Unprecedented scene
Visit Tan Binh market (Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City) in mid-June, the business atmosphere at the famous wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh City is unusually quiet. Right from the entrance to the cage house, many stalls were covered with tarpaulins and dust, showing that they had not been operating for a long time.
According to many traders, the main reason is due to sluggish business and a sharp decrease in the number of customers, making it impossible for many people to bear the rental costs.
"If you can't sell for much, you still have to pay for the site and electricity and water. If they do not meet the inspection, it will be even more troublesome, so many people have been temporarily off for a few months now. I also went up to get the goods to send to customers at home, but it was not open all day, said Ms. L.T.H - a clothing trader at Tan Binh market.
At An Dong Commercial Center (District 5), the scenery is not much better. The image of a series of stalls continuously closing and looking for new "owners" makes many people feel sad, especially when this place used to be the bustling commercial center of the city, crowded with customers and individual customers from morning to afternoon.
Ms. N.N.H - a trader who has been at An Dong Trade Center for more than 10 years - said that the loss of business has made traders like her no longer eager to open a store.
"Sometimes when I come to the stall, I feel so lost that I want to cry. Many kiosk owners near me have now switched to online platforms, livestreaming to sell products through social networks, instead of going to the market wherever there are customers" - Ms. H said.
Meanwhile, at Binh Tay market (District 6), buying and selling activities are still taking place normally, but are no longer as vibrant as in previous years. In addition to kiosks that have been closed for a long time because the owners have changed their business direction or need to transfer, some other stalls at the market are now mainly used as warehouses, instead of places for trading as before.
"The stalls with transfer papers or needing to sell have been mostly closed for a few years. As for any re-opened stalls, most of them are warehouses of the owners" - Mr. Phat - a trader at the market said.
Tightening the origin of goods
In addition to slow trading, they are also worried that the authorities will check the origin of the goods, so they decided to "go into a situation where they are unable to move" and close the kiosk to avoid risks.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat - Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Department, during the inspection, the market management force often encountered many difficulties because violators always tried to deal with them and took advantage of loopholes to avoid them.
For example, when checking areas with concentrated trading activities, the authorities often have to appear publicly and cannot wear traditional costumes, so detection is very likely to happen. This creates conditions for violators to quickly spread goods and warn each other. Even if violations were detected and handled, the next day, trading in violating goods would repeat as before.
Mr. Dat emphasized that the fight against counterfeit, counterfeit, and poor quality goods cannot only rely on the efforts of the authorities but also requires the cooperation of the business community and consumers.
He also recommended that consumers need to be decisive, not make compromises with illegal businesses, and raise awareness to protect themselves. In reality, many consumers when shopping online often really suffer on their side.
Therefore, when purchasing goods, consumers need to pay attention to the design, product quality, check carefully before payment, and especially request invoices, documents or receipts - necessary evidence when a dispute arises. A genuine business will never hide its address or contact phone number.
