Against this backdrop, retailers are launching a flurry of promotional campaigns, seeking to share the strain with cash-strapped households while keeping market activity afloat.
Consumers shift to deal-hunting mode
Supermarkets and shopping malls across Ho Chi Minh City were livelier than usual this weekend, with steady crowds gathering around fresh produce, household goods, and school supplies.
Weaving through the busy aisles, Ms. Phuong Thi Han, a resident of Binh Phu Ward, carefully compared prices before placing each item into her cart. Alongside her weekly groceries, she took advantage of the visit to buy notebooks and stationery for her children ahead of the new school year.
“With the cost of living on the rise, our family has to budget more carefully,” Han said. “Supermarkets often offer deeper discounts and traceable products, so I try to buy everything in one trip to save money.”
Tapping into cautious consumer sentiment, major retail chains, including Saigon Co-op, GO!, MM Mega Market, AEON, and Bach Hoa Xanh (Green Grocery), have launched simultaneous stimulus campaigns. The drives offer price cuts ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent across thousands of products, focusing primarily on fresh produce, daily essentials, and household goods.
Saigon Co-op kicked off its "Back-to-School Deals" initiative, slashing prices by up to 50 percent on essential academic items, including notebooks, stationery, backpacks, water bottles, school uniforms, and footwear.
Meanwhile, the GO! supermarket chain rolled out deep discounts on everyday staples. Convenience retailer Bach Hoa Xanh introduced a "Flash Sale" event, heavily discounting cooking oils, sauces, and condiments. For instance, a 15-bottle case of Dau Bep (Chef) shrimp-flavored dipping sauce was marked down by 40 percent to VND162,000 (US$6.16), while 500ml bottles of Lien Thanh Nhat Vi fish sauce saw a 34 percent drop to VND29,900 (US$1.13).
Beyond upfront price cuts, several chains are extending exclusive perks to loyalty program members, offering additional savings of 5 percent to 10 percent. Retail executives hope this sustained promotional push—spanning the summer and the back-to-school season—will reignite consumer spending and offer timely financial relief to struggling households.
Strategic discounts aimed at sustaining value and supporting shoppers
According to the acting Marketing Director at Saigon Co-op, Ho Thi Hong Dao, the retail giant has structured a phased stimulus strategy spanning the peak summer shopping season, the back-to-school rush, and the final months of the year. Rather than relying on standard seasonal markdowns, the promotions are tailored to match evolving consumer needs.
“This year, Saigon Co-op is targeting double-digit revenue growth,” Ms. Dao said. “Our promotional initiatives are designed to deliver tangible value—easing the burden on shoppers while driving sustainable growth for our network through the year’s end.”
From a regulatory perspective, Ho Chi Minh City’s municipal trade sector is implementing a suite of measures to stabilize the market and secure commodity supplies.
Speaking to a Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper reporter on August 2, Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, Bui Ta Hoang Vu, highlighted a key shift: the city’s major promotional campaigns will now follow a five-year roadmap (2026–2030) rather than being executed on an annual basis. The department is currently submitting this long-term framework to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to ensure operational stability, proactively drive strategy, and bolster consumer demand.
At the heart of the strategy is elevating two existing initiatives, including the Supply-Demand Matching Program and the seasonal Shopping Season running from June 15 to September 15 and November 15 to December 13, into large-scale economic drivers. Held biannually, these campaigns will blend retail trade with cultural events, tourism, and entertainment to amplify momentum across the retail sector. In addition, the city’s market stabilization program will continue to serve as a vital safety net, covering 24 categories of essential goods priced at least 5 percent below market averages. It will also foster direct ties between manufacturers and distribution networks to cut intermediary costs and anchor retail prices.
Furthermore, mobile sales units are expanding across industrial parks and export-processing zones, enabling workers to purchase daily essentials at discounts of 20 percent to 50 percent. Beyond commercial promotions, trade authorities are scaling up the "Responsible Green Tick" initiative to traditional markets and schools, securing a safe food pipeline from farm to table.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the 20th Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC) will take place from August 27 to 29 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Tan My Ward. Centered around the theme “Vibrant Connections, Global Destinations,” the milestone event stands as one of Vietnam’s premier tourism gatherings. It is expected to convene over 500 domestic and international enterprises alongside hundreds of global hosted buyers, creating a dynamic platform for commercial networking, destination marketing, and cross-border tourism partnerships.
