Tet fruit is half the price of last year but still sells slowly

The price of fruit for Tet this year is much cheaper than last year, but traders say consumption is much slower.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the price of fruit for offerings at traditional markets on February 8, the 29th of the Lunar New Year, was no different from usual. Many types of flowers for Tet were even nearly half the price compared to the price near the Lunar New Year of the Cat.

Ms. Than (Binh Chanh District) said that she went to the wholesale market at 5am to buy offerings. "This year, I spent 120,000 VND to buy enough flowers of all kinds to decorate the offering tray, while last year I spent more than 200,000 VND but the quantity was even less."

The same goes for fruit offerings. If a bunch of carnations cost 80,000 VND last year, it is now only 50,000 VND. A bunch of 5-6 lilies, which used to cost hundreds of thousands of VND, is now only 70,000 VND. Fruits of all kinds such as grapefruit and dragon fruit are also "softer". The only item whose price has skyrocketed today is pork belly, from 90,000 VND on normal days to 150,000 VND per kilogram.

At Hoa Binh market (District 5), fruits for offerings such as green-skin grapefruit, dragon fruit, custard apple... also did not increase in price compared to normal days.

A stall selling custard apples at Hoa Binh market, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quynh Trang

A retailer said that each kilogram of green-skin pomelos is still sold for 40,000 VND on the 29th of Tet, but sales are slower than last year. Thanh, who has sold custard apples during Tet for two consecutive years, said he did not dare to sell them at a high price this time because no one would buy them. "Each kilogram of custard apples is currently only 60,000 VND, 20,000-30,000 VND cheaper than last Tet, but sales are still very slow," Thanh said.

In Hanoi , fruit stalls along both sides of the road at Ha Dong (Ha Dong) and Nghia Tan (Cau Giay) markets on February 7 (28th of Tet) were crowded with customers and even had prices half as cheap as the same period last year.

Coconut, grapefruit, green banana or Buddha's hand are fruits that many people love to display during Tet with the hope of bringing fortune and luck in the first days of the new year.

Ms. Hanh, a vendor at Ha Dong market, said that the prices of fruits displayed on the five-fruit tray this year are "softer" than every year, only half of last year.

Fruits displayed on a tray of five fruits for sale at Ha Dong market (Ha Dong, Hanoi) on the afternoon of the 28th of Tet. Photo: Anh Minh.

Today, the price of Buddha's hand fruit sold by retailers at the market ranges from 30,000 to 60,000 VND per fruit. The VIP type - large, beautiful, multi-handled Buddha's hand fruit - is sold by retailers for 100,000 to 150,000 VND per fruit. According to Ms. Hanh, this price is only half of the previous Tet price.

Similarly, each small grapefruit to display on the five-fruit tray costs about 20,000-35,000 VND each.

The price is cheaper, but this seller said "the goods are selling very slowly". "We have only had customers for the past two days. In the past days, we just displayed and then took the goods back in," she shared.

At Van La market (Ha Dong), Ms. Hoa, a fruit shop owner, regretted having to sell a bunch of 15 large, even, shiny green bananas for 100,000 VND. Usually, bunches with odd numbers of bananas are more expensive than even numbers, but Ms. Hoa accepted to sell at a loss to "recover capital and go back to her hometown".

However, the most popular are still bunches of bananas with an even number of small fruits, priced between 40,000-60,000 VND.

Not only traditional markets, many fruit shops also import popular, affordable items to sell. Prices here are "slightly" higher than in the market. For example, green bananas are sold for 40,000 VND per kilogram.

Each grapefruit weighs 1 kg, has enough branches and leaves, bright yellow skin, and is large enough to display on the Tet fruit tray. A fruit shop on Tran Dang Ninh Street (Cau Giay) sells it for 65,000 VND. Smaller fruits range from 50,000 to 55,000 VND, and when bought in bulk, the price drops to 30,000 to 40,000 VND.

In Hue , on the evening of February 7 - the 28th of the 12th lunar month, Hue people were bustling to buy Tet goods at Go! Hue supermarket - one of the major shopping destinations, located in a prime location of the city. Candy and fruit are the best-selling products. The supermarket also has many promotions and deep discounts to stimulate shopping.

Choosing nearly 7 kg of apples, grapefruits, and mangoes of various kinds to put in her basket, Ms. Hien, a customer in Kim Long, said "when I saw the discount, I bought some more to burn incense". The price of American red apples was reduced by this supermarket from 65,000 VND per kg to 45,000 VND per kg; Cat Bo mango is 45,900 VND per kg, green-skinned pink grapefruit is 39,900 VND per kg; Buddha's hand is 50,000 VND per fruit.

"It's easy to buy things this year," said Ms. Lien, a housewife living in Thuan Loc ward, while holding a bunch of bananas. The bunches of green bananas displayed on the altar and Tet offering trays have haunted her for many years.

"Before, there were beautiful green bananas, 17 or 21, priced at several hundred thousand, but there were no competitors. Now, you can buy them for just over fifty," she said.

According to her, although the prices of goods have increased compared to normal days, they are still cheap compared to Tet holidays in previous years. The price of gladiolus flowers is about 35,000-80,000 VND (depending on the central market or small market); roses are 100,000 VND for a bunch of 10 flowers; areca nuts are 10,000-13,000 VND per fruit; custard apples are about 45,000-50,000 VND, half the price compared to the same period last year; dragon fruit is 40,000-50,000 VND per kilogram; pineapples are 60,000 VND per fruit. Vegetables and fruits have increased slightly in price by 5,000-10,000 VND.

"Sales are slow even though prices are much cheaper than before," said Mai, a vendor at Dong Ba Market. Her shop specializes in sour shrimp, beef tendons, pickled vegetables, and various other specialties that Hue people enjoy when gathering.

"Now a kilo of beef tendon and pickled onions costs 150,000-180,000 VND, up from 250,000 VND before. The number of buyers has decreased and the price of raw materials has also decreased. Pickled onions cost 15,000-20,000 VND per kilo, while last year they were 40,000 VND and we couldn't even buy them," she said.

Quynh Trang - Anh Minh - Phuong Anh

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