Ho Chi Minh City: Mooncakes are heavily discounted, but vendors still experience sluggish sales.

Despite advertising promotions like "buy one, get three free" or selling four mooncakes for just 90,000 VND, many mooncake stalls in Ho Chi Minh City are still experiencing sluggish sales. Small traders are forced to drastically lower prices to cut losses, but weak demand is causing a quiet market right before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Despite massive discounts on mooncakes, vendors are still struggling to sell them.

According to a reporter from the News and Ethnic Minorities Newspaper, stalls offering significant discounts on mooncakes attract more customers. Ms. Thanh Tam, manager of a mooncake stall on Pham Hung Street (Chanh Hung Ward), said: “A few days ago, before the discount signs were put up, sales were very slow. Today, with the price reduced to 100,000 VND for 3 mooncakes, customers are coming in sporadically, making it a bit busier, but still not significantly. I imported a lot of mooncakes but sales are slow, so I'm forced to sell off the remaining stock; whatever's left over I'll keep for my family.”

According to vendors, mooncake prices have dropped sharply compared to their initial listed prices. Small 150g mooncakes, previously priced at around 60,000 VND/piece, and large 200g mooncakes at 150,000 VND/piece, are now being sold for only 60,000-70,000 VND at many stalls. For Dong Khanh mooncakes, prices are more flexible, with some vendors advertising "100,000 VND for 3 pieces," which works out to just over 30,000 VND/piece. Despite this, demand remains weak. Conversely, major brands like Kinh Do and Nhu Lan have largely maintained their listed prices.

To compete with other small traders, many stalls are offering "huge discounts" to cut losses and avoid having unsold or expired goods.

In An Dong ward, the situation is no brighter. Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, the owner of a cake stall, shared: "I put up a sign saying 'Buy 1, Get 4,' meaning 168,000 VND for 4 cakes, which works out to just over 40,000 VND per cake, but customers still complain it's expensive and demand further discounts. But if I lower it any more, I'll suffer heavy losses because I still have to bear the costs of rent and staff salaries."

The stalls on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, An Dong Ward, offer a variety of prices to meet the diverse needs of customers.

Meanwhile, customers are increasingly prioritizing quality and health. Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong (An Dong ward) said: “Some places sell them for 100,000 VND/3 pieces, others for 130,000 VND/3 pieces, but the 130,000 VND cakes are very hard and not worth the price. Some places advertise 'buy 1 get 4' but in reality it's still nearly 200,000 VND for 4 pieces, which makes me feel cheated.”

The stalls on Nguyen Oanh Street offer a wide variety of attractive designs and packaging, suitable for customers who want to give gifts.

However, at some other stalls, the situation is somewhat more promising. On Nguyen Oanh Street (Go Vap District), some stalls are still bustling thanks to selling luxurious gift boxes. Mr. Truong, a customer, shared: “I mainly buy them as gifts, so I choose eye-catching boxes. The original price is 250,000 VND/box, but I got a discount to 240,000 VND if I bought in bulk, which is acceptable.”

Dong Khanh mooncakes have varying prices depending on the stall, however, Kinh Do mooncakes must be sold at the pre-listed price.

Besides lowering prices, small traders also face increasingly fierce competition. Ms. Huyen My, manager of a pastry stall on Pham Hung Street, said: "Every year, I was the only one selling in this area, but near the holidays, many other stalls have moved in, simultaneously offering huge discounts, forcing me to follow suit."

Some stalls use the "buy one, get four" trick to appeal to customers, but in reality, customers pay a fixed price of nearly 200,000 VND for four items. This practice has angered many buyers, who feel cheated.

Many stalls display signs saying "buy 1, get 4" to appeal to customers' psychology.

The difficult economic situation has further reduced purchasing power. Ms. My admitted: "The cheapest ones are only 15,000 VND per 120g piece, but they're still selling slowly. I've reduced the price as much as possible, but they're still not selling. It's a double loss – unsold inventory and lost capital."

Furthermore, the development of online sales channels has also greatly impacted traditional small traders. Ms. Hanh (Binh Dong ward) shared: “I buy cakes on TikTok because the price is cheaper and they are delivered to my home. However, I still do further research at stalls because I am concerned about the quality and origin of the products when buying online.”

The price of the cakes varies depending on the filling and weight. Cakes with one egg and a smaller weight will be cheaper. Those priced at 90,000 VND for 4 cakes are usually small cakes or trial sizes of 120 grams.

This year's mooncake market has seen a massive influx of private brands, online distribution channels, and promotional offers. This has fragmented the market share, putting significant pressure on traditional vendors. While in previous years, the market was almost completely sold out at this time, many small traders are concerned about a substantial amount of unsold mooncakes after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thi-truong-tien-te/tp-ho-chi-minh-banh-trung-thu-dai-ha-gia-tieu-thuong-van-e-am-20251003131015428.htm