Consumers are ready to "shop for Tet
Entering the 2026 Tet season, the financial mindset of Vietnamese people shows a clear shift towards being more proactive and planned, but there are still certain gaps in realizing long-term spending needs for families.
According to an annual survey conducted by Home Credit in collaboration with market research company InsightAsia on more than 700 consumers nationwide in November 2025, 52% of respondents said they felt more confident about their ability to pay for Tet 2026 compared to Tet 2025. This figure reflects a significant improvement in budget planning awareness, especially in the context of year-end spending increasingly under pressure.
However, proactiveness in planning does not mean a wide financial space. Because the cost for a Tet is not simply numbers. It is a burden of feelings converted into money: 75% for parents' gifts, essential food; is a sacrifice of time (73%) for Tet markets, cleaning the house; and above all, is the desire to invest (40%) in a new car, a larger refrigerator - things that go beyond the "eating Tet" framework to become a long-term gift for the family.
60% of survey participants admitted to wanting to contribute more, but it is not possible. Mr. Nguyen Van H. (38 years old, Hanoi) confided: "Recalculating it, the monthly salary for March is only enough to cover the basics. Wanting to buy dad a new speaker system, or the oven my wife likes... is still a difficult problem." The barrier is not that you don't know how to calculate, but that the cash flow is limited at a time when you need too many things.
The highlight of the Tet 2026 financial picture lies in the shift in approach to solutions. Reality shows that 3 out of 5 consumers said they need financial support to prepare for the holidays, reflecting that cash flow pressure is still present even with families who have actively planned spending. 94% of consumers are willing to accept preferential financial solutions such as low or 0% interest rates, not only as a temporary option, but as a budget management tool that is increasingly standardized in Tet spending strategies.
This is a notable change in financial behavior. This is not a passive "borrowing" style, but an active strategy to coordinate cash flow. They learn how to turn "one-time spending" pressure into the comfort of "paying multiple times", prioritizing things with long-term value (34% of asset investment) and meaning (26% of family gifts).
Financial solutions become part of the Tet season
In the context of consumers becoming more proactive but still facing cash flow pressure at the end of the year, consumer finance companies are adjusting their approach to be more flexible and closer to actual needs. Instead of focusing on a single product group, the general trend is to build a solution ecosystem to help consumers allocate spending reasonably, from short-term spending for daily life to long-term investment plans for families during Tet.
Following that approach, Home Credit builds solution packages around the most popular needs during Tet. For customers who need to compensate for short-term cash flow, online cash loans from 20 - 50 million VND are designed with incentives to immediately reduce 800,000 VND in the first installment payment period, helping to reduce cost pressure right from the time of borrowing. This is a factor that many consumers are interested in in the context that Tet spending is often concentrated in a short time.
In the shopping segment, Home Credit expands installment programs at many large retail chains such as The Gioi Di Dong, Dien May Xanh, FPT Shop or Viettel Store. Essential Tet items such as TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines are applied with interest rates from 0%, with flexible terms from 4 to 24 months - an approach to help consumers allocate large shopping costs without having to put the budget into one place at a time.
For motorbikes - a commodity that always records a strong increase in demand before Tet - installment programs are also expanded in the direction of reducing initial barriers. Consumers buying cars from popular brands such as Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio or VinFast electric motorbikes can access the 0 VND prepayment policy, with installment terms extending up to 36 months, thereby making vehicle upgrades more financially feasible.
In parallel with borrowing and installment solutions, the credit card segment is also adjusted towards personalization. The "Flexible Refund" feature allows cardholders to choose 5 different repayment options depending on their spending needs, in addition to preferential programs and repayment opportunities up to 100 million VND, along with a series of discounts at travel and travel partners such as Traveloka or Vexere. This design reflects the trend of considering credit cards as an active spending management tool, instead of just serving payment.
In particular, from an emotional perspective, Home Credit continues to develop the message "Contributing to the Priceless Tet Home" as a step forward from the previous Tet campaign, emphasizing the role of each individual in jointly nurturing a complete Tet season. The survey shows that 66% of participants clearly feel the atmosphere of reunion and 62% said they feel more attached when approaching this message, showing the positive synergy between financial solutions and spiritual values that are the core of Vietnamese Tet.
That message is also conveyed through Home Credit's Tet 2026 film, released on January 2, 2026. Instead of idealizing, the film focuses on depicting the everyday slices of the Tet preparation journey and the sincere and simple efforts of the members, joining hands to "Contribute to the Priceless House Tet". Through this, Home Credit emphasizes its role as an understanding companion, bringing appropriate financial solutions to share the burden in the most stressful time of the year.
