Race to deliver goods during Tet

With only one week left until Tet, the demand for goods delivery has skyrocketed, and some places have announced a temporary suspension of receiving long-distance orders.

Post offices are struggling with the amount of goods that need to be transported before Tet - Photo: CONG TRUNG

According to Tuoi Tre in Ho Chi Minh City, from post offices, supermarkets to large and small businesses, all are racing against time to complete orders before the holiday. Senders need to calculate carefully if they need goods delivered before Tet.

Shipper busy "running" for Tet

The urgent working atmosphere is easily seen in shipping units such as Viettel Post, Giao Hang Nhanh, Best Express or in large supermarkets such as Co.opMart, Emart, Go.

At Viettel Post office on Chu Van An street (Binh Thanh district), goods are piled up in the aisles, shippers continuously check orders and deliver goods non-stop.

Mr. Hoang, an experienced shipper, shared that there were days when he delivered nearly 100 orders. He was both tired and happy when he saw customers receiving their orders, everyone was happily preparing for Tet.

Not only post offices, large supermarkets such as Co.opMart, Emart or Go are also "heating up" with the skyrocketing demand for home delivery.

Mr. Nguyen Nhu, a shipper at Go supermarket, said that many customers buy goods and then order home delivery. "There are countless orders within a 5km radius, especially in the Go Vap area.

Customers mainly buy candy, food, and drinks for Tet. On weekends, the number of orders skyrocket, and we can't finish delivering the work" - Mr. Nhu said. The shipper's workload at this time increases 4-5 times compared to normal days.

"Headache" with shipping goods before Tet

Due to the pressure of orders, many shipping companies have been forced to temporarily stop accepting long-distance orders to ensure progress.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luan, director of Toan Cau Trading Link Company Limited, said that at this time, many delivery staff also asked for leave to return to their hometowns for Tet, causing delivery companies to lack staff and have to rebalance their schedules accordingly.

According to him, the situation of not delivering on time or overloading orders only strongly affects small online shops or small businesses that do not have long-term contracts with shipping units, while it has almost no impact on large businesses.

Not only facing difficulties in human resources, many businesses also face traffic congestion and high transportation costs.

A leader of Phuc Sinh Company - specializing in providing Tet gifts such as tea and coffee - said that freight rates increased by 30%, the factory was operating at full capacity but still could not meet delivery schedules.

The shipping market is extremely busy before the Lunar New Year holiday. Mr. Nguyen CLLLong, a post office manager of J&T Express in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the number of orders during Tet increased 2-3 times compared to normal days. This year, his post office recorded an increase of about 20% in orders compared to the same period last year.

In addition, this is also the time when many customers return to their hometowns, causing a situation where orders are placed but no one receives them. Especially in businesses, factories, garment factories and processing plants, workers often return to their hometowns early to celebrate Tet, causing more difficulties in the delivery process.

In this situation, the shipper and the post office must actively communicate to support delivery, and at the same time agree with the store on how to handle unsuccessful delivery orders.

According to a representative of J&T Express Vietnam, the closer to Lunar New Year, the more orders come in, and the staff must work at 200% capacity to keep up with the mass of Tet orders.

According to businesses, in addition to pressure on time and workload, businesses also face a shortage of seasonal workers to pack and transport goods.

Most shipping companies such as Shopee Express, Giao Hang Tiet Kiem and Giao Hang Nhanh have announced their holiday schedule from January 27, 2025 (December 28) to February 1, 2025 (the 4th day of Tet).

Meanwhile, Grab Express is still operating but delivery times may be slower due to a reduction in the number of drivers. Shopee Express recommends that customers place and pay for their orders before January 25 to ensure delivery before Tet.

Similarly, Giao Hang Tiet Kiem only accepts orders within Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City before 12:00 on January 26 and stops accepting inter-regional orders from January 23.

Delivery scam warning

At the end of the year, fraudulent acts related to delivery tend to increase. Viettel Post warns of some common tricks such as: some subjects impersonating delivery staff, asking customers to pay in advance via bank transfer; sending packages of unknown origin and forcing customers to pay without checking; or impersonating relatives and friends, using illegally collected personal information to request payment through unusual forms.

To spot a scam, be wary of parcels with no order information, delivery personnel not in uniform or showing identification, and requests for urgent cash payments without checking the item.

Viettel Post recommends that customers always carefully check order information, compare it with the transaction made, ask the delivery staff to present their employee card and company uniform, and refuse to pay or receive the goods if there is any doubt about the origin of the parcel.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chay-dua-giao-hang-dip-tet-20250120084845396.htm