Consumption in the week from January 20 to January 26, 2025, watermelon, grapefruit, green banana,... prices jumped on the occasion of Tet 2025. On the contrary, durian prices dropped sharply.
Durian near Tet is on deep discount
Mr. Huynh Van Tha, a gardener in Hau Thuan hamlet, Hau Thanh commune, Cai Be district, is harvesting some Ri6 durian trees in a bad mood. A few weeks ago, the price of this fruit was over 100,000 VND/kg, but now it has dropped to under 50,000 VND/kg, and even the unattractive fruits cost only 35,000 to 40,000 VND/kg. At this price, durian growers do not make a profit.
“Durian is so cheap now, some people are crying because they are losing money. I am also very sad because I have some that I have not sold yet, I don’t know what the price is, if there is any market outside, so I am very worried. Today I sold about 1 ton of fruit but the buyers only paid 35-40 thousand VND/kg, there are very few buyers now, out of 10 warehouses, only 2 are left. This Tet is not as happy as last year, it is so difficult” - Mr. Tha confided.
The durian market in Tien Giang has now “reversed”, Dona durian last month cost nearly 200,000 VND/kg, now the price at the warehouse is only about 80,000 VND/kg (grade 1), Ri6 durian costs only about 40,000 VND/kg. In Cai Be district, there have been recent unseasonal rains accompanied by thunderstorms that have caused a large amount of durian fruit to fall ready for harvest. The sharp drop in prices near the traditional Tet holiday has made the growers of this “billionaire” tree miserable and unhappy.
Mr. Le Van Thom, Chairman of the People's Committee of My Loi A Commune, Cai Be District, said: "The price of durian has dropped so much that people are complaining. Now, there are some who sell and people don't buy anymore. All the warehouses are closed. The other day, there were some who had to give up their deposits. People are having a hard time. In general, people are cutting and selling here and there, selling in floating markets... but the quantity is not much. Some gardeners are losing money because a lot of durian fell the other day. Gardeners have invested a lot in their gardens, so they are very tired. This Tet will be very weak."
Not only gardeners have lost their crops, but many businesses and facilities purchasing durian in Tien Giang for export to the Chinese market have also encountered difficulties and losses because the importers "returned the goods" because they thought the quality was not up to standard. Therefore, on January 15, most durian businesses closed instead of buying goods until the 28th of Tet last year. Mr. Tr.V. S, the owner of a durian warehouse in Ngu Hiep commune, Cai Lay district, shared: "Prices have dropped so much at the beginning of this year that I have closed until now. I have not shipped any shipments for the past half month. The other day, my warehouse in China returned 2-3 containers, causing a loss of several hundred million, so I temporarily closed. The output cannot be shipped, now there is too much congestion, durian from now until Tet is really difficult."
For a long time, the sky-high price of durian in Tien Giang province helped farmers get rich and the area increased to over 24,000 hectares. However, due to difficulties in exporting, the price of this fruit has dropped abnormally, reducing farmers' income. This is also a warning about the instability of this "billionaire" fruit when the quality is not high, not attractive and does not meet the needs of importing countries and consumers who are increasingly choosing more carefully.
Green banana price up to 1 million VND/bunch
At noon on December 27, at Dai Tu market (Hoang Mai, Hanoi), Ms. Phung Thi Thao stopped by a fruit stall to buy a bunch of bananas for the Tet fruit tray. As soon as she asked the price of green bananas, the stall owner told her: “The small bunches with even fruits on the outside cost 150,000-250,000 VND depending on the bunch. The goods inside are all VIP bunches with odd fruits, priced from 450,000-700,000 VND/bunch. The bunch of 29 fruits costs 1 million VND but they are all booked.”
After some hesitation, Ms. Thao decided to buy a bunch of 25 bananas for 700,000 VND. “It’s only Tet every year, so I want to make a beautiful tray of five fruits to worship my ancestors,” she said. In addition to bananas, she also bought apples, coconuts, leftover fruits, and dragon fruit for worship.
Talking to VietNamNet about the price of green bananas, Ms. Vu Thi Lam - a banana seller at Dai Tu market, said that the price of green bananas has never been as expensive as this Tet holiday. Compared to last year's Tet, the price of bananas has tripled, and compared to normal days, it has increased 7-10 times.
However, the odd bunches of bananas with 17-31 fruits are still very popular. As soon as the odd bunch is cut, customers order it all.
“These bananas were ordered from the garden and arrived the same day, so they were very fresh. However, I also had to pay a daily increase in price because the garden only accepts to hold the goods and deposit money, but they do not set the price in advance,” she said. That is why the price of bananas in the past two days has been more expensive than the previous days.
At Van Chuong market (Dong Da, Hanoi), the price of green bananas on the 27th of Tet is also sky high, ranging from 350,000-500,000 VND/normal bunch. Beautiful bunches with single fruit cost up to 1 million VND, making many people dizzy.
"I've been walking around the market asking for green bananas but haven't been able to find a single bunch that's affordable," said Ms. Minh Ngoc in Dong Da.
Not only green bananas from the North, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh - a fruit seller in Cau Giay (Hanoi) said that green bananas shipped from the South are also "sold out" and the price is constantly increasing.
She remembers the first shipment of green bananas, 200 boxes, sold for 40,000 VND/kg, a bunch weighing 3-4kg cost only 120,000-160,000 VND/kg. A whole box cost only 400,000 VND, with a total of 4 bunches.
“At that time, I thought it was unsold because many people were afraid that green bananas sent by refrigerated containers to worship during Tet would quickly deteriorate,” she said. Later, she was surprised when people rushed to close orders. Compared to green bananas from the North, those from the South were still much cheaper.
Yesterday and this morning, 200 more boxes arrived each time, but the price has increased sharply. At the warehouse, if customers choose to buy by weight, the price is 80,000 VND/kg, twice as expensive as on December 25. If you buy by box, the price is 550,000 VND/box.
At this price, Ms. Thanh sells at the warehouse, does not accept delivery, nor does she accept deposits to hold the goods until the next day.
“It’s very difficult to call a shipper during Tet. Banana prices change every day, so we can’t accept deposits to hold the goods for customers like we usually do,” she said.
In the market, the price of green bananas for Tet still shows no signs of cooling down. Many people who go to the market find the price of this fruit too expensive, so they have to sadly consider making a fruit tray without green bananas.
Watermelon prices 'dance' continuously on the eve of Tet
On the evening of January 25 (December 26), at fruit shops in My Long, My Phuoc, My Thoi, My Hoa wards or in markets in Long Xuyen city, everywhere was filled with all kinds of watermelons.
Watermelon is a fruit that people in the West often display on the altar during Tet. Therefore, the number of people selling this fruit seems to be the highest during the days before Tet.
There are many types of watermelons sold for Tet. Most of them are round, large, green-skinned, and red-fleshed to decorate the altar. This is also the type that buyers can engrave the words "Wealth", "Fortune", "Everything As You Wish"... on the watermelon rind if they like. Besides, there are yellow-skinned watermelons, long-fruited watermelons, and striped-skinned seedless watermelons.
What is special is that the price of watermelons "dances" continuously during the days before Tet and is also different at each point of sale, each ward or each market.
Specifically, at the watermelon selling point at the corner of My Phuoc communal house, My Long ward, the buying and selling atmosphere was quite bustling. Golden watermelon (yellow melon) was sold for 32,000 VND/kg, green watermelon 25,000 VND/kg. On average, each pair of large melons weighed from 20 - 25kg, medium melons from 10 - 15kg. Meanwhile, at the watermelon stalls in My Hoa ward, the price ranged from 18,000 - 23,000 VND/kg.
"The price of green melons for Tet at the melon stall on Nguyen Trai Street, My Long Ward is a little higher than in other wards. The pair of melons I bought, 20kg, cost 500,000 VND. Although the price is higher, I think it is reasonable, because the prices of materials, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor have all increased, so they have to sell at a high price to make a profit. I really like buying a pair of big, round, beautiful green melons," said Ms. Tran To Kim Phuong (35 years old, living in My Phuoc Ward, Long Xuyen City).
Meanwhile, on the morning of January 25, Mr. Nam - a street vendor selling watermelons in My Thoi ward, Long Xuyen city - quoted the price of round green-skinned watermelons at 18,000 VND/kg, yellow-skinned watermelons and seedless watermelons at 22,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Nam said that he bought this watermelon from gardens in Long An and brought it back to Long Xuyen to sell during Tet. "The selling price these days must be higher than usual because transportation and labor costs have increased," said Mr. Nam.
Previously, at noon on January 24 (December 25), at Xeo Trom market (My Phuoc ward, Long Xuyen city), Mr. Sau (residing in Lap Vo district, Dong Thap province) - a merchant selling melons for Tet said that this year the price of golden melons and green melons both had the highest price ever.
According to Mr. Sau, due to the increased investment costs for the Tet melon crop, gardeners sell to traders at quite high prices, so the selling price in each place can be high or low depending on the seller.
"Each green melon in my stall weighs about 10-15kg, priced at 17,000 VND/kg, a little lower than other stalls. Although I just put it on sale 2 days ago, there are still many customers. Several pairs of large melons from 255,000 VND have been sold since this morning," Mr. Sau shared.
Grapefruit prices skyrocket for Tet 2025
On the morning of January 24, 2025 (December 25), the price of Tet grapefruit type 1, which is the product with intact branches and leaves, at many traditional markets in Ho Chi Minh City was at 85,000 - 100,000 VND/kg. Despite the high price, according to traders, grapefruit is still a hot-selling item during Tet this year.
At Pham Van Bach market (Go Vap), Ms. Thanh Thao, a fruit stall owner, said that since January 14, the price of grapefruit has increased by at least 10,000 VND/kg.
Accordingly, the price of grade 1 green-skinned grapefruit weighing 1.5 kg or more has increased from 60,000 VND/kg to 85,000 VND/kg. There is a place selling green-skinned grapefruit grown according to Viet Gap standards for 100,000 VND/kg.
“The cheapest now is grapefruit, the goods have been stored for a long time, the skin is yellow but still ensures the quality, I sell it for 35,000 - 40,000 VND/kg. In general, this year, the price of grapefruit for Tet 2025 is much higher than the same period last year. Besides, the supply is more limited, the design is not beautiful, so the beautiful fruits, VIP goods will have a very high price" - Ms. Thao said.
Mr. Nguyen Van Bay, Director of the Giong Trom Green-Skin Grapefruit Cooperative (Ben Tre) also informed that this year the price of grapefruit purchased at the garden has increased nearly twice as much as last year. The reason is that the grapefruit growing area has decreased sharply compared to the same period, along with the heat wave at the beginning of the year which has more or less affected the quality and appearance of the fruit.
"The above impacts have caused the price of green-skinned pomelos to increase. In early January, the average garden purchase price for green-skinned pomelos weighing 1.2 kg or more was 40,000 VND/kg. Recently, it has decreased to 32,000 - 35,000 VND/kg. The reason for the decrease is because of concerns about purchasing power, so gardeners have also proactively reduced the price.
However, with this price, whether for domestic consumption or export, farmers have made a profit. Notably, this year, Ben Tre green-skinned grapefruit in general and our cooperative in particular, have over 80% of good products, so people are very excited," said Mr. Bay.
According to Consumption
Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/tieu-dung-trong-tuan-20-1-26-1-2025-dua-hau-buoi-chuoi-xanh-gia-nhay-mua-dip-tet-2025/20250127090532033
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