Customers shop for Tet at GO!/Big C supermarket in HCM City. (Photo courtesy of Central Retail Vietnam).

Ho Chi Minh City’s retailers have stocked large volumes of goods to meet the demand during the peak Tet (Lunar New Year) shopping season, and promise to keep prices steady.

The GO!/Big C and Tops Market supermarket chain under Central Retail Vietnam has launched discount programmes covering thousands of products such as confectionery, sweets, beer, wine, soft drinks, Tet decorative items, home appliances, electronics, and fashion goods.

It has worked with suppliers to increase pork and chicken supply by 20 percent and 25 percent from last year, and also plans to stock enough vegetables, fruits and meat to meet demand.

It has a programme to support dragon fruit farmers in southern provinces such as Binh Thuan and Long An, who have faced huge problems exporting.

Besides selling the fruits at good prices, the retailer also sells items such as bread, sponge cake, jelly, and smoothies made from them.

Saigon Co.op has stockpiled essential items worth nearly 6 trillion VND (263 million USD), 20 percent higher than last year, for the Lunar New Year.

They include rice, sugar, cooking oil, pork, poultry meat and eggs, processed foods, fruits and vegetables, and seafood besides food and non-food products and specialities in demand during the festival.

Nguyen Ngoc Thang, director of Co.opmart's operation division, said the plan is to keep prices unchanged or even cut them.

For instance, from now through Tet, it offers discounts of up to 50 percent on thousands of products and plans even bigger discounts starting 10 days before the festival.

During the run-up to the festival it plans to increase supply of fresh and ready-to-eat foods.

Some retailers said demand has been booming in recent days, with sales especially of Tet products such as dried foods, confectionery, dried fruits and sweets going up sharply.

They expect demand for fresh foods to be higher than last year.

The gift market is already buzzing with supermarkets, markets and shops offering a range of items for both business and individual customers.

GO!/Big C supermarkets has more than 70 kinds of gift hampers and boxes containing beverages, confectionery, imported fruits, healthcare products, and household appliances, with prices ranging from 99,000 VND to 3 million VND each.

Saigon Co.op is offering discounts on more than two million hampers that are packed based on orders.

Customers can visit any Co.opmart or Co.opXtra outlet and place orders for delivery to any place in the country that has a store.

According to the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, businesses have earmarked more than 11.02 trillion VND (480.9 million USD) to stock goods.

Eighty businesses are taking part in the city’s price stabilisation programme and have pledged to keep prices unchanged for two months starting a month before Tet on February 1.

There will be flash sales of goods such as pork, poultry and eggs a few days before the festival./.