Duck meat "sold out", fruit prices increase slightly on occasion of Doan Ngo Festival

The number of customers buying duck increased 3 times compared to normal days.

On the occasion of the Duanwu Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), at around 9am, the shops selling and butchering ducks at Quan Lau market, Truong Thi ward, Vinh city were quite empty. The owner of a shop selling chickens and ducks and also providing butchering services said that due to the hot weather, customers went to the market early in the morning to avoid the sun. The shop mainly serves regular customers, many of whom order by phone, make an appointment to pick up at the shop, and do not have to wait.

On a normal day, this store sells about 30-40 ducks per day. During the Duanwu Festival, the number of ducks sold increases nearly 3 times compared to normal days, and many customers request to “slow down” the duck blood to make blood pudding.

In addition to shops selling and processing chicken and duck, some traders selling eel, fish and vegetables also take the opportunity to sell ready-made duck.

“I buy vegetables, fruits, eggs, chickens, ducks, and river fish from the people in the neighborhood and sell them every day at the market. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, many regular customers asked to buy ducks, so I collected the goods and prepared them in advance, without taking any wages. Since the beginning of the morning, I have sold more than 20 ducks. The price of wild ducks ranges from 120,000 to 140,000 VND/duck, depending on the size,” said Ms. Pham Thi Ha, a trader at Quan Lau market.

At Hung Dung market, Hung Dung ward, at nearly 10 am, the stalls selling and serving chicken and duck butchery were still crowded with people waiting to "get their goods". A customer waiting for his duck to be butchered said that the price of duck butchery service had increased slightly by 25 thousand VND/bird, an increase of 5 thousand VND compared to normal days. However, with the hot weather and the large number of people jostling, the slight increase in service price was accepted by consumers.

In the vegetable, fruit and agricultural products area east of Hung Dung market, by 10am, there were no chicken and duck vendors. A vegetable and fruit vendor said that duck meat was sold out early today, and around noon, some customers asked but there were no more to sell. Customers came to buy ducks and placed orders quite early, so from 4am, we collected the goods and hired a butchering service. The selling price of ducks increased slightly compared to normal days. Grass-fed ducks cost from 140,000 VND, hybrid ducks cost 180,000 VND/bird.

At chicken and duck shops, duck prices range from 170 - 180 thousand VND/duck, not including cleaning costs.

Ms. Nguyen Viet Hoa, who lives near Hung Dung market, said she ordered two ducks early in the morning to bring back to her hometown to prepare an offering and celebrate the Doan Ngo Festival with her grandparents and parents. “This is an annual traditional activity of the family. This year, the Doan Ngo Festival falls on the occasion when the children are on summer vacation, so the organization is more relaxed. The offering is simple with a tray of rice with duck meat and fruits,” Ms. Hoa said.

In addition to markets, supermarkets and organic food stores also sell double or triple the amount of duck meat compared to normal days. A organic food store on Nguyen Phong Sac Street said that the amount of ready-made duck meat sold by the store on Doan Ngo Festival tripled compared to normal days.

This shop serves whole ducks, or chopped duck sets, with vegetable and fruit seasonings. “Each half duck set comes with herbs, pineapple, bamboo shoots, or star fruit and pre-marinated spices. More than half of the customers who bought duck meat today ordered or came to buy the sets directly. Each set costs 110,000 VND, many customers said they chose this set because it is suitable for the number of people eating in a family,” said the shop owner.

Flowers and fruits prices increase slightly

From early morning, fruit stalls were bustling. People rushed to the market early to avoid the heat.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan - a trader in Hung Loc commune, Vinh city said that on Doan Ngo festival, the amount of lotus flowers sold doubled compared to normal days. From morning until now, I have sold 4 boxes of lotus flowers. The flowers are grown by my family, sold at 30 - 40 thousand VND/bunch depending on the size.

In addition to lotus flowers, other popular flowers for incense offering such as large chrysanthemums and gerbera daisies have also increased in price slightly. Large yellow chrysanthemums cost between 5,000 and 7,000 VND per flower depending on size.

Regarding fruit, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly, a trader at Hung Phuc market on Herman street, said that the price increase of fruit this year was not significant. For example, Bac Giang lychee, which usually costs 30,000 VND/kg, is now 35,000 VND/kg; plums have increased to 50,000 VND/kg, 10-15,000 VND/kg more expensive than usual depending on size. Rambutan is 50,000 VND/kg, an increase of 5,000 VND/kg.

“This year, Nghe An has a good harvest of mangoes, lychees and watermelons, so prices have hardly fluctuated. I have also limited the import of mangoes and melons from the South because the purchase volume has decreased. The price of mangoes from the South or Thai mangoes is 10,000 – 20,000 VND/kg higher than mangoes in the province,” said Ms. Ly.

Specifically, the price of mangoes remains at 50-55 thousand VND/kg. Seedless watermelons imported from Thailand range from 70-105 thousand VND/fruit, depending on size; equivalent to about 40 thousand VND/kg. Meanwhile, the price of watermelons from local people in the province to consumers ranges from 15-20 thousand VND/kg.

According to traditional beliefs, during the transitional seasons, diseases are likely to occur. On this day, people have many customs to prevent diseases. During the Duanwu Festival, people hold incense-burning ceremonies to thank heaven, earth, and ancestors and celebrate a successful harvest, hoping that the crops will be good, that pathogens will be eliminated, that plants and fruits will flourish, and that people will always be healthy and free of disease.

The offering tray for the Duanwu Festival usually includes votive paper, incense, clean water; sticky rice wine, purple sticky rice, flowers, fruits, and ash cakes. Fruits are usually sour fruits such as plums, green mangoes, and lychees.