Many services in Nghe An attract customers at the beginning of the new year.

After many years, Phan Van Duong's family, who had been living in Gia Lai province, returned to their hometown in Dien Nguyen commune, Dien Chau district, to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year). Due to the extended holiday, Mr. Duong planned to return home after the 15th day of the first lunar month. Therefore, the family rented a 7-seater self-drive car for 10 days to enjoy their spring trip, at a cost of over 6 million VND.

Mr. Duong said: "My family hasn't been back to our hometown for a long time, so we're taking this opportunity to visit relatives near and far. Renting a car is necessary because we need to transport many people. A 5-seater car costs 700,000 VND per day if rented individually, but because I rented it for 10 days, I got a discount."

Not only Mr. Duong's family, but the demand for car rentals for outings and spring trips at the beginning of the year is usually high. This is one of the most popular services, even though prices are 20-30% higher than usual.

In Vinh City, surveys show that there are currently dozens of car rental locations offering self-drive or chauffeur-driven rentals on streets such as Nguyen Sy Sach, Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Nguyen Trai, etc., with a diverse range of vehicles from budget to luxury options for people to choose from. After Tet, most locations are basically fully booked.

According to surveys, car rental prices after Tet in Vinh City and surrounding districts range from 500,000 to 3 million VND per car per day, depending on the car segment, number of seats, and distance. For example, budget models like the Hyundai I10, Kia Morning, and Vinfast Fadil cost around 500,000 VND per day; although compact and fuel-efficient, they can only carry a small number of people and small luggage. Mid-range models like the Mazda 3, K3, Cerato, Accent, Elantra, Lux A, and Camry cost from 700,000 to 1 million VND per day. Larger SUV models that can carry more people, such as the Mazda CX5, Tucson, Creta, Seltos, Xpander, CRV, and Fortuner, cost over 1 million VND per day. Customers who rent for multiple days will receive a discount compared to renting by the day.

This year, car rental services have some differences. Since Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, which stipulates "Penalties for administrative violations of road traffic order and safety," came into effect, the fines for traffic violations have increased significantly. Therefore, car rental companies are very worried when handing over vehicles to customers and always require customers to drive in accordance with road traffic laws to avoid risks and conflicts later.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Minh, the owner of a car rental business in Vinh City, said: "Although the number of customers has increased, and my family is very happy, this year, traffic fines are very high, and cameras have been installed throughout the streets. Therefore, if customers who rent a car violate traffic laws or regulations regarding alcohol levels while driving, it will be very troublesome, affecting not only the customers but also the car rental business owners like us. Therefore, in the rental contract, in addition to requiring customers to have all necessary documents and driver's licenses, we also clearly state that customers must obey traffic laws to avoid conflicts if an incident occurs."

Not only car rental services but also parking services during Tet at amusement parks, temples, tourist attractions, etc., provide people with a considerable income after the holiday.

Photography and costume rental services are in high demand.

In the early days of spring, Tran Bao Trung, a photographer in Vinh City, continuously receives requests for photos from customers, mostly families and groups of friends gathering for the New Year... From a passion for photography, Trung gradually became dedicated to the profession, and this service is always in high demand during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).

Trung said: "This year's Tet holiday, I hardly had any time off. Before Tet, I mainly took outdoor photos for young people. After Tet, many families took family photos, celebrated their grandparents' birthdays, and there were also many long-distance trips at the beginning of the year where clients requested a photographer to accompany them, covering all costs. I had to arrange my time and schedule to be able to serve the needs of the people as much as possible."

In reality, although most people now use smartphones with basic photography and videography capabilities, professional photographers are still highly regarded because their professional-quality images are far superior.

Photography services typically experience a surge in demand from the beginning of the year until the end of January. Popular shooting locations include traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) settings in studios; outdoor shoots at ancient temples and pagodas, famous tourist attractions, bustling streets, or cafes decorated with spring themes… Rental prices vary depending on the package, ranging from 1 to 5 million VND.

Besides photography services, other related services such as costume and accessory rentals, makeup services, etc., also have opportunities to capitalize on the trend, either separately or as part of a photography package. Among these, the rental of traditional Vietnamese ao dai (long dress) for men and women, and other Vietnamese costumes, is particularly popular, with rental prices increasing compared to normal days, ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 VND per set.

According to a costume rental shop owner, instead of spending from 700,000 VND to several million VND to buy a traditional Vietnamese dress (áo dài), renting is becoming a preferred choice for many people because it is cheaper, and they can change styles frequently, diversify their wardrobes, and avoid going out of fashion.

Caring for houseplants after Tet (Lunar New Year)

After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Phan Van Long, from Truong Thi ward, Vinh City, contacted several gardeners in the outskirts of Vinh to take care of the peach tree his family had bought for Tet. Mr. Long said: "The peach tree is quite large; my family bought it on the 26th day of the Lunar New Year for over 10 million dong. We don't have land to plant it, and even if we did, we wouldn't have the right techniques. It would be a shame if the tree died. Therefore, we chose to hire a gardener to take care of it. This way, we'll have a peach tree to enjoy next Tet, and the cost of hiring them isn't too high."

Mr. Nguyen Duc Huy, a garden owner in Nghi An commune, Vinh City, said: "After Tet, especially after the opening ceremony of the new year, I received many requests to care for ornamental plants, mostly valuable ones. If the family has a large garden, they usually keep the plants at home and hire us to come to their house for regular care. If they don't have space, we will take them to our garden for care. Since Tet, I have received more than 10 plants from customers asking me to take care of them."

According to surveys, the price of post-Tet (Lunar New Year) plant care services is not fixed, depending on the value of the plant as well as negotiations between the homeowner and the gardener. Typically, each plant worth 5-10 million VND will have a post-Tet care fee of 1-2 million VND; the higher the value of the plant, the higher the fee…