Vegetarian food sells out quickly during the Vu Lan season.

Walking around supermarkets and markets in Ho Chi Minh City these days, it's easy to spot many stalls selling vegetarian food, displayed attractively and with a wider variety than in previous months.

Anticipating consumer trends, especially with the upcoming Vu Lan festival, numerous stores and supermarkets have been displaying a wide variety of vegetarian food products since the beginning of the seventh lunar month.

Shops and supermarkets have been displaying a wide variety of vegetarian food since the beginning of the seventh lunar month to welcome the Vu Lan festival. Photo: Tieu Ket

Some vegetarian food items are always in high demand if you don't buy them early. Many popular items include: various types of mushrooms (straw mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, etc.), vegetarian spring rolls, sausages, and patties, tofu skin, tofu, etc.

Tofu is always the best-selling vegetarian item in supermarkets. Photo: Tieu Ket

Vegetarian sausages and patties are also among the most popular items on the market. Photo: Tieu Ket

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai, a small business owner at Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh District, said: “Because many people observe a vegetarian diet throughout the entire seventh lunar month, we imported a lot of goods from the beginning of the month to prepare for customers. This month, people buy several times more vegetarian food than in previous months. Especially on the days leading up to the festival, such as the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the lunar month, sales are very high; some days, many products are sold out by 9 am.”

According to observations by reporters from the Industry and Trade Newspaper, vegetarian food is currently abundant and diverse in markets and supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City.

Besides traditional vegetables, fruits, and legumes, vegetarian food can also be divided into several main groups such as ready-to-eat vegetarian foods like: shredded dried meat, seaweed, vegetarian Thai fish sauce, vegetarian ribs, dried tofu skin, vegetarian anchovies, vegetarian tofu skin sausage, vegetarian spring rolls, etc.

Frozen vegetarian foods are processed and frozen to preserve their quality and flavor, such as: vegetarian bacon, vegetarian cabbage rolls, vegetarian stuffed zucchini, vegetarian stir-fried beef, vegetarian braised beef, vegetarian beef meatballs, vegetarian mackerel, vegetarian stuffed tomatoes, etc.

Canned vegetarian dishes such as: Beef stew with beans, vegan sardines in tomato sauce, vegetarian mackerel in tomato sauce, fried fish balls in sweet and sour sauce, vegetarian Hong Kong-style tofu, vegetarian tamarind-roasted chicken wings…

Vegetarian sauces and seasonings include: vegetarian oyster sauce, beef stew seasoning, curry seasoning, beef pho seasoning, barbecue seasoning, vegetarian fermented fish sauce, pineapple fish sauce, spring roll dipping sauce, and pepper stew seasoning sauce…

Some canned vegetarian foods are popular because of their convenience and long shelf life. Photo: Tieu Ket

According to many small traders, the most common vegetarian food on the market today is imitation meat. Most of these products are made from wheat flour and seitan. These imitation meats, such as imitation pork ribs, beef, chicken, and fish maw, are made to look and taste exactly like meat dishes. This helps vegetarians reduce the feeling of boredom with their daily vegetarian meals.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lai (50 years old) said: “For the past 10 years, I have been following a vegetarian diet twice a month. Especially in July, during the Vu Lan festival, I eat vegetarian for the whole month, so I usually buy a lot of vegetarian food to stock up in the refrigerator. I usually go shopping very early because the vegetarian stalls are very crowded during these days; if I go late, the items I need might already be sold out.”

The vegetarian food counter at AEON Mall supermarket is always crowded these days. Photo: Tieu Ket

Observations at AEON Mall (Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City) show that vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and especially tofu always attract a large number of shoppers. Besides food items used for vegetarian dishes, fresh flowers for offerings are also in high demand.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue, Director of Communications and External Relations at AEON Vietnam, stated: “ Since the beginning of the seventh lunar month, AEON Vietnam has observed a significant increase in customer demand for vegetarian products at AEON department stores and supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City. This increase is approximately 30% compared to previous months due to the high demand for vegetarian food and offerings during this period.”

"To meet customer demand and offer reasonable prices in preparation for the seventh lunar month, we had already discussed with suppliers beforehand to reduce product costs and offer better prices to customers. Many items are even priced lower than usual , " Ms. Hue further shared.

Prices of vegetarian food items fluctuate slightly in the days leading up to the full moon. Photo: Tieu Ket

According to observations, generally, vegetarian food items on the market during this year's Vu Lan season have largely stable prices. Some types of vegetables, roots, and mushrooms have seen slight but insignificant price fluctuations, ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 VND per item, with increases mainly occurring in the peak days leading up to the full moon.

Compared to the past, when consumers could only find ingredients at specialized vegetarian stores, now it's easier to find vegan food as many supermarket chains widely stock their product lines, meeting the needs and vegetarian trends of a large segment of the public.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-thuc-pham-chay-chay-hang-trong-mua-vu-lan-339847.html