[jackbl]

Time to earn $$$ before new year

With Tet approaching, people flock to city markets again
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The gloom of a few weeks ago seems to have lifted in HCM City, with consumer spending increasing sharply ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) on January 26.

Most wholesale and retail markets are bustling again, including Tan Binh (Tan Binh District), Binh Tay (District 6), An Dong (District 5), Tan Dinh and Ben Thanh (District 1).

Garments, footwear, cakes, candies, jams, dried foods, and household items are flying off the shelves.

Sales at Binh Tay is up 20-30 percent from December, Huynh Thuc Bao, a manager of the market, said.

Earlier predictions that this Tet season would be slow have flown in the face of the encouraging developments, Bao and managers at some other markets said happily.

The prices of confectionary and jams have risen by VND3,000 – 5,000 per kilogram. Dried melon seeds now cost VND48,000 per kilogram, Indian dates VND20,000, Arab dates VND28,000, tamarind candy VND48,000, chestnut VND175,000, and gingersnap VND27,000 - 34,000.

Because of natural disasters in September and October, the supply of farm produce and fruits for production of jam fell by around 10 percent, some market managers said.

But the output of confectionary and jam is still adequate to meet demand, they said.