Shopping malls and stores have begun the year-end shopping season with promotions offering discounts of up to 80 per cent.

Opening the season is Black Friday, which originated in the US but has become a popular shopping event in Viet Nam in recent years.

Leading shopping centres in HCM City like Vincom and Takashimaya have announced discounts of up to 75 per cent on many items such as home appliances, fashion, watches, shoes and bags from local and international brands.

Many local brands like Cocosin, OLV and Edini, which offer popular ready-to-wear designs for women including ao dai (Vietnamese traditional tunic), offer discounts of up to 50 per cent on all items.

However, though Black Friday is possibly the biggest promotion event of the year, people are hesitant to shop.

The owner of a clothing store in District 3 said she expected to earn big profits on the occasion, but found that people had tightened their spending due to the pandemic and only bought what they needed.

Nguyen Phuong Nguyen of District 2 said: “I hope to buy some new clothes for Tet (Lunar New Year), but most of the discounted items are old fashioned and from previous seasons. New clothes have no discount. So I just bought some accessories I needed.”

Besides, online shopping has become hugely popular with many people hunting for bargains on e-commerce websites like Lazada, Tiki and Shopee.

Customers can find attractive deals on international brands even at places like ACFC, Maison and Takashimaya.

Electronic stores like Dien May Xanh and Nguyen Kim are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on home appliances, cell phones and laptops.

Besides, the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade has launched a shopping promotion programme called ‘Shopping Season 2021’ to promote year-end consumption and shopping.

It has worked with leading supermarket chains and businesses to offer big discounts on food, clothes, essential items, and other goods. — VNS