The Mid-Autumn Festival market in Nghe An is quiet amidst the stormy weather!

Despite setting up stalls to sell mooncakes nearly two months ago, and this being considered the peak season for people buying mooncakes, the stalls are very quiet and have very few customers. Along Le Mao, Le Loi, and Quang Trung streets, mooncake brands and retailers set up their stalls early, displaying their products with eye-catching colors and a wide variety of mooncakes from affordable to high-end, but very few customers have come to buy.

Ms. Tran Huong, an employee at a stall on Le Mao Street, said: "Every year, from after the full moon of the seventh lunar month, especially at the beginning of the eighth lunar month, there are a lot of customers, and we have to mobilize more staff for sales, packaging, and shipping."

This year, with only a few days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, sales are very sluggish, only 30% of last year's revenue. Most customers just stop by to inquire about prices and information, then leave. Therefore, in the next one or two days, we are considering lowering prices and offering promotions to stimulate demand.”

In some stalls, the number of mooncakes sold can be counted on the fingers of one hand, with staff constantly packing up and putting them away. Previously, grocery stores primarily sold wholesale to agencies, organizations, schools, or charitable groups for collective Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations for children, with quantities reaching thousands of mooncakes per season. However, this year, there are virtually no large orders, and retail sales are also very limited.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, owner of a grocery store in Do Luong town, said: “We only sell affordable mooncakes, priced from 25,000 to 70,000 VND per piece; our target customers are groups and individuals buying them for their children to enjoy during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although I predicted a difficult market this year, I proactively imported less stock, fearing losses from unsold inventory. Unexpectedly, sales have been so low this year.”

In supermarkets and large shopping malls throughout the province, at this time of year, mooncakes in a variety of vibrant colors and types, along with many attractive promotions, are displayed right at the entrances to attract customers. However, according to observations, sales are quite low. Despite the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, mooncakes are selling very poorly.

"In previous years, the best-selling items were high-end mooncakes, priced from 700,000 VND to several million VND per box, which customers bought as gifts. However, this year, the number of customers has dropped sharply," said Ms. Thu Thuy, in charge of the mooncake stall at a supermarket on Le Nin Street.

Not only mooncakes, but also children's toys – which usually sell very well during this time – are experiencing limited sales. From children's toy stores and baby supermarkets to bookstores and local markets, there's an abundance of star-shaped lanterns, paper lanterns, toys, stuffed animals, fairy wings, etc., for children, but the quantity sold is very limited.

"It's already the 10th day of the lunar month, and still not many people are asking to buy. This year, we've pretty much decided to leave unsold stock," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Sam, the owner of a stall at Hung Dung Market (Vinh City).

Weak purchasing power is a common observation in this year's Mid-Autumn Festival market. According to small business owners, there are several reasons. Firstly, the difficult economic situation has led people to tighten their spending, limiting purchases of non-essential items, including mooncakes and Mid-Autumn Festival toys.

Secondly, the mooncake market is now "saturated" with numerous brands, labels, and handmade mooncakes, not to mention Chinese mooncakes sold on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook pages, giving customers many choices.

“Mooncakes, especially the homemade ones, are sold almost year-round, so you can order them whenever you want, unlike in the old days when you could only buy them during a specific occasion. Not to mention, the price is much higher during this time compared to normal days, so I only bought one soft mooncake and one baked mooncake to offer as incense on the full moon day,” said Ms. Thu Huong, a resident of Hung Binh ward.

Furthermore, with the devastating floods and storms in northern Vietnam, causing immense loss and suffering, people are focusing their efforts on helping their compatriots instead of organizing extravagant Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. Many charitable groups, localities, agencies, and organizations have announced the cancellation of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, allocating funds to purchase essential supplies to support those affected by the floods.

Ms. Phuong Mai, owner of a business selling mooncakes and Mid-Autumn Festival feasts in Nghi Phu (Vinh City), said that since last month, she had received orders from 50 organizations and units to buy cakes and prepare feasts to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival for children. However, as of yesterday, 40 orders had been canceled, and the remaining 10 units reduced their orders to a minimum. The reason is that these organizations and units are using the funds intended for the Mid-Autumn Festival to donate to flood victims.

"Although sales were slow, I felt very happy because it was the right thing to do, showing the solidarity of the people. Therefore, I returned all the deposits to the businesses that canceled their orders," Ms. Phuong Mai shared.