City residents on Saturday morning stand in line at the Co.op Food store in HCM City’s District 10. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY — A 50-year-old resident from Phú Nhuận District in HCM City said he left his home at 5:30am on Saturday to get a document that would allow him to buy goods at a nearby supermarket. After one hour of waiting, the man finally got the paper for a 7am appointment.

The man and other customers waited an hour in a queue before the supermarket opened. Some people at other food stores, however, had to return home as they were too crowded.

Mega Market An Phú in Thủ Đức City, for example, opened at 7am but later closed because of the number of customers. The store staff asked customers waiting in the morning to return in the afternoon.

A 52-year-old woman from Thủ Đức City had to go back home on Friday because most of the shelves were empty. She returned later but it was too crowded with customers.

A parking lot is crowded with motorbikes at a supermarket in HCM City’s Gò Vấp District. VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Linh

Besides supermarkets, many drugstores in the city were also crowded Saturday morning.

Unlike the deserted streets seen previously, many streets were busy, such as Phan Văn Trị, Lê Đức Thọ, Dương Quảng Hàm, Quang Trung in Gò Vấp District, Âu Cơ and Trường Chinh in Tân Bình District, and Tô Hiến Thành and Cách Mạng Tháng 8 in District 10.

Because of the large number of people travelling on streets, many checkpoints lifted restrictions.

On Saturday morning, Phan Văn Mãi, vice secretary of the city's Party Committee, said the city would ensure supply of goods and daily necessities for its people. He urged people not to hoard goods, saying that people should trust the city's care policies and collaborate with authorities to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak. VNS

People wait at a payment desk in a supermarket in HCM City. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ