Delivery of goods to people less challenging with support of app-based shippers

In the area of Tan Chanh Hiep and Tan Thoi Hiep wards in District 12 of Ho Chi Minh City, people flexibly order the purchase of goods both at the residential groups and nearby convenience stores. According to Nguyen Thi Ngoc, a resident in Hung Ngan Apartment Building in Tan Chanh Hiep Ward in District 12, people actively call the grocery stores right at the apartment building. These stores will then pick the goods and notify the residents to pick them up. 'Money is transferred when receiving goods or paid when making orders. Food includes pork, beef, fish, vegetables, and fruits. I actively order 1-2 days in advance to receive enough goods. Generally, prices at this time have all edged up compared to normal, but they are not too high and acceptable,' said Nguyen Thi Ngoc.

According to the owner of a grocery store in the Hung Ngan Apartment Building, most of the goods are supplied by old trade partners with ensured quality because he also needs to buy foods. 'Our work at this time also contributes to reducing the burden on the locality. We also have to take Covid-19 tests regularly to be safe,' he said.

Le Thi Diem, living on Le Quang Dinh Street in Binh Thanh District, said that she both ordered goods at the supermarket and actively called the grocery store near her house to order fish, meat, and fruits. 'At this time, many places are overloaded, so we have to choose many shopping channels for sure,' said Le Thi Diem.

Going through some online sales sites on social networks, many sellers still receive orders in the same district. For instance, Vuong Thi Dung, living on Nguyen Thi Dang Street in District 12, said that she can still buy meat and vegetables from sellers near her house. Pork ribs cost VND230,000 per kg, pork belly VND190,000 per kg, and Vietnamese pork bologna VND210,000 per kg. 'If the order is placed one or two days in advance, you will receive goods. However, it also depends on the day because sometimes the quantity of goods is not high enough for the seller to deliver conveniently,' said Vuong Thi Dung. Le Van Nam, living on Nguyen Thi Can Street in District 12, also said that he had just received 5 kilograms of Japanese saba fish from his colleague. Goods were delivered to the buyer by a small truck, but buyers must buy from 10 kilograms or more for goods to be delivered.The burden has been eased According to the Co.opmart supermarket system and Co.opfood convenience stores, the number of orders has increased by about 20 percent compared to three days ago. For big supermarkets, the total number of orders is estimated at nearly 1,000 orders per day, while that of convenience stores is about 500-700 orders per day. Currently, supermarkets still focus on collective orders and orders of the grocery shopping service by soldiers, police, districts, and Thu Duc City. Similarly, a representative of Bach Hoa Xanh also informed that in the past few days, the number of visitors to its website is estimated at nearly 1 million, so the supermarket must strengthen regulating the quantity of goods to serve buyers. People are happy as HCMC allows app-based shippers to resume operations. Nguyen Van Hung, living on Hoa Thi Street in Ward 7 of Phu Nhuan District, said that on the morning of August 31, when he heard that app-based shippers had been allowed to work again, he went to Lazada's website to order a hair clipper for men. Just an hour later, he received the goods with the price and quality as committed. 'In fact, app-based shippers are professional, if they are tested for Covid-19 as prescribed to operate, it is very good. When this force of shippers works again, I think that not only hair clippers but many other essential items will also be easier to buy,' Hung said.

Hung’s family, as well as many households that are not under lockdown, can receive the goods through direct delivery shippers quickly. As for lockdown areas that do not allow shippers to deliver goods directly, although it is still difficult for delivery, it is also more convenient to buy goods than when shippers were not allowed to work. 'On August 31, we received about ten orders that shippers dropped at the “self-governed checkpoint”. After receiving the goods, we used motorbikes to carry them to the alley and then deliver them to residents. Although it is not quite smooth, it also reduces the pressure on the community-based team for Covid-19, as well as minimizes the number of people going to buy goods directly at the supermarkets,' said Nguyen Thanh Liem, a volunteer of the Community-based Team for Covid-19 at Alley 48A on Cay Tram Street in Quarter 8 of Ward 9 in Go Vap District.

Currently, the ordering of goods from apps remains on and off. Le Kim Mai, living in Tan Thoi Hiep Ward in District 12, said that on the afternoon of August 31, she ordered goods on Grabmart but could not make any order because "Unfortunately, there are currently no goods available” or “Out of stock”, or “user should try to narrow the search”. She experienced the same situation with AhaMove. 'I used many different apps to buy and ship goods, but none of them worked. During the two days of August 30 and 31, I could not place any orders,' she said. The representatives of some above service platforms said that they were working closely with authorities and driver-partners to be able to meet the needs of the people, along with complying with the Covid-19 prevention and control regulations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Always updating the list of eligible shippers A representative of the Department of Industry and Trade of HCMC said that it was coordinating with inter-sectoral forces, enterprises, and shipper management units to monitor the operation, especially the delivery of essential consumer goods of the shipper to local people. Currently, the Department of Industry and Trade provides a link on the portal of the department to assist shippers to actively check whether they are allowed to operate or not. It is expected that the city can mobilize about 25,000 shippers to participate in the transportation and delivery of goods while the city strengthens social distancing. 'We are working with shipper management units to request a list of shippers who have strictly complied with the conditions of Covid-19 vaccination and testing for the resumption of operations. The inter-sectoral force will also take into account a plan for people to register directly with retailers and business units and deliver goods through shippers,' said the representative of the Department of Industry and Trade.

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Shippers operating in eight red-zone districts are tested once a day

On the afternoon of August 31, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, Chief of the Office of the Health Department of HCMC, said that the department had directed the HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) to provide quick test kits for 411 mobile medical stations in the area to perform tests for the entire app-based shippers allowed to operate following the list of the Department of Industry and Trade.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, up to now, the Department of Industry and Trade has updated the list of 17,449 shippers who are allowed to travel and need to be tested. Shippers who operate in eight red-zone districts, namely Thu Duc City, District 8, District 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon districts, will be tested once a day, and those operating in the remaining areas will be tested every two days. The testing time is from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. For shippers in the red zones, only those with negative test results are allowed to operate. The testing is completely free of charge. When the quick test is done, and the results are negative, medical workers at the mobile medical stations will issue certificates to shippers for them to use to move through the checkpoints. However, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, after a day of implementation, the issuance of certificates encountered problems because medical workers of mobile medical stations issued the test certificates without stamping. Meanwhile, the checkpoints require certificates with stamping, thereby causing difficulties for the circulation of shippers. 'Stamping is not necessary. The test results should be confirmed via text messages to create the best conditions for shippers to travel,' Ms. Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai suggested.