House cleaning and pet-sitting services are experiencing a surge in demand as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches.

Services catering to the Lunar New Year holiday, such as house cleaning, house sitting, and pet care, are becoming increasingly popular as the holiday approaches.

With just over 10 days left until Tet (Lunar New Year), Ms. K. Nga, a sales employee (in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), is overwhelmed with work. Being a meticulous person, in previous years she always made time to clean and tidy her house herself for Tet. But now, with so much work, she's hired a cleaning service to have more time to rest.

Earlier this month, she checked several places and found that a full-service package including cleaning floors, ceilings, cabinets, tables, chairs, decorative lights, etc., cost around 2 million VND. Now, that price has increased to 2.5 million VND for an 80 m² apartment.².

Currently, it's peak season for house cleaning services in preparation for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Peak season for house cleaning

In large urban areas like Ho Chi Minh City, cleaning services are a fertile ground for many unskilled workers and businesses in the industry. Ms. Thuy, representative of Chamclean Cleaning Services Co., Ltd., said: "We have been operating in this field for a long time and saw many opportunities for development, so we established our business in 2015, operating in the field of industrial and civil cleaning, specifically including restoring and polishing granite and marble floors, and providing home repair consulting... When we receive a request from a customer, the company will send staff to survey and provide a quote."

According to Ms. Thuy, the Tet holiday service starts at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, and the work increases as Tet approaches, by about 20-30% compared to normal days, because there is a high demand for such services.

Mr. Trieu, the owner of a transportation business, said: "Previously, when we moved houses for customers, they often requested that we also handle the cleaning. Seeing that it was profitable, we hired some additional unskilled laborers to offer this service. For the past few years, starting from December, we've had many customers, so we've had to mobilize more people from our hometown to come and help."

After such a peak month, the homeowner and each worker earn approximately 20 million VND in wages and bonuses. Many service providers report that from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month onwards, the demand and prices for services typically increase two to three times compared to normal.

House sitting and pet sitting are in high demand.

Besides cleaning services, house-sitting services during Tet (Lunar New Year) have also boomed in recent years. These services are usually provided by professional companies at an average price of around 1 million VND per person per day during peak periods from the 30th of the lunar month to the 4th day of Tet. A representative from Planet Security Joint Stock Company stated that the customer list is usually finalized by the 23rd or at the latest the 25th of the 12th lunar month.

Many professional security companies also stated that they usually only serve regular customers who use their services on weekdays; for example, business leaders who do business with the company. During Tet (Lunar New Year), when these clients need security services, the company only provides them because it is very difficult to find personnel. The price for house-sitting also depends on the rental period; for a few days, the price can reach 1.2 - 1.5 million VND/day/person, while for 1 week to 10 days, the price can be as low as 800,000 - 1 million VND/day/person.

For many people, the biggest worry is their pets, as they need careful feeding and care. Lan and her husband, who live in District 2, love their dogs, and whenever they go away from home, Lan is always worried about finding a place to leave them. This year, her family has decided to celebrate Tet abroad for a week, and she is looking for a reliable place to leave their dogs.

In Ho Chi Minh City, there are currently many professional services catering to this customer need. These include Phuong Anh Pet Mart and Saigon Pet Clinic… A representative from Phuong Anh stated that depending on individual needs, customers may only leave their pets for a few days, or for the entire Tet holiday. Each year, the number of pets left there increases by 20-30%.

During Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), Phuong Anh Pet Mart accepts over 50 pets of various breeds for boarding. The busiest period is from the 29th of the lunar month to the 10th day of the new year. The price for pet boarding services in Ho Chi Minh City typically ranges from 120,000 to 250,000 VND per day, depending on the weight and characteristics of the pet.

According to VOV