Floating market in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of the 3rd day of Tet (Lunar New Year).

TPO - Before Tet, the poor boat-side neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City was bustling with boats selling all kinds of flowers like a floating market on the river, but in the first days of the new year, it suddenly became eerily quiet due to the absence of both sellers and buyers.

The poor boat village at the foot of Tan Thuan Bridge (District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) is usually bustling with boats selling coconuts, vegetables, bananas, etc., and especially during the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), it is always filled with boats decorated with flowers. This place is likened to a floating market in the heart of the city.

However, during the Lunar New Year holidays, the entire boat village is deserted, with hardly a soul in sight.

The barbershop boat hadn't even opened yet.

Most of the traders in the boat village are from the Mekong Delta provinces. During the Tet holiday, these small business owners took the opportunity to return to their hometowns to reunite with their families.

The boats loaded with coconuts and bananas rest for a few days, basking in the spring sunshine.

The boat village was quiet, with an atmosphere different from usual.

However, a few families in the village still stayed to celebrate Tet. Ms. Phan Thi Mau said: "I picked up the flowers that people threw away to decorate the flower boats for Tet."

The cramped old boat runs on electricity from solar panels.

The poor boat village lacks running water. Residents buy a 30-liter water container for 2,000 dong to use during the Tet holiday.

The kitchen on the boat looked even more beautiful on the afternoon of the third day of Tet.

The woman prepared a farewell meal for her grandparents on the afternoon of the third day of Tet using fish caught from the canal.

The altar is placed on the canal bank by the villagers living in the boathouse.

The woman sheltering from the sun under the lamppost said, "During Tet, we get to rest, but we also lose our source of income from selling vegetables and miscellaneous goods, so things are more difficult than usual."

The ferry carrying passengers to the barge on the first day of the year.

The conversation was lively on the afternoon of the third day of Tet (Lunar New Year). The residents of the floating village said: "Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have remained difficult. The number of customers coming to buy and sell in the floating village has significantly decreased."

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, several boats began to dock, preparing for a new year filled with both worries and hopes.

Life is still difficult, but the boats are beautifully decorated for Tet (Lunar New Year).

The fruit-selling boat is still empty because it hasn't received any new stock yet.

A corner of the boat village welcomes the new year.

River fish caught directly from the boats are selling for only 40,000 VND/kg, but very few people are buying them. Ms. Mau (65 years old) said: "Hopefully, in the new year, more people will come to buy vegetables, fruits, and fish from the people in the boat village, helping to improve our lives."

Tran Nguyen Anh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cho-noi-o-tphcm-chieu-mung-3-tet-post1611894.tpo