Markets near China border in business slump

VietNamNet Bridge – Markets and trade centres in the Vietnam-China border gate area in Lang Son province are very quiet these days with no visitors. Attractive price discounts cannot lure customers.

Dong Xuan Wholesale Market in Hanoi and other markets which are selling China-made products also have few customers these days. Hang, the owner of a fabric kiosk on the third floor of Dong Xuan Market, complained that sales over the last several months since Tet have been less than the sales last December. Since the news about the toxic clothes made in Guangdong was released, some retailers in Hai Duong province have refused to buy China-made fabric to retail, while they only order products from Japan or Vietnam.

Dung, the owner of footwear kiosk No 268 at Dong Kinh Market in Lang Son province, said that the information about toxic substances in clothes sourced from Guangdong has made people hesitate to purchase China-made goods.

“Some days I cannot sell any products, while I sell only 100-200,000 worth of products other days,” she said.

When Tuoi tre’s reporters arrived at Saigon-Lang Son Trade Centre, which is called Huu Nghi Market, one of the most crowded markets located near the Tan Thanh border gate, on June 9, they saw a lot of kiosk doors closed.

Right at the entrance to the market, one could see that there were more kiosks with closed doors than with open ones. In the left-hand area of the market, there were some 30 kiosks, and only a few of them were open. As there were few customers, saleswomen there were playing cards.

The same was seen at Hong Kong, Vietnam-China and Tan Thanh Trade Centres. Products with different colours and diverse designs were on display, but they did not have any buyers, even though sellers were making attractive offers. The products on sale here proved to be dirt cheap, just 100,000 dong for three men’s shirts, 100,000 dong for five women’s T-shirts, 120,000 dong for two pairs of men’s trousers.

Markets and trade centres in the Vietnam-China border gate area in Lang Son province are very quiet these days with no visitors

Not only clothing kiosks, electric generator, electric pan, air conditioner booths were also empty of customers. Phuc, the owner of a home appliance kiosk at Huu Nghi Market, said sadly: “In previous years, we sold 5-10 million dong worth of products per day. We sold three or four diesel engines a day. However, everything is different these days. My wife and children have become tired of the business,” he said.

Clothing kiosk owners at Huu Nghi Market and Vietnam-China Trade Centre said that products are not selling now because it is the low sales season. Meanwhile, Bui Viet Nong, Head of the Huu Nghi Market Management Board, attributes the poor sales to the information about China-made toxic products.

“The recent information that the clothes made in Guangdong contain toxic substances and that children’s toys and consumer plastic ware are made of unsafe recycled plastic are the two reasons that goods are not selling,” he said.

According to Nong, the low number of customers has made 30 percent of the total 1,200 kiosks at Huu Nghi Market shut down, while the figure is expected to increase in the time to come. Thuy, the owner of a shop at Vietnam-China Trade Centre, said that Vietnamese people are not purchasing goods in Lang Son at present because they are using domestically-made products or foreign-made products so they can get post-sales maintenance services.

A manager of the Vietnam-China Trade Centre said that there are 300 kiosks at the centre, but many of them have closed. As the number of buyers has dramatically decreased, the turnover of petty merchants here has dropped by 80 percent from previous months.

VietNamNet/TT