On the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which will fall on January 25, businesses in HCM City will provide consumers with many specialty products such as herbal chicken, herbal pork, and Banh Chung cake with multiple fillers.

Many special food items for the Tet hoilday are being prepared by some
of HCM City's biggest food companies. VNS Photo Van Chau 

Food processing enterprises have been researching and producing special food items for Tet to meet the increasing demands of consumers.

Le Thi Thanh Tam, deputy general director of Sai Gon Food, said besides the traditional Banh Chung with pork and green beans, this year Sai Gon Food is offering a new “Banh Chung Sum Vay” with roasted chicken, salted egg, lotus seed and shiitake mushrooms.

Vissan, the country’s leading food processing enterprise, will provide the Tet market with 7,500 tonnes of goods, 17 per cent more than the figure of the last Tet, including nine new products made exclusively for the holiday such as herbal pork, stewed bone broth, Danang beef rolls, Super 5 sausage, and pork skin with garlic and chili.

Vissan has also launched an improved Caramelised Pork and Eggs suited to the traditional Vietnamese flavours, which will help support consumers who have been affected by rising pork costs due to the effects of African Swine Fever (ASF) on the pig population in the country.

Though the domestic pig supply has been affected by ASF, Vissan has signed contracts with many farmers and companies to ensure sufficient supply of pork and processed products. 

Pham Thanh Hung, director of Ba Huan JSC, said that the company would provide special goods such as herbal chicken and herbal eggs during the holiday.

Beside special foods, HCM City authorities are working with local businesses to ensure supply of essential goods under the city's market stabilisation programme for the Tet holiday.

Under the market stabilisation programme, essential foods include 10 commodity groups. The goods normally account for 25-30 per cent of market demand which often rises to 30 and 40 per cent in the months prior to and during Tet.

Saigon Co.op, which provides essential goods in 10 product groups in the price stabilisation programme, has ensured supply and has allocated enough capital for satellite enterprises to prepare goods.