December 29 (ie 30th of Tet), only a few services are still open, the market has gradually closed, only the car wash service is still very popular.
At a car wash on Trung Kinh Street, Cau Giay District (Hanoi), a sign has been posted: Car wash on the 27th of Tet costs 200,000 - 250,000 VND/car. On the 28th and 29th of Tet, the price is 250,000 - 300,000 VND/car. While on normal days, the car wash price is only 50,000 - 80,000 VND/car.
Although the price of car washes has skyrocketed, according to Mr. Quyen - a customer waiting for his turn - said: "Customers still have to wait in line. The weather near Tet in the North is often drizzly and dirty, so the demand for car washes often increases sharply. People also want a clean and beautiful car to travel during Tet. So even if the price increases, it is acceptable. It's Tet."
Mr. Nguyen Dung in Cau Giay district, Hanoi said: Last year on the 30th of Tet, I had to go for a long time to find a car wash and was told the price was 300,000 VND but I still had to wait in line.
"This year, I also planned not to wash the car because it was not too dirty, and I heard the weather forecast for December 29 (ie 30th of Tet), the North will be very cold, with rain in some places. However, I wanted a new, clean car on the first day of the year, so I went to wash it. Learning from experience, I washed the car earlier this year, but the job is just now finished, I can only wash the car on the 29th of Tet, the price of 300,000 VND is acceptable" - Mr. Dung said.
Besides, there are still car care facilities that commit: Car wash prices on normal days. For example, Luca Auto facility in Lac Long Quan, Tay Ho district (Hanoi) commits: No increase in car wash, spa prices... on any holiday, including the 29th... of Lunar New Year.
From around December 28 to 29, the number of customers coming to wash cars will increase dramatically. The busiest time is from 9am to 4pm. Many shops will work until 6pm on the 29th of Tet.
According to the owner of a car wash on Trung Kinh Street, these days the number of cars increases 4-5 times compared to normal days. On many days, the number of cars coming to be washed has to be very long, so to meet the demand, the staff is forced to work continuously, with very little time to rest.
"The store's employees are from provinces far from Hanoi. The amount of work is very large, so the increase in service prices is to have more income, to compensate workers, as well as to encourage workers to stay and work until near Tet. Employees have to work from early morning to late at night, accepting to return home late for Tet, so the service prices need to be increased to be worthy of the workers' efforts," the owner shared.
