Ngoc Dieu spent 17 million VND shopping on Black Friday in Bangkok and said that this year's sales atmosphere in Thailand is more gloomy than usual.
Ngoc Dieu, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, has been going to Thailand every Black Friday for nearly 10 years, except for the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, she spent 5 days (November 24-28) in Bangkok just to shop at markets and shopping malls, and combine eating and playing in the mall. The Vietnamese tourist spent a total of 25 million VND, of which 17 million VND was spent on shopping.
Dieu said that the price of a plane ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok at the end of the year, flying at the best time, in economy class, is around 7 million VND, about 3 million VND higher than in the summer. She got a last-minute ticket from a tour operator for 3.5 million VND. To conveniently travel to the shopping mall and walk to the subway stations, she booked a hotel room in the center of Bangkok for nearly 1.2 million VND per night.
Travel companies say that going abroad to hunt for sales is one of the year-end travel trends of Vietnamese tourists. Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism Pham Anh Vu said that during Black Friday week this year (November 26 - December 2), the company organized 11 tour groups to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, each group of 20-30 people. The itinerary focused on major shopping centers and special discount events. There were 4 groups booking custom-designed tours, focusing on shopping and hunting for sales.
"It is expected that from now until the end of the year, the number of tourist groups to Southeast Asian and Northeast Asian countries will increase by about 20% compared to the same period last year," said Mr. Vu.
A representative of Viet Tourism said that the company flexibly adjusted the schedule compared to usual, to meet the needs of customers hunting for sales. Tours were extended by 2-3 hours specifically for shopping activities at shopping centers and markets. Special policies during this time include a car pick-up service at home and arranging a tour guide to assist customers with shopping.
On Black Friday, shopping malls are often crowded with tourists and locals, the company works with local staff and guides to ensure the safety of tourists, support customers in handling tax refund procedures at the airport, to reduce waiting time. According to Mr. Vu, the spending power of tourists during this time increases by 40-60% compared to other seasons of the year.
Ms. Phan Huynh Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel, said that the groups booking tours designed according to the company's shopping needs are usually high-end individual customers who prioritize shopping experiences at exclusive stores. The tours have 4-6 hours per day dedicated to shopping at shopping centers, with knowledgeable shopping guides, transportation support, and priority for short trips, avoiding crowded or unrelated shopping attractions.
However, "this year, customers tend to participate in online discount programs, plan their shopping, and hunt for sales through apps before traveling," said Ms. Hoang.
However, according to companies, the number of customers booking tours and services at the end of the year to go shopping and hunt for sales in Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia has not changed compared to previous years. Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, said that customers who want to travel and shop in nearby markets such as Thailand and Singapore are mainly individual customers booking "free and easy" tours (booking basic services).
According to Ms. Thu, the strong development of e-commerce platforms has affected tourists' shopping habits when traveling. 5-7 years ago, tourists often bought tours combined with shopping schedules to go to countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia to hunt for discounted branded goods on Black Friday at the end of the year.
"It's much easier to order online now. Tour customers tend to look at products at shopping malls and then buy online because there are more incentives," said Ms. Thu.
Going abroad at the end of the year and shopping is still a trend chosen by many customers because this is the time when brands launch the "deepest" discounts, but the shopping experiences are not always as expected. According to Dieu's observation, the sales atmosphere this year in Bangkok is much more gloomy than in previous years. She visited about 4-5 large shopping malls in Bangkok but she found few discounted items as she wanted.
"I skipped a few sales in Vietnam to wait for this trip to Thailand, but not many brands had deep discounts like every year," Dieu said.
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