Since the beginning of December, Truc Mai and her husband have bought everything for Tet by ordering online instead of going to the traditional market.
"This year's Tet is easier thanks to 'ordering online' instead of going back and forth shopping and bargaining at the market," said the 40-year-old woman in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. The cost of Tet is also lower than previous years because she knows how to use discount codes, even some items are half the price of the market.
In previous years, after the 23rd of December, Mai and her husband went everywhere. Her husband, Tien, went to peach and kumquat gardens to choose trees that suited their house and to buy gifts for relatives on both sides. Meanwhile, his wife ran from the market to the supermarket to buy enough food and candy for the whole Tet holiday. Late at night, the couple took the opportunity to clean the house and finish the year-end work.
"Every time Tet approaches, I'm exhausted, from the crowds at the market to traffic jams everywhere, every day I spend 3-4 hours 'crawling' on the road," Mai said.
This year, she spent a day making a shopping list, then went to online markets and online stores, and ordered a bunch of things. Peach and kumquat trees were also purchased online by selecting through photos and videos provided by the garden and ordering someone to deliver them to her home.
Because her family runs a restaurant, for many years, Ms. Thanh Xuan's family in Nghe An only had time to rest and buy things for Tet on the afternoon of the 30th. The rush shopping made it difficult for the 50-year-old woman to choose the right items.
But this year, the family's Tet "automatically came home" thanks to the online shopping idea of her 20-year-old daughter. Ms. Xuan ordered fruit on the supermarket's website and waited for the staff to deliver it to her home. She bought pre-processed chicken, duck, and fish and arranged for the seller to deliver them to her home near Tet. "Going to the Tet market is fun because of the bustling atmosphere, but for people with little time like my family, it's a nightmare," Ms. Xuan said.
Ms. Xuan's family or Truc Mai's couple are the ones who choose to shop for Tet online instead of going to traditional markets.
According to the 2025 Tet Shopping Trends report, Vietnamese consumers prepare for the Lunar New Year holiday early. Specifically, 55% of respondents shopped for food items one month before Tet. 49% of survey participants combined offline and online shopping.
Metric.vn e-commerce market data analysis platform also said that the total market sales and output during Tet 2025 are expected to grow by an average of 45% and 47% compared to 2024. The two platforms Shopee and Tiktok Shop are predicted to reach sales of 71,000 billion VND during Tet 2025 with 792 million products consumed.
According to a survey conducted by reporters in December 2024, consumer demand for shopping on TikTok Shop has increased sharply. Every day, there are dozens of livestream sessions selling candy, Tet gift boxes, household appliances or home decoration accessories, attracting tens of thousands of "viewers". Many products are out of stock just a few seconds after the "discount deal" is released.
In addition, many small traders selling ornamental plants continuously livestream to sell kumquat, peach or Sa Dec chrysanthemum pots. Each livestream session attracts an average of 4,000 - 5,000 views because of the low prices. The sellers explain that because they do not have to rent a space or go through an intermediary, they offer the best prices. In particular, because e-commerce platforms subsidize prices, buyers do not have to pay shipping fees.
In contrast to the bustling atmosphere online, most traditional markets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are deserted. Many small traders have had to return their premises or close early due to low purchasing power.
It was not yet closing time for the market, but Ms. Dieu Linh, 34 years old, owner of a clothing shop at Dong Xuan market, Hanoi, had already packed up her shop. Having sold goods at the market for more than 10 years, Ms. Linh said that in the past, weekends, holidays and Tet always saw booming sales. During those days, she had to hire two more employees. The management board also continuously used loudspeakers to announce "it's almost closing time for the market" to remind customers to leave and vendors to pack up their stalls.
It's not even 4 o'clock yet, many stalls are closed.
"I used to hope for Tet to sell more, but now it's almost Tet and it's still quiet. The customers who come to the market are all foreigners, just looking around," said Ms. Linh.
Explaining the reason why many people have changed their shopping habits, Associate Professor Dr. Ngo Tri Long, former Director of the Institute for Price Market Research (Ministry of Finance), said that although the economy has shown signs of recovery, people's income has decreased, causing weak purchasing power.
In addition, the facilities at many markets are degraded, causing unsafety for shoppers and not ensuring environmental hygiene. The quality of goods at the market is not guaranteed, and prices are not listed. And finally, due to the development of shopping centers, complexes and the benefits of online shopping, people prioritize their choice.
Adding another reason, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Trung, former Head of the Department of Culture and Development, Academy of Journalism and Communication, said that Decree 168 has been applied, making many people afraid to go out. Especially recently, there have been continuous traffic jams on all roads in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, making year-end shopping a challenge.
However, according to Mr. Trung, going to Tet markets to watch banh chung being wrapped, pigs and chickens being slaughtered, specialties being sold, and ingredients being chosen for Tet dishes are also traditional cultural features that need to be preserved. Buyers learning how to bargain or choosing fresh food for Tet themselves are also interesting experiences.
"If it is a cultural feature, it should be preserved, but we need to choose the right time to shop to avoid causing difficulties for ourselves," said the expert.
Although she mainly shops online to save time, Ms. Thanh Hang, in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, still maintains the habit of going to the market with her husband and children to see peach blossoms, apricot blossoms and decorations every weekend near Tet. The 30-year-old woman said she likes the feeling of going to the place to see the bonsai, choosing each decoration item herself and immersing herself in the bustling atmosphere at the end of the year.
"This also helps my family have more time together, the children understand more about traditional beauty and appreciate old values," said Ms. Mai.
TB (according to VnExpress)