Thanh Vinh 'wakes up' after the pandemic

Business activities gradually recover

Crowded streets, vehicles parked on the sidewalks, people gathering at shops, shopping malls... these are not uncommon images on the streets.Vinh city streetIt can be seen that since the transition to the new normal state after the pandemic, commercial and service activities in Vinh City have gradually returned to their inherent hustle and bustle.

The streets of Vinh City are bustling at night, especially on weekends. Photo: Quang An

Putting aside a year of stagnant business, Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, owner of a seafood restaurant on An Duong Vuong Street, Vinh City, decided to renovate and reinvest in the restaurant to better serve the needs of customers. Mr. Tuan shared: “Since reopening, the restaurant has been fortunate to receive the attention and support of diners, especially on weekends and holidays. That is also the motivation for us to try to improve and serve diners better…”.

Mr. Tuan's mood is also the common joy of businesses in Vinh City at this time. Mr. Le Khac Hau - Vice Chairman of Truong Thi Ward People's Committee said: "If in 2021, many businesses and service establishments in the ward had to temporarily suspend operations, close due to bans or unprofitable business, up to now, most of the businesses on the streets have reopened, there is no longer the situation of closing and transferring kiosks continuously like before. In particular, the rental price of premises on central streets is tending to increase due to the sharp increase in people's demand for shopping, entertainment, and meetings".

Bustling business activities on the streets. Photo: Quang An

In April 2022, Vinh City officially put the walking street into operation, this is the highlight activity of Vinh city after 2 years of renovating and upgrading the roads. After half a year of operation, according to the reporter's records, the business streets in the city center such as Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Van Cu, Nguyen Tai, Nguyen Trung Ngan have all become "streets that never sleep" on weekends. Business activities are bustling and bustling with thousands of people participating in the walking street every night, the most crowded in the city.

Popular types of businesses such as food, coffee, fashion, cosmetics, etc. all have a surge in purchasing power every night the walking street is open. The number of households registering to do business on the walking street is constantly increasing, especially when the city has support policies in the early stages.

Not only on the streets, but also business and trading activities in markets and commercial centers in the city have become bustling again. The whole city has 26 markets with about 12,000 traders, of which the largest is Vinh market with over 3,000 traders, wholesale market with 1,000 traders, Vinh Railway Station market with 600 traders...

Mr. Nguyen Huu Dac - Head of Vinh Market Management Board said: "If in the past, the business of small traders was constantly interrupted due to the epidemic, the market had to be temporarily closed many times, but since the beginning of the year, people's trading activities have been continuous, and the collection of taxes and fees has also been more convenient. Although in early October, the West communal house area of ​​the market had to temporarily close due to storms, but so far, people have overcome the situation and returned to normal business."

Shopping malls are crowded with customers. Photo: Quang An

Since the beginning of the year, the city's trade and service sector has continued to develop well, flourishing in many areas. Total retail sales of goods and service revenue reached 22,000 billion VND, a sharp increase over the same period. Tourism activities have been bustling with nearly 2 million visitors, double the same period, revenue from tourism activities is estimated at 1,291 billion VND. Tourism infrastructure has developed strongly, especially hotels, motels, restaurants, supermarkets; currently there are more than 200 tourist accommodation establishments, many of which are 3-5 star.

In the province, there are 28 commercial centers, mainly concentrated in Vinh city. In Vinh city, there are many large supermarkets such as Lotte, Maximax, BigC, Mega Market, HC, Huong Giang, electronic and motorbike commercial centers...

The bustling business activities are also the time when many smuggled and counterfeit goods appear on the market. Since the beginning of the year, the city has increased inspection and handling of violations of trading in prohibited goods, poor quality goods, and commercial fraud in the area. The authorities have inspected 346 establishments, handled 275 establishments, handled administrative violations of 227 million VND, seized goods worth 889 million VND, and collected over 15.7 billion VND in taxes.

In recent times, the city has also strengthened coordination with departments and branches to ensure supply and stabilize the petroleum market and strengthen inspection and supervision of petroleum business activities in the area. Up to now, the supply of petroleum in the city has been basically stable.

Businesses maintain a stable number of customers in the new situation. Photo: Quang An

In recent years, with the attention, direction and support of the Central Government and the province; Vinh city has been focusing on better exploiting its potential and advantages. Financial, banking, transportation, insurance, and information and communication services continue to develop rapidly, with increasingly expanding networks, diversified service types, and improved service quality, meeting the service needs of the people.

Continue to refine the models

Although the business situation in Vinh City has clearly recovered after the pandemic. However, there are still some business models that have received large investments but have not really brought about efficiency, including the Cao Thang night street model. Although it has been renovated and changed its operating method many times, up to now, the number of customers coming to Cao Thang night street has not improved.

Currently, nearly 100 kiosks registered for business in the night street are still operating at a low level, not as effectively as expected, although this is a well-invested night-time economic model in the city.

Cao Thang night street has not been as effective as expected. Photo: Quang An

In addition, the implementation of the Food Street Project in the Citadel of Cua Nam Ward, one of the highlights of Vinh City, is still behind schedule. The call for organizations, enterprises, units, and individuals to invest and exploit business activities such as business, cuisine, and entertainment in the area of ​​the Regulating Lake, Goong Lake, Cua Nam Fish Lake, Lam River dike... and other areas where the city has advantages has not yet met expectations.

Through the discussion, Mr. Tran Quang Lam - Vice Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee said: In the coming time, the city will continue to direct the promotion of trade and service activities in the area, especially the night economy. Requesting units and localities to advise on solutions to maintain and develop Cao Thang night street; Continuing to urge Cua Nam ward to complete the Food Street Project associated with trade, service and tourism development in the Cua Nam Ward Citadel area for the period 2021 - 2025 to submit to competent authorities for approval. For business establishments, although there has been a recovery, if there are violations of traffic safety, environmental sanitation and urban order, they will also be handled according to regulations.

People's demand for entertainment and shopping increased sharply after the pandemic. Photo: Quang An

“Every month, the city, wards and communes will organize forums to listen to feedback, difficulties and problems in production, business and service activities of enterprises and business establishments to advise and coordinate solutions; at the same time, listen to the opinions of experts and businesses to give suggestions, create and develop orientations for the city in the future,” Mr. Tran Quang Lam emphasized.

The key task in the coming time is that the city will focus on attracting investment projects in tourist areas, high-quality entertainment complexes, cultural, art, sports centers, shopping areas; developing high-class accommodation facilities; developing resort tourism... expanding administrative boundaries, becoming a large coastal city of Vietnam.

Vinh City is bustling at night. Photo courtesy of Sach Nguyen.

Quang An