Restoring the market for necessities

In early December, the sun returned after the historic flood. Coming to the markets in flooded areas in the province, it was easy to see the image of traders busily cleaning their stalls. The market floor in many places had not yet completely dried, but the familiar rhythm of life had gradually returned. Not only traditional markets, supermarket systems in the province also rebuilt the premises, stabilized the supply, and brought commercial activities back on track.

Báo Khánh Hòa•02/12/2025

Markets and supermarkets gradually become bustling again

The floods not only caused damage to people's lives but also severely affected the local commodity market. According to preliminary statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 100% of traditional markets and nearly 70% of small grocery stores in communes and wards such as Dien Khanh, Dien Lam, Dien Lac, Dien Dien, Tay Nha Trang, and Bac Nha Trang were flooded or completely washed away.

GO! Nha Trang supermarket staff rearrange goods to serve customers.

At Vinh Thanh Railway Station Market (West Nha Trang Ward), traders have started to reopen their shops since the beginning of December. Every stall is filled with newly imported goods, even though the damage behind is so severe that it cannot be repaired immediately. Ms. Tran Thi Kim Cuc - the owner of a grocery stall who has just finished cleaning up after many days of flooding up to the roof, said: "My stall suffered an estimated damage of 200 million VND. Almost all household goods and groceries were damaged. But people need to shop again, so I try to turn around capital to import goods, selling whatever I have."

Vegetable, meat and fish stalls were directly affected when the water rose, many items could no longer be used or had to be destroyed. To quickly restore the wholesale trade, traders proactively connected with sources of goods, imported the first batches to retain customers and maintain the vitality of the market. Ms. Bui Thanh Thuy - Head of the Management Board of Vinh Thanh Ga Market (West Nha Trang Ward) said: "The whole market has 280 lots with 250 business households. The recent flood water rose 2.5 - 3m, causing all machinery and equipment of the Market Management Board in particular and goods of traders in general to be severely damaged. Up to now, traders have returned to business, especially fresh goods, some stalls are still being repaired. Currently, we really need support for garbage collection and water tankers to clean up mud and dirt to soon bring the market back to normal ."

A vendor at Vinh Thanh Railway Station market cleans up his goods after days of flooding.

Affected by the flood, GO!, Lotte Mart, Mega Market supermarkets and many Bach Hoa Xanh warehouses in wards in Nha Trang area had to temporarily stop operating. As soon as the water receded, recovery work was carried out overnight to restore supply, and by November 26, all supermarkets had returned to operation to serve people's shopping needs. Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van - Communications Director of Central Retail Vietnam, the operator of GO! supermarket, said: "As soon as the water receded, we mobilized all staff to clean, disinfect and work with suppliers to replenish goods as quickly as possible. From November 26, GO! Nha Trang supermarket reopened, the number of customers in the first days of recovery increased by about 20%".

Stabilizing the market after floods

The return of traditional markets and supermarkets is just part of the overall efforts of the functional sector to stabilize the market after the flood. In recent days, the Market Management force has organized continuous monitoring to prevent hoarding and unreasonable price increases. The Department of Industry and Trade also coordinated with localities to organize environmental sanitation in many markets, supporting small traders in disinfecting to ensure food safety and hygiene. Mr. Tran Quoc Sanh - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade said: "The biggest priority of the province is to restore the supply of goods as soon as possible. We require supermarket systems and distribution enterprises to activate reserve plans, keep prices stable, and at the same time support markets to repair damage so they can reopen soon."

Many markets in the province have reopened to serve people's shopping needs.

With the participation of functional agencies, post-flood market support activities have been implemented flexibly and closely following the actual needs of the people. Accordingly, the Department of Industry and Trade coordinated with the Provincial Youth Union to organize 3 price stabilization points and 11 zero-dong vegetable stalls in areas severely affected by floods, helping people promptly access essential goods during the most difficult period. In addition, to ensure supply, many retail businesses had to send refrigerated trucks from neighboring provinces at night, accepting a 15-20% increase in transportation costs to keep prices stable and prevent strong market fluctuations after natural disasters. Thanks to the coordination between traders, businesses and management agencies, the local market is recovering faster than expected. Some large markets have reached 80-90% of operating capacity; supermarket systems have recovered more than 95% of the amount of goods as before the flood. These recovery signals contribute to the early stabilization of commercial activities, creating a foundation for the development phase to return after the flood.

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