Discover the 'bird supermarket' in Vinh City.

(Baonghean.vn) – To meet the needs of bird enthusiasts, many shops selling equipment, tools, medicines, and food for birds have sprung up in Vinh City.

Businesses selling pet bird supplies are concentrated on streets like Le Viet Thuat, Nguyen Thai Hoc, and Phan Dinh Phung… Pet bird enthusiasts often jokingly call these "bird supermarkets," because all the necessary items for their beloved birds can be easily purchased there.

A shop catering to pet bird enthusiasts on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street (Vinh City)

At a "bird supermarket" on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Mr. Thinh – the owner – said that he started selling this special product in 1989, and is considered one of the first people to provide services for the pet bird hobby in Vinh City.

Initially, Mr. Thinh only imported and sold a few simple items such as bird cages, feeders, perch sets, etc., because at that time, the number of people who kept pet birds was small, and the economic conditions for investing in the hobby were not high. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the pet bird keeping movement began to boom, peaking between 2006 and 2013. Seizing the market opportunity, numerous shops supplying equipment, food, etc., for birds sprung up, increasing competition in the business.

The two brothers went to buy bird cages at a shop on Phan Dinh Phung Street.

Along with that, the range of items catering to this hobby is becoming increasingly rich and diverse. At Thien Loan bird shop (Phan Dinh Phung street), hundreds of bird cages of all sizes and styles, along with various colored feeders, are available at different price points, making it convenient for customers to choose.

Bird cages come in various types such as bathing cages, confinement cages, and display cages, with prices ranging from approximately 100,000 VND to around 1,000,000 VND. Similarly, plastic bird feeders cost from 5,000 to 10,000 VND per set, while glass feeders cost around 20,000 VND per set.

Pin fruit for pet birds.

"Stumbling" into a "bird supermarket," you'll find many items that, at first glance, those who don't keep pet birds might not understand what they're used for, such as fruit and flower clips for birds, backpacks for bird cages, bird glue, etc.

One bird-keeping enthusiast equipped himself with a backpack shaped like a birdcage for convenient travel.

The most elaborate aspect is the food for pet birds. To have a beautiful, prolific, and energetic bird, owners spare no expense investing in various types of fresh and dry food for their beloved pet. Each type of bird, such as the bulbul, warbler, magpie, nightingale, etc., requires a different diet. Currently, fresh food for pet birds mainly consists of worms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc.; while dry food is commercially packaged bird feed.

Professional bird enthusiasts share that, in the past, when the market for bird-related services wasn't as diverse and quality was inconsistent, they often prepared their own bird food. In recent years, with the emergence of many commercially packaged bird feeds, homemade bird food has almost disappeared. Along with bird feed, birds may also be supplemented with grasshoppers or fruits like apples and bananas throughout the day.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chuong (Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City) mixed "bath soap" into the bathing cage for his pet bird. This is a type of medicinal bath for pet birds with many uses.

"Bird shampoo" is actually a type of medicine, mixed into water, which helps prevent skin and feather diseases, promotes molting, and gives birds healthy, beautiful, and shiny feathers. Even in these "supermarkets," you can find health and beauty care products for birds such as medicine and shampoo. "Almost all bird illnesses are similar to those in humans: coughs, asthma, respiratory diseases, swollen heads, colds… Therefore, professional bird breeders understand the symptoms of birds to buy the right medicine," said Mr. Nguyen Van Chuong (Vinh Tan ward, Vinh City), a professional bird breeder.

Phuoc Anh - Thanh Cuong