Ms. Nguyen Thi Van has had a fruit stall at Hung Dung market, Vinh city for many years now, selling seasonal fruits. And every Tet, she sells additional items.banana bunchincense service
"I went to the banana garden of the people in Tan Ky district to order, on the 20th of the lunar calendar I started to get the goods to gradually sell until the 30th of Tet. Like every year, today, the 25th of the lunar calendar, the price started to increase many times higher than usual, there were also quite a lot of buyers, so I had to mobilize the whole family to help. The average price of each bunch of bananas is about 90,000 - 100,000 VND" - Ms. Van said.
In the traditional markets, along some roads, there are many cars carrying bananas for sale on the roadside. Ms. Tran Thi Nga in Trung Tien block, Hung Dung ward, after consulting and choosing to buy bananas at many selling points, decided to buy a bunch of 17 bananas for 300,000 VND.
Ms. Nga said she had researched many points of sale and found that bananas originating in the province were dark green and smaller than bananas imported by traders from other northern provinces, such as Phu Tho, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh...
And like previous years, even though the price is almost twice as expensive as other types, Ms. Nga still chooses to buy single, bright-colored bananas to offer to her ancestors.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Luan also sells bananas from Hung Yen. She added that bananas imported from the North have brighter and more beautiful colors than bananas grown in Nghe An, possibly because people choose different varieties. Therefore, the price is also higher. And from now until the 30th of Tet, the price is likely to increase even more.
"However, not all buyers know how to distinguish the origin of bananas. Darker green bananas will have a deep yellow color when ripe, the current price is about 80 - 100 thousand VND/bunch. As for light-colored bananas, the fruits are large and even, when ripe they have a beautiful bright yellow color, the current selling price is 120 - 150 thousand VND/bunch normally. If the bunch has an odd number of fruits, the price is from 250 - 350 thousand VND/bunch depending on the size" - Ms. Luan said.
In the markets in Vinh city, in addition to royal bananas, there are also royal bananas sold by weight, which are quite popular. "Royal bananas are round, ripe, golden yellow, firm, and sweet, imported from the South. On normal days, royal bananas are sold for 50,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, but on Tet holidays, the price increases every day. A few days ago, the price was 70,000 - 80,000 VND/kg. Today, the 26th of the lunar calendar, the price is 100,000 VND/kg. Usually, a bunch of royal bananas weighs about 1 - 2kg." - said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a fruit trader at Quan Lau market, Vinh city.
In the market areas of districts and rural areas, the price of bananas used for incense offering on Tet holiday is cheaper, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 VND/bunch for royal bananas. The price of bananas is lower, ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 VND/bunch.