The streets were brightly decorated to welcome the Lunar New Year.

The streets are bustling.

This morning, as usual, Mr. Tan Hung (resident of District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) went to work along the familiar Nguyen Chi Thanh road, but many sections of the road seemed more beautiful and vibrant with colorful potted plants for Tet (Lunar New Year) displaying their beauty and fragrance.

Giant chrysanthemums from Central Vietnam have just arrived in Ho Chi Minh City to serve Tet.

Tet arrives in the small alleys of Saigon.

"Tet has truly arrived. It went by so fast; just yesterday there was nothing, but this morning the streets are already filled with the spirit of spring. And in the coming days, the festive atmosphere will only intensify," Mr. Hung excitedly recounted to his friends and colleagues at the company. Sharing in the joy of welcoming spring, Ms. Nguyen An (from District 4) added: "These past few days, passing by 23.9 Park (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), I've seen those huge chrysanthemum and crystal flower pots, taller than a person, so beautifully vibrant. Every year, when this flower market opens, it's a sign that spring has arrived. Not only flowers, but the entire Nguyen Thai Hoc street has many stalls selling all kinds of goods, gifts, and snacks for Tet, and there are also popular photo spots for 'check-ins' that are always crowded with people."

"The whole neighborhood is bustling with activity welcoming the spring, which lifts my spirits every time I pass by. Now I just want to finish work quickly so I can go out and celebrate the spring, and return to my hometown to reunite with my family like everyone else," Ms. An shared.

The streets of Ho Chi Minh City are decorated brilliantly.

For many businesses, this is the last working week of the year. Therefore, most people take advantage of the opportunity to meet up for year-end gatherings before the Lunar New Year holiday. Although the weather in Ho Chi Minh City has been quite hot these past few days, Ms. Phuong Linh and her female colleagues took advantage of their lunch break to dress up in traditional ao dai dresses and go to the Youth Cultural Center (District 1) to take commemorative photos.

"People have put so much effort into creating such beautiful scenery, I have to take the time to take pictures so as not to let them down. Many streets and corners suddenly become bright and vibrant, which also improves my mood," Linh said happily.

According to Ms. Linh, after a year of hard work, whether successful or unsuccessful, Tet (Lunar New Year) is a time for reunion, enjoying time with family and loved ones, and resting to recharge for the long journeys ahead that "promise many challenges." Therefore, every year I really enjoy going for walks and taking photos in the city center with my family and friends. Besides public entertainment areas, the city center also has many beautifully decorated businesses and shops.

With people flocking to the streets to shop and visit each other, and Tet specialties from all over the country pouring into the city and spilling onto sidewalks and roadsides, the streets have been crowded, narrow, and travel times have been longer in recent days. However, many people understand this because it's Tet, and the hustle and bustle of the peak shopping and travel season is a necessary part of the year.

People were busy shopping.

At the 23.9 Park flower market, giant chrysanthemum pots taller than a person's head are a highlight attracting visitors from both within and outside the country. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trieu, owner of a chrysanthemum garden in Ninh Hoa town ( Khanh Hoa province ), said: "Last night, a batch of crystal chrysanthemums arrived from my hometown, and a few days before that, we had large-flowered chrysanthemums. More will be arriving in the next few days." Like previous years, his family is doing business at three locations: 23.9 Park, Le Van Tam Park flower market, and Gia Dinh Park. Compared to previous years, the amount of flowers brought to Ho Chi Minh City this year has decreased by one-third, from over 60 trucks to about 40 trucks. Flower prices have also decreased slightly. Large-flowered chrysanthemum pots cost 12 million VND/pair, while crystal chrysanthemums cost 10 million VND/pair.

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"These large chrysanthemums are a 'specialty' of the farmers in Khanh Hoa. Because we've been in the business for many years, we have many regular customers. Every year, as soon as the goods arrive, we deliver them to customers immediately. Most of our customers are businesses and companies; new customers have to wait until closer to Tet (Lunar New Year). Due to the difficult economic situation this year, my family and many local farmers have proactively reduced production," Mr. Trieu confided.

Along Nguyen Huu Tho road towards District 7, the atmosphere is equally vibrant with rows of flower and ornamental plant shops. Despite the intense sun, the shopping atmosphere is quite bustling. Many people said they are taking advantage of the early shopping to choose the most satisfactory products and "enjoy" Tet (Lunar New Year) earlier.

Many foreign tourists enjoy the spring flower market.

Similarly, at the upscale Phu My Hung spring flower market, on January 30th (the 20th day of the 12th lunar month), gardeners from all over began bringing flowers here to serve the Tet holiday. A representative from a peach blossom garden in the North, who was unloading her stock, said: "The market will officially open in a few days, but we want to prepare early so that the trees are healthy and can best serve our customers in the South. This year's supply is relatively abundant, and the prices are reasonable so that everyone can enjoy the Tet holiday comfortably."

In recent days, purchasing power in Ho Chi Minh City has surged. From traditional markets to supermarkets and shopping malls, everything is bustling and crowded. Ms. N.T. Tú, the owner of a gift shop on Nguyen Van Dau Street (Binh Thanh District), shared: This year's Tet shopping season started late, and there's only a little over a week left to sell goods. This could be considered the "final week" for revenue for the entire 2024 Tet season. Perhaps because many companies and businesses only paid salaries and bonuses to their employees last weekend, purchasing power has only just begun to gradually increase by 20-30%, and today it's around 40-50% compared to normal.

"Hopefully, consumption will continue to increase in the coming days because in previous years, during the Lunar New Year season, purchasing power usually doubled or tripled compared to normal days. This year, in addition to traditional fruits and confectionery, we are also trying to import more regional specialties and decorative products. Prices have basically only increased slightly compared to normal days," Ms. Tu said with radiant optimism.

Representatives from several major supermarket chains said that in recent days, purchasing power has been increasing rapidly, averaging 50-70% compared to normal days. In addition to essential items such as necessities, cosmetics, and clothing, purchases of gifts, beer, and soft drinks have also increased.

Tet is coming very soon on the roads and streets everywhere.

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The largest banana leaf market in Ho Chi Minh City, located on CMT8 Street at the intersection with Pham Van Hai Street (Tan Binh District), has been bustling for the past ten days. Many vendors, long-time business owners, say that the majority of customers are people who make and sell banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and donate them to charity. The market usually becomes lively after the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month – the day the Kitchen God is sent to heaven. This year, due to economic difficulties and a decrease in the trend of making banh chung at home, consumption is not expected to be as strong as in previous years. Depending on size, the price of banana leaves ranges from 30,000 to 120,000 VND per bundle of 50 leaves. String costs 10,000 VND per bundle, banana leaves from 25,000 to 30,000 VND per kilogram… Molds for making banh chung cost between 30,000 and 40,000 VND.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/duong-pho-da-ruc-ro-don-tet-185240130233451596.htm