Banh chung, mai tet… in high demand

In recent days, customers calling chef Phan Ton Tinh Hai's phone number have rarely been able to contact her because she is too busy. "I spend all day in the kitchen making dishes that customers have ordered. There are days when I have to stay up until 1am to make jam. This year, customers really like ginger jam, lotus jam, and banh chung under the Tinh Hai brand, so the number of orders has increased. The price of banh chung on the market this year is quite high, but Tinh Hai's cakes are still stable and my goal is still quality instead of quantity," "Master Chef" Tinh Hai shared.

In the market, the service of cooking banh chung has also started. Ms. Thu Thuy, owner of Banh Chung Me Nau shop in Go Vap District (HCMC), is taking orders for Tet banh chung. She said that this is a traditional dish during the traditional Tet holiday, so even though the economy is difficult, the demand is still very high. This year, regular customers have ordered quite a lot, although the price of some ingredients has increased, the shop's price of banh chung has remained the same, even selling it a little lower to wholesale customers to compete. According to Thanh Nien reporters, the price of banh chung on the market ranges from 200,000 - 320,000 VND/pair depending on weight and brand.

Along with Tet banh chung, decoration services are also starting to "heat up". Ms. Vi Bui, representative of Loc Xanh Company in Thu Duc City (HCMC), shared: "This week, the Tet apricot rental service has started to peak. This year's economic difficulties have affected the demand for Tet apricot blossoms, however, our company has a number of regular customers such as office buildings, banks, households, etc., so it remains stable. Normally, office and headquarters customers will receive flowers on the 15th - 22nd of the 12th lunar month, while family customers receive bonsai apricot blossoms on the 25th of the lunar calendar. The most difficult thing about the bonsai apricot rental service is that the flowers must bloom a lot, beautifully and on the right day to maintain its reputation with customers. This year, Tet comes late, so the weather is not favorable, the problem is that the artisans must have the technique to take care of the apricot blossoms so that they bloom at the right time". Mr. Nguyen Hoan Nhu, an ornamental tree grower in Xuan Thoi Son commune, Hoc Mon district (HCMC) also said: "This year the economic situation is difficult, so mai players are also very frugal. My family's mai garden has hundreds of trees, but sales have been very slow in recent years, mainly renting mai trees to display during Tet and exchanging between artisans. In general, the demand for ornamental trees has decreased this year, but mai rental services may decrease slightly."

Phong Hong apricot rental system in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong informed that the demand for apricot rental for Tet is still stable. The rental price for apricot for Tet this year is almost unchanged, the rental price for yellow apricot for office is from 4-12 million VND depending on the size, yellow apricot for display in the lobby is from 12-15 million VND and yellow apricot for the main lobby is from 15-20 million VND. The rental period for apricot is no more than 20 days and must be booked 15 days in advance.

Car rental service competition

Car rental for spring travel is also one of the services attracting customers in recent days. Talking to Thanh Nien reporter, representative of HomeCar Company Limited, District 8 (HCMC) said: "Like every year, the demand for car rental for Tet always increases, the rental procedures are almost complete. For our company, during Tet holidays, we only accept customers who rent for at least 10 days, if customers travel for more than 10 days, the following days will be calculated according to the normal day price. This year, the car rental price remains stable from 1.3 - 3.6 million VND depending on the type of car and model of car".

Mr. CNS, residing in Thu Duc City (HCMC), said that every year his family rents a car to visit relatives in their hometown. Although the car rental procedure is quite complicated and there are many terms and conditions regarding car delivery and return times, mileage limits, etc. However, if comparing the cost of transportation for the whole family, renting a car is still more economical. This year, there is an additional electric car rental service, so Mr. S. is considering the option.

The electric car rental service that many people are interested in is the new service of Xanh SM, which has just been launched about a month ago. Talking to Thanh Nien , the media representative of Green and Smart Moving Joint Stock Company (brand name Xanh SM), said: "The self-drive rental service of Xanh SM is for customers who want to enjoy trips with their families on all roads or businesses looking for modern, civilized, professional travel solutions for long-term business trips... The difference of Xanh SM is that there is no limit on the number of rental cars, flexible pricing policy...". According to the representative of Xanh SM, although it has just been launched, the short-term car rental service has attracted a lot of attention and discussion on forums.

Mr. Le Van Quyen, residing in Phu Nhuan District (HCMC), who has experienced many different car models, analyzed: "The car rental service of Xanh SM launched at this time is to meet the demand for car rental during Tet. Compared to the price of plane tickets or buying train tickets for Tet, car rental is a much more economical solution. I researched the rental prices for Tet between gasoline cars and electric cars and found a clear difference. For example, the lowest rental price for Toyota Vios and Honda City (2019 - 2020) is 1.3 million VND/day, while the lowest price for Vinfast electric cars is 1.1 million VND/day. Not to mention that gasoline cars have to spend money on gas while electric cars save more on fuel costs. On the contrary, electric cars are limited to only traveling 200 km/day and the additional unit price is quite high. Renting a gasoline car is limited to 400 km/day, almost double. Thus, it can be seen that the difference It's pretty clear that gasoline cars are for passengers traveling across Vietnam and long distances, while electric cars are for passengers traveling less frequently.

In addition to professional car rental companies, the market now also has the presence of car rental applications for personal cars. In general, this year's Tet, the car rental market is very busy and vibrant, but in reality, we still have to wait and see the demand of consumers in the last days of the Year of the Cat.