Shops in HCM City selling speciality items for Tet (Lunar New Year) have entered their peak sales period.

Cuttlefish pie, dried bamboo shoots and dried wood ear fungus from the north are among the highly sought-after gifts for the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 16 this year.

Russian sturgeon caviar, Australian abalone, certain dried meats and fish, and dried and fresh fruits are also in demand.

An organic products shop on Thao Dien Street in District 2 has been packed in recent days with customers buying Russian sturgeon caviar.

The number of people buying caviar during Tet is high, and most buy to gift, according to a shop employee.

Sturgeon caviar cost around VND 2.5 million (US$110) per 100g now.

Shops selling speciality product on streets like Cong Quynh in District 1, Ngo Duc Ke in Binh Thanh District and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai in District 3, are crowded these days.

Australian abalone and Japanese beef are among the products in great demand at these shops.

The price of large abalone, 3-4 of which make a kilogramme, is around VND5.7 million a kilogramme.

Imported flowers are also very popular.

Nguyen Thi Thu Lan, an owner of a flower shop in District 1, said most customers who buy imported flowers are companies or rich people because the flowers are more expensive than local varieties.

For instance, a stem of phalaenopsis orchids grown in Da Lat costs VND300,000 while one with 18-20 flowers imported from Taiwan costs VND1.3 million, she said.

Specially shaped fruits

Many fruits which are grown in unique shapes like wine gourd-shaped grapefruits in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta for decoration during Tet are available in HCM City.

City traders bought up these fruits in advance months ago to sell during Tet.

The Phu Tri A Agriculture Extension Club in Hau Giang Province’s Chau Thanh District will supply some 6,000 wine gourd-shaped grapefruits to HCM City and other provinces.

Vo Trung Thanh, the first in the delta to grow the grapefruits in that shape, said each cost VND300,000 – 1.5 million.

Huynh Thanh Tam, who successfully grew wine gourd-shaped coconuts in Ben Tre Province in 2016, will supply some 5,000 of them at VND500,000 each. — VNS