Consumer Nguyen Van Thang said: “I go around flower shops to find beautiful and new flowers and offer my girlfriend a rose to make her happy on the day.”

Currently, the prices of flowers are rather stable. Roses are being sold at VND20,000-25,000/bunch, while Ly flowers are being sold at VND30,000-35,000/sprig. However, owners of flower shops said that usually on March 8, the Da Lat rose is sold for VND8,000-10,000/sprig, and the Ly flower is between VND60,000-80,000/sprig, while some ready-made flower bunches cost between VND40,000 and VND200,000. This year, there are some types of new flowers introduced, such as orchids and tulips, which are being sold for VND35,000-80,000/sprig. Best-selling flowers include Ly flowers, orchids and roses. Businesses selling these types of flowers said they had to prepare their supplies more than 10 days ago.

Flower-purchasing by phone has become popular and most flower shops are ready to do the service. Nguyen Thi Bich, a flower shop owner at the Kim Lien market in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district, said: “Our shop offers flower-purchasing by phone for customers within the city, but we cannot cater to customers outside the city as our service is limited due to travel time.”

The gift market is also blooming. Best-selling items include skin cream, lipstick, earrings, hairclips, and ceramic glasses. Students can buy hairclips or wind-bells at a price between VND10,000 and 30,000.

Le Minh Hang, a trade official from Toan Phat Company, said men can choose gifts for their partners at reasonable prices, for example between VND50,000 and 60,000 for a normal lipstick.

This year, domestic manufacturers has launched a wide range of special cards, each ranging from VND3,000-5,000. Cards of domestic companies such as Kien Vang, Bach Viet, and Linh Nam make up 60-70 percent of the card market.

In addition to domestic products, Chinese gifts are selling like hot cakes, thanks to their beautiful designs and reasonable prices.

Many cosmetic firms such as Palmolive, Enchanteur, Dove, Eversoft and Gervenner have also launched promotional campaigns or presented gifts on the occasion.