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Food prices shoot up as markets remain closed
With not all markets and supermarkets opening immediately after Tet, the prices of many items, especially foods, skyrocketed.
Many shops in traditional markets that opened on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year on Wednesday doubled their prices as people struggled to find seafood, meat, and fruits in the city. However, supermarkets that did open held their prices as promised under the city's price stabilisation programme.
At Van Thanh Market in Binh Thanh District, the price of balsam-apple shot up to VND15,000 for a kilogramme and snake-head fish to VND50,000.
At Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh District and Hoa Hung Market in District 10, beef was sold at VND165,000 – 180,000 per kilo, 10 – 20 percent higher than a week earlier.
Fruits and vegetables were 10 to 30 per cent more expensive compared to the period before the festival.
Supermarkets did not increase prices but some of them did not open unlike in previous years when they opened on the second or third day of the New Year.
Supermarket chain Co.opMart said it resumed food sales on Wednesday and full operations two days later.
Le Quang Thuc Quynh, Co.opMart's marketing manager, said there are enough stocks of food to meet demand and the supermarket would not increase any prices for at least a month after Tet.
French supermarket Big C too opened on Wednesday with promotions on more than 160 product categories to encourage shopping.
Maximart will only open on Monday next week. Its director, Nguyen Phuong Thao, said it would not open sooner simply because it is the company's tradition.
vietnamnews
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