Saigon students prepare for Tet with just 100,000 VND.

A baseball cap for 25,000 VND, a T-shirt for 15,000 VND, jeans for 55,000 VND – Phan Hoai Lam (a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology) said he had bought everything he needed to go back to his hometown.

The university village night market (Linh Trung, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City) is a popular destination for students during the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year). The latter half of December is when students finish their semester exams, making the night market even more crowded than ever. Here, students can freely choose from a wide variety of essential items at affordable prices.

Walking around the market, almost all items, from clothes, shoes, bags, belts, glasses, cosmetics, jewelry, etc., have an average price of 50,000 - 70,000 VND. Children's clothes are only 10,000 - 40,000 VND/set, men's and women's jeans from 50,000 - 150,000 VND, men's and women's shirts from 35,000 - 100,000 VND, women's handbags from 25,000 VND,...

A baseball cap for 25,000 VND, a T-shirt for 15,000 VND, a pair of men's jeans for 55,000 VND – Phan Hoai Lam (a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology) said he managed to buy everything he needed to go home for Tet without spending all of his 100,000 VND.

"Not only are the prices affordable for students, but the items sold here are also very diverse in design, keeping up with the latest fashion trends of young people, so they are popular," said Hoang Thuy Nhan (a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry).

After a year of studying in a big city, many students often save money for Tet (Lunar New Year) shopping. Therefore, during these days, the night market in the university village is bustling with buyers and sellers from 5 PM onwards. Normally, the market starts to thin out around 9 PM, but during this time, it remains crowded until after 11 PM. Some items that usually sell poorly are now in high demand.

Ms. Tuyet, the owner of a fashion accessories stall, said: "Every night this past week has been packed with customers. My husband, our three children, and I have been selling goods together, but we still can't keep up with the demand."

Holding several newly purchased items in her hands, Nguyen Thanh My (a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) excitedly said: “No matter how financially strained we are, before going home for Tet, we always have to save money to buy clothes, shoes, and some essential items for ourselves and our families. Because goods in Saigon, especially those sold to students, are usually cheaper than buying them in our hometowns. Moreover, this year the goods at the night market near the university are very beautiful and of good quality.”

According to experienceBecause of the low prices, goods at night markets are often defective, so you have to choose carefully to find something you like.

The owner of a stall selling jackets and sweaters at the night market said that this year, in addition to importing leftover stock from export processing zones, industrial parks, or Chinese goods, she also sources outdated items from fashion shops. Students are often hesitant to shop at stores because of the high prices, so when these items are sold at the night market, they become very popular because they are cheap but of good quality and have attractive designs.

However, according to the shopping experience of a student from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, the student market has a wide variety of goods at cheap prices, but you have to be careful in your selection to get good quality items. This is because most of the goods are from China, counterfeit, or of unclear origin. Many students only discover defects after buying them, such as broken buttons or tears, but they are not allowed to exchange them.

According to what I read in the newspaper.