Every year, on the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, Dong Huong wholesale market (Hac Thanh ward, Thanh Hoa province) is extremely bustling. Here, there are thousands of freelance workers and small traders busily working and trading goods to serve Tet.
Records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters in the last days of the 2025 lunar year show that the markets seem to be non-stop, operating day and night with a bustling atmosphere, bustling scenes of buyers, sellers, and freelance workers constantly loading and unloading goods.
This is considered the largest wholesale market for vegetables, tubers, fruits and food in Thanh Hoa, with over 1,000 fixed and non-fixed kiosks. Every day, the market starts to open from about 6 pm to the next morning.
Goods pouring into this market, mainly vegetables, tubers, and fruits, are brought from provinces and cities across the country. After being gathered, the goods will be purchased by small traders and supplied to localities throughout Thanh Hoa province.
Ms. Do Thi Vang (66 years old, residing in Ham Rong ward, Thanh Hoa province) said that she has rented kiosks at Dong Huong wholesale market for more than 10 years. Every year, as Tet approaches, the number of people flocking here is the largest and busiest. The working atmosphere takes place day and night to promptly supply goods to localities to serve people celebrating Tet.
Compared to previous years, purchasing power this year has decreased somewhat, the amount of goods and vehicles to the market is also less. It is possible that due to economic difficulties, consumption has decreased, causing traders and small traders to import more sparingly" - Ms. Vang assessed.
Sharing with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Hoang Duc Canh (resident in Hung Yen province) said that for about 10 years now, he has regularly transported fruits to Dong Huong wholesale market for sale. "In previous years, consumption was very strong, sometimes one kiosk imported a whole cart of goods. However, this year it takes 6 kiosks to take out a whole cart of goods, making business even more difficult" - Mr. Canh said.
According to many small traders trading at Dong Huong wholesale market, although purchasing power has somewhat decreased this year, in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, there are still hundreds of porters and hired workers loading and unloading goods at the market. For them, the days leading up to Tet are a "golden time" to earn extra income.
Mr. Nguyen Huy Vu (23 years old), a hired porter at the market, said that during the Lunar New Year, he and many others come to the wholesale market to earn a living. Although the work is somewhat reduced compared to every year, he can still earn an additional income of about 400 to 500 thousand VND per night to cover expenses and prepare for Tet with his family.
According to small traders, Dong Huong wholesale market starts to become bustling from around the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month until the 29th and 30th of Tet. All activities stop on the last day of the lunar year, after which everyone returns home to celebrate Tet reunion with their families.
