To meet consumer demand, manufacturing businesses have been continuously stepping up capacity and preparing abundant supplies for both the Western and Lunar New Year seasons.

Positive signals from State support

Since early November, most food processing plants in Ho Chi Minh City have increased production capacity by 15–30% compared with the previous quarter to ensure supply schedules for the Tet period. Some enterprises have been operating three shifts a day, mobilising maximum human resources to avoid missing business opportunities.

At this time, the factory of Tan Quang Minh Company is entering an acceleration phase. According to General Director Nguyen Dang Hien, the company proactively began distributing goods from early November, 15 days earlier than usual, because this year is a leap year with an extended lunar sixth month. In addition to ensuring output, the company is placing strong emphasis on developing new products and improving designs to attract customers. Product quality remains the top priority, with a targeted growth rate of 15%. “The Tet market always tends to recover more strongly, so we are concentrating all available resources on production to best meet year-end demand,” Hien said.

Food enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City are paying particular attention to product quality. The market is witnessing a strong shift towards branded products with superior quality. Businesses with clear strategies that focus on quality improvement and build consumer trust will gain a significant advantage in maintaining their market position.

Nguyen Trung Dung, General Director of DH Foods Company, said that customer demand during this year’s Tet season has risen sharply, from several hundreds of kilogrammes to several tonnes, and even tens of tonnes for fast-moving products. “In particular, enterprises are benefiting from great support resources from the State. Enhanced assistance in production facilities and administrative procedures will give capable enterprises more opportunities to expand production, optimise costs, and meet large consumer demand,” Dung emphasised.

Further momentum expected for purchasing power

Although growth is forecast at 10–20% depending on product groups, many experts believe there will be significant changes in how people “celebrate Tet” in 2026. This requires businesses to be highly flexible and creative in production and product design to suit changing tastes.

A recent household survey showed that one in five households is experiencing difficulties in covering monthly expenses. Although the consumer price index (CPI) remains under control, it has reached its highest level in a decade. This has forced consumers to shift from “impulse shopping” to “carefully considering every expense”. According to Le Thi Hai Yen, Commercial Marketing Director for Home Care at Unilever Viet Nam, tighter spending is expected to be the dominant consumption trend during this year’s Tet season. This poses no small challenge for businesses in the year-end trading period.

“Today’s consumers want a Tet that is less troublesome, more meaningful and healthier. Therefore, the strategic keywords businesses need to grasp to gain an advantage are: ‘Agility – Convenience – Omnichannel – Health’,” Yen said.

Along with changes in consumer behaviour, shopping channels are also shifting. While traditional channels still account for more than half of total sales value, online shopping and minimarts are growing rapidly thanks to home delivery convenience and numerous promotional programmes. This trend is significantly changing pre-Tet stockpiling patterns. From this reality, businesses are advised to take advantage of the momentum of online channels during the Tet season, considering them as a “key” for early-season purchases and a foundation for the peak of subsequent offline sales. Meanwhile, Ly Kim Chi, Chairwoman of the Food and Foodstuff Association of Ho Chi Minh City, stressed that amid rising production costs, enterprises must continue to maintain product quality and not compromise product value for the sake of profit. Maintaining high quality not only helps businesses gain consumer trust but also contributes to stabilising the goods market during the Tet season.

Promotional and discount programmes for fast-moving consumer goods are expected to be carried out strongly during this Tet season. This is forecast to provide additional momentum for purchasing power, giving consumers more opportunities to buy quality products at reasonable prices.

In addition to accelerating goods production for the Tet holiday, businesses are also gradually preparing for longer-term challenges. Factors such as domestic and global economic situations, production costs, and increasingly high quality requirements are issues enterprises must continue to improve. At the same time, enhancing production capacity, applying new technologies, and improving operational processes will be key to maintaining sustainable development in the future.

According to market experts, maintaining stable prices of businesses not only helps reinforce consumer trust but also contributes to overall market stability. Promotional programmes, together with boosted production, will make it easier for consumers to access essential goods for Tet, thereby stimulating year-end shopping activity.

In Ho Chi Minh City, from December 1 to 31, 2025, 12 major retail systems are jointly carrying out the “Responsible Green Tick Month” programme. Organised by the Department of Industry and Trade in coordination with relevant sides, the initiative is linked to preparations for goods supplies for the Lunar New Year Festival 2026 and has been identified as a key highlight in the city’s 2025 consumption-stimulation strategy. The Department of Industry and Trade is also orienting the development of “Green Tick Markets” associated with mobile price-stabilisation sales, combined with concentrated promotions and cashless payment methods.

Nationwide, in order to stimulate consumption, especially during the Tet holiday, the role of macroeconomic policies has become more critical than ever. On September 3, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Decision No. 2469 on organising the “Viet Nam Grand Sale 2025”, taking place from December 1, 2025 to January 18, 2026 across the country. The programme concretises Resolution 25/NQ-CP and Directive 18/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister, synchronously and decisively implementing solutions to develop the domestic market and stimulate consumption. Departments of Industry and Trade of localities nationwide have also issued implementation plans, attracting active participation from the business community.