River remains fresh and elegant, meeting the needs of the local people.

Reporting by NHAN HOA ANH - Translating by HONG VAN