The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has instructed production and business units in the city to develop plans to ensure supply and demand during the year-end and Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, a municipal official has said.

Tran Thi Phuong Lan, deputy director of the department, said her agency has also coordinated with its counterparts in other cities and provinces in organising supply and demand links.

As of November, 25 business units and two credit organisations have registered to implement such plans, Lan said, adding that about VND39 trillion (US$1.68 billion) worth of goods has been prepared for Tet, up 5% compared with the plan for the 2020 Lunar New Year.  

The department will keep a close watch on market developments as well as COVID-19 to regulate supply and demand, she said.

There will be major programmes and events held to meet consumer needs from now until the end of the year, most notably the “Online Friday” shopping programme set for this month.

A fair with about 200 booths introducing farm produce is scheduled for January, along with hundreds of mobile fairs in the capital’s outskirts, Lan said.