The beverage market is heating up.

(Baonghean)The recent early summer heatwaves have caused the beverage market to heat up, with a wide variety of drinks ranging from bottled beverages to affordable street-side drinks.

These days, supermarket shelves, grocery stores, and markets are overflowing with beverages such as beer, soft drinks, mineral water, and energy drinks. Ms. Nguyen Mai Huong, owner of a convenience store on Phung Chi Kien Street (Vinh City), said: “In the past few weeks, the prolonged hot weather has led to a 40-50% increase in beverage consumption compared to the beginning of the year. Bottled drinks with high cooling properties, such as green tea, fruit juices, and herbal drinks, are among the most popular choices. Despite the increased demand, most manufacturers are maintaining stable prices.”

The most popular products are fruit juices with a combination of new flavors such as orange milk, strawberry milk, passion fruit, and custard apple... Imported products mainly include apple, grape, peach, pineapple, kiwi, and mixed fruit juices... Domestically produced fruit juices are about 30% cheaper than imported ones.

The market for affordable beverages like iced tea, sugarcane juice, coconut water, and mixed fruit desserts is also attracting customers, mostly students and passersby. Around college and university gates and areas with wide, airy sidewalks, these types of stalls are springing up everywhere, attracting large crowds of customers.

The intense heatwave that has lasted for several days has driven up the demand for fresh coconut water – a refreshing drink. From large coconut farms in markets and street vendors to restaurants and cafes, fresh coconut water remains the top choice for diners. Although the price of fresh coconut water is increasing daily, it remains a popular choice for cooling off.



Hot weather causes fresh coconut prices to skyrocket.

Mr. Le Trung Thanh, the owner of a large coconut wholesale business at Vinh Market, excitedly shared that his warehouse has been experiencing a shortage of coconuts for the past month. Normally, a large truckload of coconuts transported from the South would sell within five days, but during the recent hot weather, he sold out completely in just two days. Sometimes, his warehouse didn't even have enough to supply his regular customers. Not only has the quantity increased, but the price of fresh coconuts has also skyrocketed with the weather, from 10,000 VND/coconut at the beginning of April, then to 12,000 VND, and now selling for 15,000-18,000 VND/coconut, yet still not enough to meet demand. Even at some beverage shops, Siamese coconuts are priced at 25,000 VND/coconut, which is still considered quite "affordable."

Exploiting people's concerns about food safety and hygiene, many shops have displayed signs advertising "Super Clean Sugarcane Juice" to attract customers. According to a "super clean" sugarcane juice vendor on Quang Trung Street (Vinh City), the investment cost for a "super clean" cart is 5-7 million VND higher than older models, hence the slightly higher price compared to regular sugarcane juice.

However, a salesperson at the Lá Đỏ coffee shop (on Nguyen Van Cu Street, Vinh City) said that the process of making super-clean sugarcane juice must follow a closed loop, from transporting raw materials, cutting and peeling the sugarcane, to washing and pressing the juice into cups. The sugarcane juice press uses American technology, is made of shiny stainless steel, is easy to clean and scrub, and does not rust. In addition to clean sugarcane, they also use clean ice, clean paper cups, and clean straws, all of which are used only once and then discarded.

But in reality, the stalls advertising "super clean sugarcane juice" are no better than typical sidewalk beverage vendors. The peeled and chopped sugarcane is still soaked in buckets of tap water; many of the sugarcane juicers are homemade by the owners, designed for efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Customers flock to these sidewalk stalls on every street and corner because of their convenience. Because the stalls are located on the sidewalk, enjoying sugarcane juice isn't complicated. Those who don't want to drink it on the spot can easily buy it to take away. Besides that, the price is quite affordable. For only about 8,000-10,000 VND, customers can quench their thirst with sugarcane juice. Sugarcane juice is also available at any time of day – morning, noon, afternoon, or evening – whenever needed.

With the arrival of summer, the demand for beverages always increases, leading beverage companies to produce and launch many products, making the beverage market increasingly diverse and abundant. This is also the time when low-quality products often infiltrate the market, causing difficulties, health problems, and economic losses for consumers who purchase and use these products.

Observations in the market show that, besides quality-assured beverages produced by reputable domestic and international companies, many counterfeit and imitation products with unclear origins, labels, and ingredients are still appearing. Therefore, consumers should be cautious before purchasing products to avoid buying low-quality goods and suffering financial loss and health problems. For street vendors selling items like coconut water, sugarcane juice, and iced tea, strict hygiene checks are necessary to ensure consumer health.

Ngoc Anh