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 household goods store. Photo: Quang An

Present at the marketMuong Xen(Ky Son) on December 21, at this time, Tet goods were flooding the shops and kiosks. However, through observation, it was found that there were very few customers coming to buy goods, causing the sellers to sit bored, some even dozing off.

Salespeople selling 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, causing her and the surrounding kiosk owners to just sit and look at each other.

"PandemicCovid-19The complicated situation in the country has made it impossible for children to return home for Tet, so people do not have the opportunity to go shopping for Tet. If the epidemic is not controlled close to Tet, 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 selling 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 is 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, the reason is that nowadays, transportation to the communes is more convenient, so vehicles participating in traffic carry 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 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 every year, 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 the mountainous areas: Que Phong, Quy Chau, Tuong Duong... are all deserted in the days leading up to 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 deserted and Tet is approaching very soon, making traders worried.