On the afternoon of the 29th of Tet, at many rural markets, bananas - an indispensable fruit in the Tet fruit tray - are being sold at a huge discount. Instead of the price of 100,000 - 300,000 VND/bunch like the previous days, bananas are now priced at only 10,000 VND/bunch.
At Bo market (Bo town, Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province), the wholesale scene is still bustling. Everyone is taking the opportunity to buy household items and supplies in the last afternoon of the year. The fruit stalls are also full, attracting buyers.
However, instead of banana bunches with "sky-high" prices, this fruit is now sold at a surprising price, only 10,000 VND/bunch.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan - a trader at Bo market - shared: "Two days ago, the price of bananas was very high, sometimes up to 150,000 - 200,000 VND/bunch. Seeing the high price, my family also imported a lot, so now we have to sell at a discount to make it in time for New Year's Eve."
According to Ms. Lan, in the past, due to the high price of bananas, her family imported about 330,000 - 360,000 VND/bunch of 6 bananas. Currently, selling at this price, she is losing at least 30,000 VND/bunch.
The reason for the price reduction, according to many vendors at the rural market, is that buyers have gradually completed their purchases for the fruit trays. Many vendors do not want to keep the goods, so they sell them cheaply to recover their capital.
"There are more than 30 bunches of bananas left, it's better to sell them cheaply than to eat them all. These bunches of bananas are still too young, even if they're ripe, they won't taste good," said this vendor.
In another development, although banana prices have been greatly reduced, other fruits remain stable, even increasing compared to last year.
According to Ms. Vu Phan Yen Nhi - a trader at Bo market, this year's Tet holiday, the prices of dragon fruit and watermelon have increased compared to normal days. Normally, the price of watermelon is only about 13,000 - 15,000 VND/kg, but at the end of the year, the price of this fruit for the altar is 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg. Some beautiful bunches of bananas are also only sold for about 50,000 VND/bunch.
"Some fruits like apples, pears, cantaloupes, grapes... also increased slightly but not significantly" - Ms. Nhi said.
Buyers, mostly rural residents, appeared happy with the price.
Ms. Bui Thi Hien - a buyer - said: "The current price of banana bunches is reasonable. My family bought 5 bunches to make a tray and have extra ripe bananas to eat gradually. However, the discounted banana bunches are no longer beautiful, but at the end of the year, we cannot ask for more."
Lunar New Year is the most important traditional holiday of the year, where cultural values and customs are preserved through each generation.
Among them, the tray of five fruits on the family altar is indispensable, and banana - a familiar fruit, always plays a central role.
