Creating "new vitality" for traditional markets in Nghe An
Traditional markets have long been associated with people's lives, but are facing many challenges due to the development of e-commerce and modern retail systems. So what is the solution to develop a traditional market network that meets people's needs and is suitable for new trends?
Many problems need to be solved
Currently, in Nghe An, there are 371 traditional markets in operation, of which 7 are class I markets, 20 are class II markets, the rest are class III markets and have not been classified. The commercial infrastructure is not yet synchronized, mainly concentrated in Vinh city and some central districts, while remote areas still lack standard markets.
Comparing the economic and technical standards of the market according to the Report of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns, the whole province currently has 154 solid markets, of which many markets attract investment with quite large scale, modern, meeting the requirements of fire prevention, fire fighting, environmental sanitation such as: Commercial service area combined with Do Luong traditional market, Kim Son market (Que Phong), Hoang Mai market, Tan Ky market, ...
According to statistics, more than 22% of markets have temporary, degraded facilities, affecting business conditions and the safety of traders. Fire prevention, fire fighting, and environmental sanitation systems are not guaranteed: Many markets only have simple fire extinguishers, and walkways are encroached upon. In any traditional market, it is easy to see traders leaving goods blocking walkways, partitions between stalls with flammable materials, and complex electrical systems that are difficult to ensure safety.
According to the Trade Management Department, Department of Industry and Trade, most of the markets are built on public land, a few are land invested by enterprises and cooperatives to build markets. The markets mainly existed before the time Decree No. 02/2003/ND-CP of the Government took effect, the area of business locations only reached an average of 2 - 2.5m2.2(not meeting the current standard of 3m)2); does not have its own warehouse but uses business locations as warehouses.
Along with that, the strong development of e-commerce, supermarkets, and convenience stores has made the traditional market model face many difficulties. According to statistics, 34.36% of markets are not operating effectively, 10.24% of markets are operating ineffectively, many markets are falling into a slump as people gradually switch to online shopping.
In the 2021 - 2024 period, nearly 25 billion VND of investment resources were mobilized to upgrade and repair 9 markets; 3 new markets were invested with an amount of 16.01 billion VND from the central budget under the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2021 - 2024 period, assigned by the Prime Minister according to the proposals of localities.
Nearly 3,000 billion VND needed for market development investment
The impact of the digital economy, shifting from direct buying and selling to buying and selling through e-commerce platforms and digital platforms, has changed people's shopping and consumption habits, affecting the operational efficiency of markets, supermarkets, and shopping centers.
Mr. Pham Van Hoa - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade said: The domestic and world markets in the coming time are forecasted to continue to be complicated and have many difficulties, the development of e-commerce will have a great impact on the operational efficiency of the traditional trade system. Therefore, it is necessary to have a plan to develop a network of markets, supermarkets and trade centers to have a long-term investment and business orientation, as a basis to mobilize investment resources in trade infrastructure to ensure synchronization, civilization and modernity.
On February 14, 2025, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Plan No. 91/KH-UBND on developing a network of markets, supermarkets and trade centers in the province. The main objective is to develop a network of markets, supermarkets and trade centers in sync with transport infrastructure and logistics infrastructure to maximize investment efficiency. Mobilize all social resources to participate in investing in building and renovating the market system, building trade centers and supermarkets; the goal by 2030 is to form a civilized and modern market system.
To improve the efficiency of traditional markets and form a civilized and modern market system, it is necessary to implement synchronous solutions. In particular, in addition to solutions to mobilize resources to improve infrastructure, upgrade facilities, and invest in upgrading markets, it is necessary to proactively combine traditional markets with modern sales models; Deploy a market model combined with a commercial center and an electronic market to help small traders expand their sales channels. In particular, it is necessary to actively transform digitally in traditional markets, apply technology to booth management, cashless payments, and online ordering.
In addition, develop markets associated with cultural and tourist characteristics, build specialty markets, night markets, and tourist markets to attract customers and increase competitiveness. Link traditional markets with OCOP products, craft villages, and local products to promote consumption of goods.
With synchronous solutions and appropriate directions, traditional markets in Nghe An will be gradually modernized, maintaining their role as important goods distribution channels, and at the same time, meeting new consumption trends of the people.
According to Plan No. 91/KH-UBND of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, by 2030, the province will develop about 100 commercial centers, of which 68 will be newly built. 368 supermarkets will be built to meet class I-III standards to serve shopping needs. The total investment capital demand for market development is about 2,839 billion VND, of which the majority will come from socialized capital.
