Small traders… lose reputation for selling Tet goods
On the morning of the 28th of Tet, many traditional markets in Hanoi such as Phung Khoang market, Van Quan agricultural product unit market, Xa La market... were crowded with buyers and sellers.
Prices of meat, fish, and sausages have increased slightly, but there are not many buyers. According to many traders, families staying in Hanoi for Tet took advantage of the peak buying season on Saturday and Sunday (25th and 26th of Tet). The remaining orders today are mainly from customers who placed orders in advance to take home.
On the contrary, vegetable and fruit stalls are very crowded. Ms. Nguyen Thi Mui - the owner of a large fruit stall at Van Quan agricultural unit market, has almost lost her voice after several peak days of selling Tet goods. To "reduce the load", Ms. Mui writes down the price of each type of fruit and "publicly lists" it on each product.
“This morning I had to ask my son and two cousins to help. I only sell until 3pm this afternoon, so this morning is peak season, no matter how expensive or cheap, I will sell everything, and it is still Tet holiday,” said Ms. Mui.
By 10am, Ms. Mui estimated that there were about 600kg of fruit left. However, she was not worried about unsold fruit because the sales were very fast on the morning of the 28th of Tet.
Ms. Mai - the owner of a vegetable stall next to Ms. Mui - also uses the "trick" of publicly listing prices for items. According to Ms. Chau, near Tet, the best-selling vegetables are kohlrabi, carrots, cauliflower, green onions, herbs of all kinds...
“I sold out this afternoon and then had a break for Tet. With the sales rate like this morning, I can pack up and go home to prepare for Tet by around 4pm,” said Ms. Mai.
Old coriander and green banana are in high demand.
Mr. Tran Cong Tam used to sell vegetables at Phung Khoang market, but as Tet nears, he imports more cilantro to sell. According to Mr. Tam, the traditional market is very crowded with women buying cilantro to bathe on New Year's Eve, so his cart of cilantro is so full that by the end of the morning, there is only a small corner left.
“I mainly sell vegetables, and sell coriander for fun. The price of coriander is 10,000 VND/small bunch, people usually buy 5 bunches. I choose old, pungent coriander, so the product is almost the best in the market, and it sells very quickly,” Mr. Tam said with a smile.
After several days of "price fever", green bananas at the traditional market are now priced at around 55,000 - 75,000 VND/kg; for beautiful bunches and odd fruits, the price depends on bargaining.
Ms. Phi Thi Ha has a banana garden to sell for Tet. On the morning of the 28th of Tet, at the Van Quan agricultural unit market, she sold the last bunches in her garden. According to Ms. Ha, she started selling bananas after Ong Cong Ong Tao Day, and the price of bananas gradually decreased. By the morning of the 28th of Tet, she sold them for an average of 55,000 VND/kg.
“With these 40 bunches, I will sell them all this morning. I will sell them cheaply so they can sell quickly and go home to clean up the house. Last year, I was so busy selling that I forgot to save a nice bunch of bananas for my own family,” Ms. Ha shared.
Regarding the skyrocketing price of bananas in recent days, Ms. Ha said that the high prices are usually in street markets, traders pushing up prices. As for banana growers, the price has not fluctuated too much over the years. This year, due to storms and rain, many bananas have broken, but the price of a bunch of bananas is over 500,000 VND, which is a bit... too much. "I sell the most beautiful bunch in the garden, 29 even, shiny fruits, for less than 300,000 VND," Ms. Ha affirmed.
