Restaurants and shops in Vinh city are deserted due to concerns about the epidemic.

After Tet, shops reopened for business with the hope of a prosperous and lucky new year. However, in contrast to the bustling and crowded atmosphere of previous years, currently, food service establishments in Vinh City are in a slump because the number of customers has decreased significantly.

Many shops in Vinh City are in a state of severe recession. Photo: Quang An

According to the reporter's records, in recent days, many shops in Vinh City have become unusually deserted. Streets with many restaurants, cafes, and pubs such as Lenin, Le Mao, Nguyen Sy Sach, Ho Tung Mau... are usually crowded but now have very few visitors day and night.

Having just cleared away the tables and chairs after a not-so-successful business day, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, the owner of a beer shop in Truong Thi ward, sighed: “At the end of the year, Decree 100 was issued, the number of customers coming to the shop decreased seriously, and at the beginning of this year, the Covid-19 epidemic appeared, making people panic, and the already sluggish business became even more sluggish. Like on February 13, we were open all day but there were only a few tables with customers. With this situation, I don’t know how long we can survive…”.

In the same situation as Ms. Huong, Mr. Le Van Hung, the owner of a hot pot restaurant, was also sad: “I reopened the restaurant on the 5th day of Tet. Usually, people often have parties at the beginning of the year, but this year the number of customers has decreased significantly, only about 40% compared to previous years. I also had to let all the employees take a day off because there were no customers, and the workers sat around all day…”.

Some shops had to close, tables and chairs had to be taken away because there were no customers. Photo: Quang An

This is also the common situation of many shops in Vinh City at the present time. Most shop owners said that the number of customers coming to their shops has decreased seriously while business is usually very good at the beginning of the year. Some shops still maintain a certain number of customers, but only focus on weekends, the remaining days are also deserted.

The reason why restaurants and eateries have seen a significant decrease in the number of customers, besides the birth of Decree 100, is that people are currently confused about the Covid-19 epidemic that has appeared in Vietnam, so people often have the mentality of limiting going out and avoiding crowded gatherings to prevent the epidemic.

Ms. Pham Thu Thuy, a resident of Ben Thuy ward (Vinh city) said: "Now if you want to party or gather, you have to do it at home, I'm afraid to go out, the Covid-19 epidemic is a given, now there is also the H5N6 avian flu epidemic and African swine fever that has not ended yet, so I'm very worried about food at restaurants, so now I only dare to eat and drink at home...".

Another reason why businesses are sluggish is that schools are currently on break, so restaurants and cafes have lost a significant number of regular customers. Many shop owners are hoping that business will improve when students return to school.

Coffee shops are also deserted in the first days of the year. Photo: Quang An

To cope with the current sluggish situation, some stores have closed or temporarily suspended business because "the more they open, the more they lose". The stores that are operating have also simultaneously cut down and rearranged their staff to suit the situation. At the same time, the stores also have to recalculate the amount of beer, alcohol, and food imported to balance with the number of customers coming to the store, avoiding sluggishness and losses.