Many water shop owners in Ho Chi Minh City are seeing a surge in business during the hot season.

Increasing need for instant cooling among passersby

During the peak hot days in Ho Chi Minh City, a series of beverage stalls on the streets in the city center are doing well due to the increased demand for cooling off from the people.

Many mobile beverage stalls have appeared on the streets of the city center. Photo: Ngoc Anh — In hot weather, many mobile beverage stalls have appeared on the streets of the city center. Photo: Ngoc Anh

According to Lao Dong reporters' records on April 18, along Xo Viet Nghe Tinh and Dinh Bo Linh streets (Binh Thanh district), and Phan Dang Luu street (Phu Nhuan district), many mobile beverage stalls have sprung up with all kinds of refreshing drinks at prices ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 VND.

Ms. Le Thi Dung (70 years old, Binh Thanh district) has been selling soft drinks on Dinh Bo Linh street for nearly 10 years. During the hottest days in Ho Chi Minh City, she sells more than 100 glasses of water every day, her income is much higher than on mild sunny days.

"Because of my old age and poor health, I only work about 9 hours a day and then rest. The recent hot weather has brought many customers, especially between 9am and 10am and 2pm and 3pm," Ms. Dung shared.

Orange juice, watermelon juice, sugarcane juice,... are cool drinks chosen by many customers. Photo: Ngoc Anh

Less than 50 meters from Mrs. Dung’s stall, another beverage stall was also busy preparing cold drinks for customers. Orders came not only from passersby but also from online shoppers.

According to Ms. Hanh (owner of a beverage stall on Dinh Bo Linh Street), these days, she has to increase her imports to meet customers' thirst. On average, she sells about 200 - 300 glasses of water per day.

Ms. Hanh busily prepares orders to deliver to customers. Photo: Ngoc Anh.

"Customers drink a lot so I have to import more goods to sell. At night I mainly import oranges and ice, the quantity I import is 2 or 3 times more than usual," Ms. Hanh shared.

According to Ms. Hanh, customers need to cool off not only during peak hot hours but also in the evening, from 6pm to 10pm, the number of customers is still very large.

Young people choose to go to coffee shops to avoid the heat and meet deadlines.

Not only do people quench their thirst with cool drinks bought hastily on the sidewalk, but many others also choose to "take refuge" in coffee shops for hours to avoid the sun and study and work.

Ms. Van Anh (23 years old, Binh Thanh district) said that for the past 2 months, every week she has chosen to go to a coffee shop near her house to work and avoid the heat at least 3 times. "Because the nature of my job requires constant creativity, I often choose coffee shops with lots of trees and open spaces to be inspired to work instead of sitting at home and turning on the air conditioner," Ms. Van Anh shared.

Many young people choose cafes with large spaces to avoid the heat and work. Photo: Ngoc Anh

Similarly, Mr. Tran Chi Hung (24 years old, District 9) also regularly visits coffee shops with study models or book cafes to be able to concentrate on work during the days when Ho Chi Minh City is hot up to 38-39 degrees Celsius.

"I think during this time, many students and freelancers like me will prioritize going to coffee shops to study and work rather than staying at home. The reason is that when at home, there are many things that distract us such as phones, TV, or bed. It makes us lethargic and not determined to finish something," said Mr. Hung.

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