Small traders at the biggest market in Vinh Long read newspapers all day and pack up their goods at night.

Ms. Tran Kim Mai - owner of a clothing stall at Vinh Long market department store - said that she has been in the clothing business for over 40 years, but over the past 2 years the number of customers coming to buy has decreased, only 2/10 compared to before.

According to Ms. Mai, before, during holidays, she stood selling and had so many customers that she didn’t have time to eat. But now, there are days when she can’t sell to a single customer.

“During the time when there are no customers, I choose to read newspapers to learn about policies and regulations to see if there is anything new to apply, so that business can be more convenient,” Ms. Mai added.

Also making a living from her shoe stall, Ms. Tran Thi Tuoi is one of the small traders who had to pay off some of her stall to save monthly expenses and maintain operations longer.

Ms. Tuoi said that she used to rent 3 adjacent stalls to display a variety of shoes, with a spacious space for customers to comfortably choose and buy products. “But over the past 2 years, customers have gradually decreased. Every month, I have to ask my son for money to pay the rental fee of nearly 1 million VND,” Ms. Tuoi added.

Having to deal with the situation of having to take out the goods in the morning and put them away in the afternoon, but not finding a single buyer, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa said that in addition to worrying about the rent, electricity and water bills, she also has to worry about importing new clothes that will become outdated if not sold.

According to Ms. Hoa, slower sales are inevitable when the economic situation is difficult, everyone is saving money and limiting shopping. "I am also practicing posting on social networking sites to earn income and pay for monthly rent," Ms. Hoa added.

The number of customers coming to traditional clothing stalls at Vinh Long market is decreasing. Photo: Hoang Loc

On December 29, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Pham Thanh Tung - Head of Vinh Long Market Management Board - said that the general store has more than 200 small traders selling items such as clothes, shoes, electronic equipment, etc.

According to Mr. Tung, small traders still sell the items as registered, but the number of customers has decreased by more than 70% compared to before. In addition to saving money due to economic difficulties, people also have many options such as supermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce sites, etc., so shopping at the department store of the traditional market has become sluggish.

Also according to Mr. Tung, recently, the Department of Industry and Trade of Vinh Long province and the Management Board of Vinh Long market have promoted and opened training courses for small traders to apply online business on e-commerce sites or social networks.

“Currently, the application of e-commerce by small traders is still difficult. The number of small traders implementing it can be counted on the fingers, because the majority are elderly, do not know what e-commerce is, and the access process is still very limited,” Mr. Tung added.

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