On the afternoon of December 28th, along the central road of Kim Boi commune (Bo town area, former Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province), the sound of water sprayers and scrubbing sounds echoed non-stop.
Cars line up in long queues in front of car wash shops. That busy atmosphere is like a familiar beat every Tet and spring.
At a car wash shop located next to the main road, Mr. Bui Hoang Ha - the owner of the facility - while quickly wiping the windows, took the opportunity to chat: "From morning until now, there have been hundreds of cars, working from early morning until late at night, it's very tiring, my dear.
According to Mr. Ha, the car washing price on the afternoon of December 28th ranges from 100,000 - 120,000 VND/car, while on normal days it is only about 60,000 - 70,000 VND.
The increase is nearly one and a half times, but the number of customers still does not decrease.
At the end of the year, everyone wants clean cars to go to wish Tet and return to their hometowns. Workers have to work overtime, electricity and water costs, and labor costs are all higher, so they are forced to adjust prices," Mr. Ha explained.
To avoid crowds on the last day of the year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Linh (Kim Boi commune) proactively took her car to wash from the afternoon of December 28th of the lunar calendar.
I learned from last year's experience, and only took the car to wash on the 29th, but in the end, because it was too crowded and I couldn't wait, I took it home to wash," Ms. Linh shared.
This year, despite the large number of customers, she still doesn't have to wait too long.
Not only in Kim Boi, the overload of car wash services is also happening in many northern mountainous provinces.
Records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters in Dien Bien show that service prices increased slightly from 60,000 VND to 70,000 - 80,000 VND/car.
However, due to having to wait for a long time, many people choose the solution of bringing their cars home to wash themselves to be proactive in time.
In Lang Son, garages and car washes are also packed. Service prices range from about 120,000 - 130,000 VND/car.
Mr. To Duc Cong (Ky Lua ward) said that this year he proactively went to wash his car earlier than every year, but still had to wait nearly an hour for his turn.
The price is higher than usual, but it is acceptable at the end of the year. The only thing I'm most worried about is having to wait a long time," Mr. Cong said.
In the highlands of Lao Cai, the car wash market in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year is also busier than ever. From early morning to late afternoon, many shops on central streets are always overloaded.
Service prices increased from a common level of 70,000 VND to about 90,000 - 100,000 VND/vehicle, even higher if customers request interior cleaning.
At a car wash shop on Hoang Lien street, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - the owner of the establishment - said that the number of customers has increased 2-3 times compared to normal days.
From about the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month onwards, it is continuously crowded, some days we work until late at night and still haven't run out of cars. Prices have increased slightly because labor costs have increased, brothers work harder, but customers still accept it because everyone wants clean cars to welcome the new year," Mr. Hung shared.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Duc (Mau A commune) said that he had visited two stores but had to return because they were too crowded.
I arrived in the morning and there were nearly ten cars in line. Asking, I had to wait more than an hour, so I had to go home to wash myself. Although not as clean as the shop, it's still okay to welcome Tet," he said.
On inter-village roads in the highlands, it is not difficult to see images of people personally wiping every detail of cars right in their home yards.
Although the weather in the last days of the year is quite cold, everyone wants their vehicles to be clean and tidy, as a way to wash away the dust of the old year to start the new year smoothly.
In Hanoi, according to a survey by PV, the common car washing price is over 200,000 VND. In particular, some places "shout prices" up to 300,000 VND/ 7-seater car but are still full of customers.
The reason is explained as there are no more employees. A small number of remaining employees have to pay double or triple the normal day's salary, so many garages are forced to increase prices.
