A variety of vegetarian dishes for the full moon of the first lunar month.

(VLO) This year's Lunar New Year market in supermarkets and markets has an abundant supply of goods, and the prices of many food items and offerings are stable, making it easy for consumers to shop.

A variety of fruits, fresh flowers, and vegetarian dishes are offered as sacrifices during the full moon of the first lunar month.

Abundant supply, stable prices.

At markets and supermarkets, goods are abundant and diverse, with prices lower than during Tet (Lunar New Year), especially green vegetables, fresh flowers, and fruits. Areas selling fresh flowers, fruits, confectionery, and sticky rice dishes always attract a large number of buyers. Besides popular flowers for offerings such as yellow chrysanthemums, gladioli, and marigolds, fruits with attractive appearances like green pomelos, red apples, mangoes, custard apples, and tangerines are also selling well.

According to some vendors, chrysanthemums of all kinds range from 20,000-40,000 VND/bunch; petunias 80,000 VND/bunch; willow branches 100,000-120,000 VND/bunch; double lilies at 180,000-200,000 VND/bunch; while gerbera daisies have cooled down to 5,000 VND/flower…

Ms. Le Hong Ngoc, a flower vendor at Vinh Long City Market (Point 2 - Ward 4), shared that although the variety of flowers and fruits for the Lunar New Year's full moon worship is more diverse and prices are more stable than during Tet, purchasing power is not as strong as last year. Due to concerns about slow sales, Ms. Ngoc only imports a few popular types of flowers. According to her, consumers are tending to save money, and many families have already bought flowers during the God of Wealth festival, so they are limiting their purchases of new flowers.

While the price of fresh flowers has increased slightly, the prices of vegetables and fruits have remained almost unchanged, except for straw mushrooms which are still priced at 120,000-150,000 VND/kg. Specifically, sweet cabbage is 10,000 VND/kg; lettuce 20,000 VND/kg; cauliflower 20,000 VND/kg; bitter melon 25,000 VND/kg; kohlrabi 25,000 VND/kg; pumpkin 25,000 VND/kg; Da Lat cabbage 20,000-30,000 VND/kg; Da Lat carrots 40,000 VND/kg…

To meet the demand for offerings during the full moon festival, many vendors at Vinh Long market import a wide variety of attractively presented fruits. Buyers pay particular attention to choosing fresh, beautiful fruits with green stems and leaves, adding solemnity to the offering tray, based on the belief that "offering throughout the year is not as important as offering on the full moon day of the first lunar month."

Ms. Ha Thi Kim Lien, a fruit vendor at Vinh Long market, said that the supply of fruit is abundant, with no shortages or price gouging. Buyers often prefer green fruits that can be displayed for a long time, such as apples, dragon fruit, pomelo, and mangoes, which have stable prices. However, even though it is the peak season for the full moon festival, purchasing power has not yet reached 50% compared to the same period last year.

Ms. Lien shared: "In previous years, the full moon of the first lunar month was not only an occasion for people to buy fruit to offer to their ancestors, but also to make offerings to temples, shrines, vehicles, land, etc. At that time, each customer could buy more than 10kg of fruit, but this year the quantity has decreased significantly, with each person buying an average of only 2-3kg, prioritizing fruits with affordable prices."

Variety of vegetarian foods

The market during the Lunar New Year's full moon is bustling, with increased demand for goods.

During this period, the vegetarian food market is also bustling. Currently, there are quite a few stores selling vegetarian food, making it easy for consumers to choose.

According to Ms. Tong Thi Nhanh, who has been selling vegetarian food for nearly 20 years at Vinh Long market: "The vegetarian dishes favored by customers during the full moon of the first lunar month are quite diverse, ranging from rich and flavorful stews like braised tofu skin and various types of braised imitation meat, to refreshing dishes like vegetable soup and seaweed soup. Besides that, spring rolls, stir-fried noodles, and fried patties are also popular choices due to their delicious flavor, ease of eating, and suitability for family meals."

According to Ms. Nhanh, due to the surge in demand for vegetarian food during the Lunar New Year's full moon festival, she is unable to cook ready-made dishes herself and mainly sells ingredients. She also collaborates with many cooks to create attractive "vegetarian dishes that mimic meat" (vegetarian meat dishes). This allows consumers to easily choose pre-packaged food items, all priced at 10,000 VND per item, offering convenience and saving time in meal preparation.

The full moon of the first lunar month not only holds spiritual significance but also serves as an occasion to express good wishes for a peaceful and happy new year. Therefore, the market for goods is bustling during this time. However, consumers need to be cautious when choosing food, prioritizing products with clear origins and processed at reputable establishments that ensure food safety and hygiene.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Linh, Director of Thuan Duyen Food Co., Ltd. (Tan Phu commune, Tam Binh district), said that the trend of vegetarianism is becoming increasingly popular, not only on full moon days but also as a daily habit for many people. Eating vegetarian after Tet helps make meals lighter and easier to digest.

Anticipating this demand, Linh's company proactively increased production before Tet (Lunar New Year) to meet market demand during the Lantern Festival. This year's order volume has tripled compared to the same period last year, focusing on spices used in vegetarian cooking, produced from local ingredients.

Ms. Tran Phuong (Ward 1, Vinh Long City) shared that the first full moon of the year is the first full moon of the year, so her family pays close attention to preparing offerings. Besides the offerings on the ancestral altar, she also buys additional offerings to offer incense at the temple. To avoid rushing, she buys the offerings 1-2 days in advance, and orders vegetarian dishes in advance to save time.

Text and photos: THAO TIEN

Source: https://baovinhlong.vn/kinh-te/202502/da-dang-thuc-pham-chay-ram-thang-gieng-2e26eee/