HCM CITY – Delivery services, especially items for Tết (Lunar New Year), are working hard to meet the surge in demand in the run-up to the year’s biggest holiday in HCM City.

Trần Thị Thu Thảo, a clothing store owner in District 3, said the number of buyers as well as requests for home delivery had increased by two to three times compared to an average day.

Lê Diễm Hằng, a shipper from District 4 in HCM City, said “on a normal day, I deliver about 40 to 50 packages. But a few weeks before Tết, I deliver more than 100 packages around HCM City, so I drive hundreds of kilometres. However, I earn more than VNĐ1 million (US$ 45) a day.”

Lan Anh, an accountant living in District 3, is over-worked as the Lunar Year draws to a close. She has plenty of reports to finish and very little time to spare for shopping, even for the most traditional, must-have food items for Tết.

For professionals like her, online shopping is a boon. Ordering and paying have become easy and convenient.  

Many consumers have said that the hectic year-end schedule keeps them so busy that they can’t go shopping

But the development of e-commerce and e-payments is helping them avoid going to stores or supermarkets. Now, without leaving their office or home, they can place orders online and wait for goods to be delivered at home.

“To prepare for the New Year, I have ordered some traditional dishes from the central region, like pickled scallion, salted figs and papaya shrimp sauce,” Lan Anh said.

With Việt Nam boasting a large internet community and a young, digital-savvy population, the domestic e-commerce market is buzzing with activity ahead of the upcoming festival.

Phương Anh, a resident in HCM City’s Bình Thạnh District, said he had purchased some products via e-commerce after seeing many sellers advertise their goods on the social network.

“I bought everything for the upcoming holiday from e-commerce. I can shop and complete my work at the same time as all the transactions are conducted online. I just wait for the bills and goods brought to my house,” she said.

As the nation pushes its way to modernisation and deeper international integration, online shopping is set to become a habit for many. This is facilitated by several factors including diverse services and products, fast transaction speeds, quick payments and attractive promotions.

Nguyễn Thanh Tú, a professional shipper in District 3, said that during the two weeks before the holiday, he received around 500 to 600 delivery orders. "I have to ask my family’s members to share the work with me.”

Many residents from the provinces in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta have come to HCM City to work as delivery people to increase their income before Tết.  However, many delivery firms and supermarket still face a shortage of workers.

Nguyễn Anh Đức, deputy general director of Saigon Co.op, said that to ensure delivery service, the supermarket arranged 10 shippers for each supermarket and 18 shippers for each large supermarket. However, his company has to work with Grab if there are too many delivery orders.

For private and small businesses, they are working with professional delivery firms such as GHN, J&T and MrSpeedy to ensure their orders. – VNS