Hai Phong proactively stabilizes the market during Tet holiday.

Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Vu Thi Kim Phuong, spoke with reporters from Hai Phong Newspaper and Radio and Television about managing and regulating the market in the city during the year-end period.

Ms. Vu Thi Kim Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, at the launching ceremony of Hai Phong City's Online Shopping Day 2025. Photo: DO HIEN

- During the year-end period and the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, how will the Department of Industry and Trade implement and advise on plans and scenarios to regulate the market to ensure stable supply and prevent shortages and price spikes?

In preparation for the year-end shopping season, the Department of Industry and Trade proactively advised the City People's Committee to issue a plan on implementing the market stabilization program for essential food items at the end of 2025 and during the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026.

The plan clearly defines its objectives as regulating supply and demand, stabilizing the market, ensuring social welfare, and aligning with the "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods" campaign.

The supply-demand balance scenario for 8 essential commodity groups (rice, spices, cooking oil, pork, poultry, eggs, seafood, and vegetables) is calculated based on the needs of approximately 4.66 million people and the supply capacity of local production areas, combined with sources from neighboring provinces and cities and imports.

These scenarios are designed to be flexible according to various levels of market volatility: from normal conditions to situations of price increases and localized shortages; corresponding to each situation. In addition, the Department has plans to require businesses to increase the amount of goods released to the market, organize mobile sales, intensify price stabilization programs, and combine this with strict inspection and handling of speculation and hoarding.

- How much are distribution systems expected to increase their inventory levels compared to normal daily consumption?

Consumer demand for shopping increases significantly at the end of the year and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In the photo: Consumers shopping at GO! supermarket in Hai Duong . Photo: HOANG QUAN

The city currently has 342 markets, 15 shopping centers, and 32 supermarkets in operation, along with thousands of convenience stores and grocery stores distributed widely across communes, wards, and special zones. Based on years of experience, the Department of Industry and Trade proactively works with major distribution systems (supermarkets, shopping centers, and key businesses) to develop a plan to increase the reserves of essential goods.

Specifically, businesses are being directed to increase their average inventory by approximately 10-12% compared to the same period last year, and by 30-50% compared to normal daily consumption levels. Thus, the existing distribution system has sufficient capacity to both ensure regular supply of goods and increase reserves to serve the peak demand at the end of the year and the Lunar New Year.

- According to forecasts, by how much will purchasing power increase in Hai Phong during the Lunar New Year of 2026 (Year of the Horse), and which product categories are expected to see the strongest increase in demand?

Consumer spending during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday in 2026 in the city is projected to increase by approximately 5-8% compared to the same period last year, continuing the upward trend of recent years. Besides essential goods, demand for regional specialties, high-quality products, and Vietnamese branded goods is expected to surge due to the growing consumer preference for quality and product origin during Tet.

Regarding product groups with strong demand, based on Tet holiday consumption habits and calculated supply-demand balance, the main groups include: food (rice, noodles, vermicelli, etc.), with an average demand of approximately 36,940 tons/month and the city's rice supply of approximately 44,769 tons/month.

Pork demand is approximately 6,506 tons/month, with production around 9,152 tons/month, supplemented by neighboring provinces and imports. Poultry meat demand is approximately 8,815 tons/month, with production around 12,691 tons/month. Poultry eggs demand is approximately 69.96 million eggs/month, with production around 79.13 million eggs/month.

Seafood production is approximately 16,791 tons/month, with output around 27,181 tons/month, about 1.6 times the demand. Vegetable production is approximately 44,776 tons/month, with output around 107,647 tons/month.

During the peak Tet holiday season, the Department of Industry and Trade requires businesses to proactively increase their inventory by 10-15%, depending on the item, compared to the average demand to better meet the increased purchasing power, while still maintaining reserve capacity for unexpected situations.

Representatives from various departments visit booths at the Hai Phong City Online Shopping Day 2025. Photo: DO HIEN

- What measures is the Department of Industry and Trade implementing to control prices and prevent trade fraud while still facilitating promotional and demand-stimulating programs?

The Department of Industry and Trade is implementing two groups of solutions simultaneously. These are strengthening market inspection and control, combating counterfeit and substandard goods, and preventing commercial fraud.

The Department directed the Hai Phong Market Management Sub-Department to develop and implement a plan for market inspection and control before, during, and after the Lunar New Year of 2026, focusing on the following behaviors: speculation, hoarding, creating artificial shortages; trading in prohibited goods, smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and substandard goods; goods without invoices or documents, of unclear origin, without labels, and not meeting food safety standards; intellectual property violations; and violations of regulations on price listing and selling at listed prices.

Inspection and control work is carried out under the direction of the 389 Steering Committee and is implemented in inter-agency inspection teams in coordination with the City Police, the City Department of Finance, the City Tax Department, the City Customs Department, the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones… in order to strictly and promptly handle violations, create a healthy business environment and protect consumer rights.

Alongside inspections, the Department of Industry and Trade requires businesses to strictly adhere to price listing regulations and sell at the listed prices, especially for goods subject to market stabilization. Units developing promotional programs, discounts, and demand-stimulating initiatives must register, notify, and implement them in accordance with legal regulations, ensuring transparency and preventing the misuse of promotions to conceal price increases or the sale of substandard goods.

At the same time, we will promote programs such as: Hai Phong Promotion Month, the program to bring Vietnamese goods to rural areas and industrial zones, and e-commerce sales… This will both stimulate demand and increase people's access to essential goods quickly at reasonable prices and with guaranteed quality.

Thank you very much, comrade!

Performed by Huyen Trang

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/hai-phong-chu-dong-binh-on-thi-truong-dip-tet-529187.html