Cay Chanh Market - a highland commercial center
(Baonghean.vn) –Cay Chanh Market, located in the mountainous area of Dinh Son commune (Anh Son district), is a fairly large commercial hub, connecting the needs of people in rural areas and western Nghe An province.
Our first impression was of a spacious market with neatly arranged kiosks and stalls. Despite being located in a mountainous area, the market operates twice a day, seven days a week. Cay Chanh Market serves as a transit point for goods from commercial centers in Vinh and from the North. The goods are quite diverse and abundant, ranging from clothing, shoes, food, groceries, traditional medicine, and agricultural products from local people and surrounding areas. The pork, in particular, is mostly raised at home. Most items, such as clothing, shoes, soap, and household goods, bear Vietnamese labels.
Ms. Lo Thi Hang (who was buying clothes) shared: "My house is in Hamlet 5, Thanh Son Commune. Now that the Cay Chanh bridge connects across the Lam River, we can easily walk or cycle to the market. We can find anything we need at Cay Chanh market, so we don't have to worry like before. We villagers can now confidently choose and buy whatever we want."
Not only is Cay Chanh Market a commercial hub for people in the western part of Anh Son district, it also serves as a major trade bridge, supplying goods to meet the needs of people in the highland districts such as Con Cuong, Tan Ky, and Quy Hop.
The traders participating in the bidding for stalls in the market come from all districts in the province, with 70% being residents of the local commune. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, the owner of a general merchandise store, the bidding contract clearly states a stable business period of 10 years. Each stall has an area of 12 square meters.2The original price is 70-80 million VND per stall, with small business stalls measuring approximately 9 square meters.2The stalls are priced at 50 million VND each, while those at the end of the market cost around 20-25 million VND each. Market fees are also reasonable: security fee is 100,000 VND/month, and cleaning fee is 70,000 VND/month. Ms. Hien added: "The number of customers is increasing every day. During the recent Tet holiday, we couldn't keep up with the demand for clothes, shoes, socks, scarves, and hats. Since starting to do business here, my family's income has significantly improved."
According to Mr. Dinh Viet Hanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dinh Son commune, Cay Chanh market has a long history. In 2006, the market was built on a solid foundation covering an area of 1.6 hectares, with a total investment of over 5 billion VND from the provincial People's Committee and partly from the local budget and private traders. Currently, the market premises have over 120 fixed business stalls and 68 non-fixed trading points.
The market hall has received an investment of over 5 billion VND for upgrades.
At a stall in Cay Chanh market
Since the market opened, it has generated considerable and stable revenue for the locality, raising the total income of the commune to over 104% of the target (2011). The commune is upgrading some kiosks to expand business, making the area even more bustling.
Luong Mai
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