With a successful grand opening, small business owners are hoping for a prosperous year.

According to reporters' observations on February 16th (the 7th day of the Lunar New Year), most clothing stores and restaurants in Can Tho City had reopened to serve customers. By noon that day, many breakfast eateries on De Tham Street (Ninh Kieu District) were still crowded with customers, much to the delight of the vendors.

"I opened my shop on the 6th day of the Lunar New Year. Having so many customers on the first day of the year is wonderful. Not only me, but many other vendors are also excited because they've received good fortune at the beginning of the year."

"After Tet, meat and fish prices have decreased slightly, but some vegetables have increased, making me hesitant about raising the prices of breakfast items at my shop. However, I'm still keeping prices stable to serve the people," said Ms. Anh Phụng (owner of a breakfast shop on De Tham Street).

According to Ms. Phung, the reason for the large crowds at restaurants in the first few days of reopening is due to the desire for a change of taste after Tet. On the other hand, the fact that some people took an extended Tet holiday (until about the 10th day of the Lunar New Year) also contributed to the increase in customers celebrating the holiday.

Small business owners at De Tham market are delighted with the influx of customers after Tet. Photo: Phong Linh.

Also selling coffee on De Tham Street, Ms. Sau (Can Tho City) observed that the number of customers on the 6th day of the Lunar New Year was somewhat higher than today, but the number of people was still higher than usual, and even more prosperous than after the 2023 Lunar New Year.

"In recent years, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the general economic situation has been difficult, causing businesses to be deserted. I also hope that if business goes well at the beginning of 2024, then things will be prosperous at the end of the year."

"This year, my family will also save money so that we can have a happy Tet celebration in 2025," Mrs. Hai said with a smile.

Mr. Duong is delighted that the number of motorbike taxi passengers has increased compared to before Tet. Photo: Phong Linh.

After finishing his last motorbike taxi ride of the day at around 3:30 PM, Mr. Au Duong (70 years old, Can Tho City) was delighted because his first day of work after Tet was very busy. Most of his customers were people going to the market, going out to celebrate Tet, and getting medical checkups at the beginning of the year.

"Before Tet, there might have been days without a single motorbike taxi ride, but starting the new year with four rides is very favorable for me. After deducting gas costs, I still earned 150,000 dong today."

"Generally speaking, nowadays, the development of ride-hailing services coupled with heavy traffic has led people to significantly reduce their use of traditional motorbike taxis. I also hope to earn just over 100,000 VND a day to help cover household expenses; that would be more than enough!" Mr. Duong added.

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