At many traditional markets in Ho Chi Minh City, pork prices are increasing sharply following the upward trend of live pigs, causing people's purchasing power to be somewhat affected in the period near the Lunar New Year 2026. Records at retail markets show that lean pork is currently sold at 230,000-250,000 VND/kg, pork belly fluctuates from 160,000-180,000 VND/kg, while pork butt and lean pork are commonly priced at 150,000-160,000 VND/kg.
Tet has not yet arrived but meat prices have already increased, going to the market must consider more carefully, buy less or switch to other foods, some types of pork are as expensive as beef" - Ms. Nguyen Bich Huyen (resident of Gia Dinh ward) shared while buying food at a traditional market. According to Ms. Huyen, pork is still an indispensable ingredient in Tet meals, but the current price level makes many families have to calculate spending more carefully.
At Hoc Mon wholesale market, each night an average of more than 5,300 pigs are received. Pork prices at the wholesale market have also been adjusted by traders to increase sharply, to 95,000-100,000 VND/kg, about 20,000 VND higher than last month.
In order to contribute to stabilizing the market and supporting people to shop for Tet, the GO! hypermarket system is implementing the program "selling fresh pork without profit" nationwide, from January 29 to February 12. The program applies to all domestic fresh pork items with about 70 product codes, in which many key items are "priced" throughout the program, depending on each North - Central - South region.
In which, in the South, VietGAP pork thigh is 112,000 VND/kg (normal price 139,000 VND/kg, down 19%), VietGAP minced pork is 113,000 VND/kg (normal price 139,000 VND/kg, down 19%), VietGAP pork shoulder is 115,000 VND/kg (normal price 142,000 VND/kg, down 19%), VietGAP pork tenderloin is 115,000 VND/kg (normal price 145,000 VND/kg, down 21%), VietGAP pork belly is 150,000 VND/kg (normal price 179,000 VND/kg, down 16%).
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van - Communications Director of Central Retail Vietnam Group - said: "This year, due to the impact of natural disasters and storms, the supply of pork in the market at the end of the year is somewhat scarce, leading to the selling price in traditional markets tending to increase near Tet.
Faced with the above situation, our GO! hypermarket system has proactively negotiated with suppliers to jointly implement a program of selling fresh pork at no profit, thereby contributing to stabilizing the pork price market during the Tet season, helping people easily buy clean pork at the best price, welcoming a more complete Lunar New Year”.
Many other retailers also simultaneously participated in "cooling down" pork prices. Records show that WinMart/WinMart+ is applying discounts of up to 20% for pork products for members. Meanwhile, the Kingfoodmart system is also implementing promotional programs, reducing prices from 6-33% for many items such as spareribs, minced pork, lap tenderloin...
According to Mr. Nguyen Kim Doan - Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Livestock Association, the sharp increase in live hog prices before the 2026 Lunar New Year is a consequence of a prolonged supply-demand imbalance. Epidemics and storms have caused the total herd in many localities to decline, while consumption demand enters the peak at the end of the year. The shortage of supply is most clearly shown in the North, forcing the market to regulate pigs from the South to compensate. Even in the South, the supply is no longer as abundant as in previous years, causing live hog prices to continuously exceed initial forecasts.
In addition, the cost of breeds and animal feed is high, along with the fear of disease risks, causing farmers to be cautious in restocking, making supply difficult to recover quickly in the short term. However, Mr. Doan believes that the price increase may slow down in the weeks leading up to Tet, when retail and processing businesses have proactively developed stabilization scenarios, including stockpiling frozen pork to intervene when prices rise too hot.
