Illustrative image.

With people forced to tighten their purse strings due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tet gift hamper sellers have switched to predominantly local products to ensure prices remain affordable.

Thanks to this, sales have prospered in recent days and are expected to remain strong during the lead-up to Tet (traditional Lunar New Year), experts said.

Hampers sold at supermarkets and other places include items typically used during Tet such as confectionery, cooking oil, soft drinks, instant coffee, wine, and Tet jams.

Their prices range from 200,000 VND to several millions VND.

At Co.opmart supermarkets, the hampers are carefully selected to ensure quality.

Nguyen Ngoc Thang, director of operations, said to stimulate demand amid the belt tightening, this year Co.opmart and Co.opXtra are offering dozens of different hampers besides customised ones.

Most have beverages, bird’s-nest drinks, sugared fruits, confectionery, dry fish and meat, cheese, sausages, and others.

Some also contain speciality agricultural products like dien grapefruit, canh orange and cashew.

MM Mega Market is offering theme-based hampers at a range of prices from 300,000 to 3 million VND (13-130 USD), and demand for them is increasing by the day.

Retailers are also offering free packaging for customised hampers.

Shops in traditional markets like Tan Dinh, Thi Nghe and Ba Chieu are also displaying various kinds of hampers.

Tran Van Nho, a trader at Tan Dinh, said sales had been very good, thanks to the variety of goods and prices that meet a wide range of needs.

“Besides hampers, customers also want to buy individual items to gift and my shop packs the gifts for them.”

Shopping websites are also flooded with hampers these days, but experts said, as always, when buying online, buyers should be careful.

Farm co-operatives and organic agricultural producers are offering many gift hampers this year.

Hoa Canh Cooperative in Lam Dong province, for instance, which grows fruits and vegetables to VietGap and Global standards, is selling 20 kinds of fresh and dried fruits and vegetable hampers./.