Shopping habits tended to focus only on essential goods amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has therefore become necessary to identify solutions to effectively stabilise prices to stimulate consumer spending.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade have urged its local departments to ensure supply of essential goods and necessities, and offer promotion programmes for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday while following the pandemic prevention measures.
Authorities, businesses, and retailers in Ho Chi Minh City are promptly making preparations for reopening retail and distribution activities in “green zones” after a period of strict social distancing.
The battle against COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City has received more support from the Lao people, overseas Vietnamese, along with agencies, businesses, and religious followers from nationwide.
The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade on August 30 announced a list of online points of sale and units providing the servies on its portal http://congthuong.hanoi.gov.vn
Two “zero dong” mini marts were recently opened in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan and Hoai Duc districts to help pandemic-hit people surmount difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seeing Vietnamese people struggling to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many foreigners are doing their part in keeping the virus at bay. Tchico, a French national, is offering free delivery of essential items to impoverished people around Ho Chi Minh City.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai on August 3 emphasised the need to ensure the sufficient supply of essential goods for people, especially those in provinces and cities which are applying social distancing measures.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade's Department of E-commerce and the Digital Economy has been cooperating with e-commerce platforms to remove barriers to the transportation of essential goods during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Ministry of Transport on July 27 asked the Ministry of Public Security to launch an investigation into cyber attacks on the website for national registration of “green lane” status granted to vehicles transporting essential goods, saying attackers must receive stringent punishment.
The Vietnamese capital city will ensure sufficient supply of essential goods for locals amid the implementation of more stringent social distancing measures, according to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.
The Transport Department of Ho Chi Minh City as of July 11 afternoon had granted QR identification codes to over 12,000 vehicles, which are allowed to transport essential goods through COVID-19 quarantine checkpoints in the city – Vietnam’s now largest pandemic outbreak hotspot.
Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Industry and Trade said it has plans to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential goods to meet consumer demand though all three of the city's largest wholesale markets have been closed.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien requested the establishment of a steering committee to ensure sufficient essential goods supply for Ho Chi Minh City and other localities in the south as the total caseload in the city topped 8,000 on July 7.
Localities in the Mekong Delta have coordinated with relevant agencies and businesses to ensure the COVID-19 outbreak does not disrupt the supply of essential goods or causes price hikes, and plan to carry out food safety inspections to ensure people can shop safely.
Social distancing will be imposed in Ho Chi Minh City under the Prime Minister's Directive 15/2020, while Go Vap district and Thanh Loc ward of District 12 will be applying measures under the PM's Directive 16/2020 for 15 days, from 00:00 on May 31, in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the face of the complex COVID-19 situation, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has asked leaders of localities to thoroughly grasp the principle of "four on-the-spot” for economic zones and industrial parks.
Pandemic-hit cities and provinces have developed multiple scenarios for adequate supplies of essential goods to effectively fight COVID-19 in any circumstances.