HCM City (VNA) ꧒– Imported goods, including home appliances and food, have begun to dominate shelves in malls and specialty shops.

In HCM City’s District 7, for example, housewife Minh Phuong can find imported products from Thailand, Japan and the US at supermarkets and shopping malls. “These products are on many shelves at Lotte Mart and Giant near my house. Many smaller stores specialising in products from one country have opened in District 7, especially in Phu My Hung City Centre,” she said. In the past, imported products were mostly clothes, footwear and cosmetics, but they now range from instant noodles to canned food and home appliances. Fresh fruit imports are also common. E-mart, a Republic of Korea’s shopping mall in Go Vap District, which opened late last year, has attracted many customers. One consumer told Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper said that her family visits the supermarket and has dinner there five times a week. “The products are diverse while the price is competitive. The space and decor are clean and beautiful,” she explained. At Metro An Phu in HCM City, the volume of Thai products increased from the day it was sold to Thailand’s Berli Jucker Public Company Ltd. A source from Metro told the English language daily Vietnam News that although Thailand products accounted for only 2 percent of goods, the total number had increased after Berli Jucker’s acquisition. A report from Liberated Saigon also found that Thai products dominated shelves. Shopping malls like the Japanese-owned Aeon Mall and Korean-owned Lotte Mart also offer many Japanese and Korean products. Imported products are also being offered online, as e-commerce has developed rapidly in Vietnam. Customers can easily buy fruit and fresh meat from Australia, the US and New Zealand by just picking up a phone and placing an order. Technician Kieu Oanh said her news feed on Facebook has many daily notifications from sellers of imported fruit. She said that buying imported fruit was a better alternative as local fruit had become more expensive and the quality varied from shop to shop. On Ly Thuong Kiet Street in HCM City, the owner of a shop that imports 30 boxes of foreign fruits a day usually sells out by 2pm. Daiso stores selling Japanese products and small convenience shops selling Thai products have also become more popular. In HCM City, several shops selling Japanese products on Le Thanh Ton Street have opened to meet increased demand.-VNA