How to balance supply and demand

Although there is still a week ahead, more and more people are flocking to supermarkets and shopping centres to make a good choice of products.

“I prefer buying made-in-Vietnam products which are now much better in quality and sold at reasonable prices,” said Nhu Thanh, a housewife in Hanoi.

The Government has asked relevant ministries and agencies to ensure a supply-demand balance and stabilize prices during the Tet holiday.

The business and finance sectors have plans to help businesses bring products to remote and disadvantaged areas, especially those negatively affected by the recent floods, said Nguyen Tien Thoa, Director General of the Department of Price Management under the Ministry of Finance.

He said the Provincial Departments of Industry and Trade and Finance are making great efforts to control the prices of some key products such as electricity.

Nguyen Nhu Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said all essential products for Tet are sold at supermarkets and shopping centres thanks to the stocking efforts of 11 major businesses in Hanoi.

Vietnamese products are also on sale at 20 retail outlets in 11 suburban districts and 13 mountain communes, said Mai, adding that there will be no shortage of goods during the Tet holiday.

In Da Nang, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade has provided VND10 billion in preference loans to help businesses keep enough foods, especially green vegetables in store to meet consumer demand.

Despite the negative impact of the recent floods, Da Nang will supply enough goods to people and strengthen the market management to combat counterfeit products, said Le Viet Tuoi, Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade.

Be careful with counterfeit goods

All supermarkets in Hanoi are involved in building their own brand names to attract customers. MaxiMArk, Citimart, and Satramart are racing against time to bring their products to consumers as early as possible.

We have established many retail outlets to supply goods at reasonable prices during the Tet holiday, said Tran Van Thuan, Deputy General Director of the Sai Gon Trading Group.

However, one of the problems facing authorities, supermarkets, and consumers is the influx of counterfeit, low-quality, and expired products. In wholesale markets such as Hang Da and Dong Xuan, there are many kinds of unpacked Chinese confectionaries that do not meet food hygiene and safety regulations.

Ha The Hung, an economic official of the Ministry of Public Security, said his office is tightening the supervision of the market to combat counterfeit goods.