Unprecedented: Small businesses in Tho Tang town close en masse

The people of Tho Tang town are known for their “big business” profession, and are known as “staying up all night without sleeping” to do business. This is one of the largest transit points for goods in the North, so the number of vehicles coming in and out of the locality is always bustling regardless of day or night, but in recent days the streets have become more spacious due to the lack of vehicles.

On the afternoon of May 27, reporters observed that on the main road leading to Tho Tang town, both rows of houses and businesses of households were closed. The road was about 3-4km long with thousands of households selling goods next to each other, most of them without any trading activities.

Shops on both sides of the main road leading to Tho Tang town (Vinh Tuong) have been closed for many days now.

Some households and businesses that were half open were also very deserted, making Tho Tang town quiet, in complete contrast to the bustling, noisy image before. The closure of small businesses made trading and buying and selling difficult for people, especially for strange customers who came from far away. Many people had to return home because they could not predict the situation and could not contact the business owners.

When asked why local people closed their businesses, many business owners, workers, and even young men driving trucks carrying goods in the area shook their heads and answered "don't know".

According to the assessment of the Market Management Team officer in charge of Vinh Tuong district, when the Prime Minister issued a telegram to launch a peak period of fighting to prevent and repel smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and infringement of intellectual property rights, the functional forces in the localities simultaneously launched a peak period of inspection of production and business establishments.

Traders are concerned that authorities will inspect and temporarily detain goods for investigation and verification in the context of interdisciplinary inspection teams, economic police, and market management being deployed to handle violations from central to local levels.

At the same time, tax authorities are also conducting inspections, making small traders worried because many businesses have not yet issued electronic sales invoices, so they avoid authorities by closing their doors to deal with the situation.

The road leading to the center of Tho Tang town is unusually deserted these days.

Tho Tang town is the economic center of Vinh Tuong district, in which the trade and service sector accounts for about 80% of the economic structure. Here, goods are not only abundant but also diverse, from needles, threads to large and small industrial machines. Trading activities are bustling day and night, from the new quarter to the village temple. In Tho Tang market, buying and selling and exchanging goods take place non-stop. At night, agricultural products are sold, and during the day, small traders take advantage of the opportunity to sell retail. Therefore, the fact that small traders have closed their shops en masse like in the past few days is an unprecedented event.

News and photos: Ha Tran

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/128977/Chua-tung-co-Tieu-thuong-thi-tran-Tho-Tang-dong-loat-dong-cua