Vietnamese market heats up as Christmas, New Year near
The Vietnamese market is warming up as local customers have been paying more attention to decorative products to prepare for the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, while more businesses have geared up for the festivities.
Aside from familiar merchandise, namely Christmas lights and ornaments, new products such as imported real Christmas pine trees have also emerged and quickly become a favorite in the Southeast Asian country.
During an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on December 10, Bich Diep, manager of a business in Ho Chi Minh City, said her company has just imported 200 such real pine trees from Oregon, the US.
“We placed the order back in August due to complicated procedures,” Diep said.
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Bich Diep, manager of a Ho Chi Minh City-based company, checks the real pine trees imported from the US.
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The pine trees can be kept from six to eight weeks in favorable environments and need to be watered daily, the businesswoman explained, adding that half of the imported plants had already been sold via online orders.
Most of the buyers are expats or rich Vietnamese families as the trees are rather expensive, selling from VND3.7 million (US$164) each depending on their height,Diep continued.
Artificial pine trees are also among the best-selling products during the weeks before Christmas, which have been flooding local supermarkets and shopping centers.
At a mall in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, a Christmas tree is offered at VND1.5 million (US$66) to VND3 million (US$133) depending on its height and thickness.
Meanwhile, Ho Thi Minh Tam, owner of a shop in District 5, said that about 20 such pine trees and 1,000 ornaments, which had been shipped from Thailand for the first time, are all sold out after only a week.
At some other stores in the vicinity, decorative products have attracted an increasing number of customers as Christmas and New Year are drawing near.
According to business insiders, Christmas gifts and ornaments originating from Thailand have been widely offered and purchased in the Vietnamese market due to affordable prices.
Competition from domestic goods
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| Customers browse for Christmas decorations at a store in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. |
Domestically-made Christmas costumes have been favored by shoppers thanks to varied designs and low prices.
Such an outfit sells for VND20,000 (US$0.9) to VND80,000 (US$3.5), a shopkeeper said, adding that the number of buyers this year has risen by 40%.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Wood Industry Association (HAWA), its members have manufactured thousands of products to meet the high demand during Christmas and New Year.
Luu Kiet Binh, a representative from a company in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnamese products can lose to imported rivals in terms of design but are chosen for their safety and eco-friendly materials.
