Tet divide: Are people getting richer or is the income gap getting wider?
By Ha Phuong January 21, 2017 | 03:22 am GMT+7
Local or imported products for New Year: you decide.
Multi-tasking Dao Nhu Thuy is busy pushing her shopping cart filled to the brim with treats for the upcoming Lunar New Year, while at the same time receiving hamper order requests from her boss on the phone.
“My company had quite a good year," Thuy, a 37-year-old marketing executive, happily said about the 20 fancy hampers in her cart. "These ‘royal’ hampers, with a price tag of $300 each, are for our business partners.” She seemed to be very happy with her choice, with each basket packed with expensive-looking imported confectionery and wine.
The closer Tet comes, the busier people are. Buyers are frantically searching for gifts, while shops are looking to cash in.
A shop owner on Hang Buom Street said she'd had to hire two more assistants to help her with the gift hampers to cope with the rising nunmer of orders. Her shop is flooded with hampers that range from $15 to $1000.
“It seems that people are becoming richer," she told VnExpress International. "I’ve had more orders for expensive hampers this year. The most expensive item in the hampers is imported wine. I don’t know why but Vietnamese drinkers prefer imported wine to local wine.”
Local or imported products for New Year: you decide.
Multi-tasking Dao Nhu Thuy is busy pushing her shopping cart filled to the brim with treats for the upcoming Lunar New Year, while at the same time receiving hamper order requests from her boss on the phone.
“My company had quite a good year," Thuy, a 37-year-old marketing executive, happily said about the 20 fancy hampers in her cart. "These ‘royal’ hampers, with a price tag of $300 each, are for our business partners.” She seemed to be very happy with her choice, with each basket packed with expensive-looking imported confectionery and wine.
The closer Tet comes, the busier people are. Buyers are frantically searching for gifts, while shops are looking to cash in.
A shop owner on Hang Buom Street said she'd had to hire two more assistants to help her with the gift hampers to cope with the rising nunmer of orders. Her shop is flooded with hampers that range from $15 to $1000.
“It seems that people are becoming richer," she told VnExpress International. "I’ve had more orders for expensive hampers this year. The most expensive item in the hampers is imported wine. I don’t know why but Vietnamese drinkers prefer imported wine to local wine.”