In Ho Chi Minh City, at 11 PM on the 27th day of the Lunar New Year, Thuy Tien closed her grocery store and walked to the nail salon on Hoang Dieu Street, District 4, as scheduled.
"Getting an appointment at the salon at midnight is a huge relief," said the 25-year-old salon owner. Thuy Tien's work is very busy in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year). Knowing that Tet is only a few days away, she couldn't leave her goods to pamper herself. Discovering a beauty salon 500 meters from her house that promised to "stay open until all customers are gone," Tien booked an appointment at 11 PM and returned home after 1 AM.
Ms. My Loan, the owner of the nail salon, said Tien was one of dozens of customers who had booked beauty appointments after 11 PM since the 23rd of the 12th lunar month. Normally, the salon only opens until 8 PM, but as Tet approaches, it gets busier and they accept appointments until 10 PM. However, since the 25th of the 12th lunar month, the number of customers has surged, forcing the salon to open later.
"These past few days, it's been normal to stay open until 2 a.m.," Loan said. She even had clients booking appointments close to New Year's Eve.
Customers wait to get their hair done at 0:10 AM at Ms. Hong Suong's salon in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo provided by the subject)
Hong Suong's hair salon, owned by 29-year-old Hong Suong on Pham The Hien Street, District 8, has been fully booked since the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. Suong, the head stylist, along with two assistants, serves 10 customers a day.
As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, the salon often stays open until 2-3 am due to the large number of customers, forcing many to reschedule appointments for later at night. In addition, some people can only come to the salon after finishing work and cleaning their houses. "Customers usually choose hair dyeing, straightening, or perming, which takes an average of three or four hours, so leaving the salon at 3 am is unavoidable," Sương said.
According to a quick survey by VnExpress , many beauty salons in District 1, District 3, District 5, and District 8 are experiencing a surge in customers and have had to extend their operating hours until after midnight.
According to salon owners, demand for beauty services during the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday decreased by 20-40% compared to last year. However, from the 20th day of the 12th lunar month (December 31st) to New Year's Eve (January 9th), the number of customers surged, while staff couldn't keep up, resulting in some people who had booked appointments having to postpone them to later times.
This is also the situation at Mr. Tran Vinh's men's barbershop on Tung Thien Vuong Street, District 8. The shop has been operating for 6 years, so many regular customers book appointments in advance. Near Tet (Lunar New Year), the number of customers doubles compared to normal days.
"We have to operate at full capacity to meet demand," Vinh said. "There's only one Tet season each year, so we can't turn customers away."
From the 20th day of the 12th lunar month, he arranged for 12 barbers and 10 seats for customers waiting. The salon also prepared food and drinks on-site for customers because they usually spend 4-6 hours getting their hair done.
Customers getting their hair done at Tran Vinh's salon in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, at 9 PM on January 6th. Photo: Ngoc Ngan
Late on the evening of the 28th of Tet (Lunar New Year), Ms. Ngoc Chi and her mother, a small business owner at Xom Cui Market in District 8, went to get their hair done. The 37-year-old woman admitted that getting beauty treatments at this hour was quite tiring, but their stall is open from 6 am to 9 pm, so they could only go to the salon near midnight. "Some years I've dozed off while working," Chi recounted.
To serve customers who arrive late, the owner assists with ordering food and provides free drinks.
Each year, Chi spends about two million dong on hair dyeing and perming. To book an appointment, she has to call a friend's salon 2 km from her house three days in advance. Initially, Chi's appointment was at 7 PM on the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, but due to the large number of customers and the delay, it was moved to 9 PM.
"I understand because everyone has a need to look good during Tet," Chi said.
Ngoc Ngan
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