Near Tet, the busiest market in Nghe An border area is deserted due to the impact of Covid-19 epidemic

A few customers pass by in the row of household goods stores. Photo: Quang An

Present at the marketMuong Xen(Ky Son) on December 21, at this time, goods for Tet are flooding the shops and kiosks. However, through observation, there are very few customers coming to buy goods, making the sellers sit bored, some even doze off.

Sellers of agricultural tools and electrical goods said that families use LED lights of all kinds for decoration.Tet, sales are very slow, because each day there are only a few customers coming to ask. Like previous years, this time people bought quite busily.

Fruit and candy stalls are also deserted. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mau, owner of a grocery kiosk, shared: 10 days ago, she imported a large quantity of goods to sell for Tet. However, by December 21, the market still had no customers, leaving her and the surrounding kiosk owners just sitting and looking at each other.

"PandemicCovid-19"The complicated developments in the country have made it impossible for our children to return home for Tet, so people have not had the opportunity to go shopping for Tet. If the epidemic is not controlled before Tet, our children will not be able to return home for Tet, and the market will have fewer customers. If all the imported goods cannot be sold, it will be considered a lost Tet" - Ms. Mau lamented.

According to research, most items from clothes, groceries, agricultural tools, food, food... sold at Muong Xen market have not increased in price compared to normal days.

The fruit and vegetable area also has very few customers. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Tien Lam - Head of the Muong Xen Market Management Team (Ky Son), said: Muong Xen market has 95 kiosks with stable business in the market area, in addition there are about 15 - 20 people with unstable business. The market is a place to buy and sell a variety of goods: clothes, household electricity, agricultural tools, food, food... Like previous years, this time the market was crowded with customers from all ethnic groups in the district coming to buy goods, but this year the market is always deserted.

According to Mr. Lam, the reason for Muong Xen marketemptyDuring the Tet holiday, it is because nowadays the transportation to the communes is more convenient, so the means of transport transport goods to the villages and communes to import goods, from there people have the conditions to shop right in the locality. Moreover, it is possible that the Covid-19 epidemic is complicated in many provinces and cities in the country, causing children working in the provinces and cities to not be able to return home for Tet, so people do not have money to shop.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mau - owner of a grocery stall in the Muong Xen market area said that this time near Tet, unlike other years, she is often "sitting idle" because there are no customers coming to buy goods. Photo: Quang An

Not only Muong Xen market, but also many other markets in mountainous areas such as Que Phong, Quy Chau, Tuong Duong... are all deserted during these days near Tet. Traders at the temporary market in Kim Son town (Que Phong) said that this year's Tet has not seen people going shopping.

The psychology of business people and traders, at the end of the year, is to stock up on goods to sell for Tet with quantities many times higher than usual. However, the market is currently empty of customers and Tet is very close, making traders worried.