Packing Tết gift baskets at Minh Tâm grocery store on Nghĩa Tân Street, Cầu Giấy District, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Phương Anh 

HÀ NỘI — With a week to go, the gift market for Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday in the capital is strong with supermarkets, markets and grocery stores offering a range of items for both businesses and individuals.

Grocery shops in Hà Nội's Hai Bà Trưng, Hoàn Kiếm and Cầu Giấy districts are showcasing many types of Tết gift hampers with a variety of prices. 

Shop owners said due to the impact of the COVID-19, customers had been forced to tighten purse strings, prioritising essential items.

Meanwhile, the volume of goods imported to Việt Nam last year was less than that seen in previous years because of transport difficulties. Therefore, the Tết gift hamper market this year saw changes in the structure of goods and prices.

Nguyễn Thị Nam, owner of Minh Tâm grocery store on Nghĩa Tân Street, said she was selling gift baskets ranging from VNĐ300,000 to several million đồng per basket.

Nam told vietnamplus that with a basket prized at VNĐ300,000, her store would offer customers locally-made goods with a clear origin. She added her store was ready to pack gift baskets with higher prices to customers. 

Another shopkeeper Lê Thanh Sơn said from January 10, customers had flocked to his shop on Tô Hiệu Street of Cầu Giấy District to buy Tết gift baskets and other goods for the holiday. Sơn said gift baskets worth several million đồng were also available at his store, but most customers preferred affordable gift baskets with an average price of VNĐ400,000-750,000. 

According to many small retailers, this year customers have prioritised buying Tết gift hampers of regional specialities with mid-range prices instead of expensive gift hampers having imported products and beautiful designs. 

Đỗ Mạnh Hùng who is living in Hà Nội agreed. He said in the past years he often bought foreign wine to give as Tết gift baskets. This cost him about VNĐ2-3 million per bottle but this year, he switched to fresh fruits and regional specialities such as Diễn pomelo, smoked buffalo meat, Núi Đen dry vermicelli and mushrooms from the Northwestern region.

Hùng said that compared to foreign wine, fresh fruits and regional specialities were essentials that each family would need and use during the Tết holiday.

Besides grocery stores, supermarkets and shops are also offering gift baskets designed and decorated according to the tastes of customers. A large volume of gift baskets is being bought by business owners to award their employees.

Co.opmart supermarket chain said the number of orders for Tết gift baskets from VNĐ200,000 to around VNĐ500,000 had risen about 25 per cent compared to last year.

The supermarket reported businesses wanting to order Tết gift baskets for their workers to encourage morale.

Saigon Co.op is selling more than 10,000 Tết gift baskets every day. More than half of which was packaged under specific orders for businesses.

A salesperson at Aeon Mall Hà Đông Supermarket said that this year, due to the impact of the pandemic, they had promoted the sale of affordable Tết gift baskets comprising a variety of "made in Việt Nam" products.

Currently, the supermarket has a variety of gift baskets ranging from VNĐ99,000 to VNĐ3 million each. From 40 per cent to 80 per cent of their products were Vietnamese ones such as cakes, jams, prepared foods, packaged foods, tea and wine.

At the same time, other chains such as Walmart and WinMart+ have also launched Tết gift baskets with affordable prices from VNĐ299,000 -699,000 per basket.

Experts said that Tết gift baskets had prospered in recent days and were expected to remain strong during the lead-up to the country's largest traditional holiday. — VNS