According to the department, the purchasing power in January, prior to the Tet holiday which falls on February 8, increased 3.5 per cent from the previous month and posted an 11 per cent on-year rise. Departments of industry and trade in 53 of the country’s 63 provinces and centrally-run cities have been directed to ensure stable supplies of goods and reasonable prices, while surveillance should be stepped up to prevent counterfeit and low-quality goods. Price stabilisation and promotional programmes at 50 supermarkets nationwide have also helped shoppers. All of the price stabilisation points have been selling Vietnamese goods and expected consumption in the holiday to be 10 to 15 per cent higher than previous months.
