Abundant Tet supply
The market for goods serving the peak season at the end of the year has begun to be vibrant. Many businesses in Ho Chi Minh City and key manufacturing industries are accelerating their supply preparation.
Mr. Nguyen Van Viet - Chairman of the Vietnam Beer - Alcohol - Beverage Association (VBA), said that from now until Tet, there are about 3 months left, businesses have started to focus on the peak season. He expressed his belief that this year's Tet will be better, when people are willing to shop and businesses also strive to diversify and introduce new products.
However, the market picture is not uniform across industries. While the beverage and food sectors recorded positive preparation and optimism from businesses, the textile and garment industry - a key export industry - is facing its own challenges.
Mr. Pham Xuan Hong - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Textile - Artistic Knitting Association, said that in the fourth quarter of 2025, the industry's orders showed signs of recovery but were not strong. The biggest challenge at present is not the lack of orders, but the change in requirements from partners. In the context of global consumers tightening spending, importers are increasingly issuing stricter criteria on designs, while dividing orders to reduce risks.
He commented that the textile and garment industry will find it difficult to achieve the export growth target of 10% in 2025. The domestic market is not too vibrant as many Vietnamese consumers prefer fast-fried garments from China due to diverse designs and cheap prices. In this context, domestic enterprises do not dare to prepare abundant Tet goods like in previous years.
expected retail growth
According to Ms. Ly Kim Chi - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Food Association, since the end of the third quarter, many businesses have worked overtime, adjusted human resources and lines to ensure delivery progress for retail systems. The enterprise also proactively reserves imported raw materials and domestic agricultural products to avoid price fluctuations, helping the supply of input to be stable and production to run smoothly at the end of the year.
Despite the high cost of importing raw materials and logistics, many businesses still accept reducing profit margins to keep selling prices, support purchasing power and strengthen market confidence. Along with fiscal policies to support production and stabilize the market, businesses have more conditions to maintain a stable price level despite many fluctuations in costs.
Enterprises participating in the stabilization program in Ho Chi Minh City have prepared enough goods by the end of the year, with prices 5-10% lower than the market. Stable goods currently account for 25-43% of the market share in the months before Tet, capable of regulating the market.
Not only the manufacturing side, but also major retail chains have negotiated prices and placed orders early with suppliers. The amount of goods reserved at modern retail channels is expected to increase by 20-50% compared to last year, contributing to stabilizing prices during the peak of Tet.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, goods participating in the 2025 Market Stabilization Program - Binh Ngo 2026 include essential consumer goods, cosmetic goods and 12 important food - food groups such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, animal meat, poultry, poultry eggs, processed foods, vegetables, seafood, spices, milk and drinking water.
Units in the city will also coordinate to implement many incentive programs for workers, helping workers reduce shopping costs, especially support packages when buying Tet gifts for their families. Many transportation companies participate in accompanying and providing home delivery services for workers to conveniently send gifts back to their hometowns.
According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Hung - Deputy Head of the Trade Management Department of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, with a series of stimulus activities taking place throughout the year, Ho Chi Minh City expects to maintain a stable retail growth rate, creating momentum for the commodity market, supporting businesses to break through year-end sales and meet people's shopping needs during the peak holiday season and Tet 2026.
