A staff of a big bank in Hanoi said that he has lately bought practical gifts for his girlfriend while many other young women also said they prefer to receive useful gifts more than flower bunches from their boyfriends on holidays or Women’s Day.
An employee of a pharmaceutical supplier in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District said that a bouquet of fresh flowers had an average price of about VND 400,000- VND 700,000 on March 8. However, with the same costs, he has had many options for different gifts and items for his mother, girlfriends, or work partners.
This year, at supermarkets, fruit stores, and convenience stores, a set of gifts including fresh flowers and fruits such as grapes, pears, apples, and strawberries only ranges from about VND 300,000 to under VND1 million.
On this occasion, owners of cake shops in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hai Phong are also introducing gift sets with acceptable costs. For example, a basket of fresh flowers combined with cream puffs, cupcakes, or red velvet cakes only ranges from VND150,000 (US$6.09)-VND400,000 which is popular with many young people because it is affordable. Buying and giving practical gifts has become a trend in the economic context in recent years.
Elsewhere, at some jewelry stores in Hanoi, many people come to buy expensive eye-catching jewelry for their girlfriends such as bracelets, rings, necklaces, pendants, gold and silver earrings, and then hire a fresh flower shop to package and tie them in bows to gift their girlfriends or female relatives. Some jewelry shops also include this service. Vietnam's biggest gold firm Saigon Jewellery Company (SJC) is launching a special program for Women’s Day with discounts of up to 35 percent and many accompanying gifts.
At current retailing centers, they are also launching promotion programs with attractive discounts on March 8. For instance, the nationwide GO! and Big C supermarket systems launched a promotion quite early with the program named ‘For the women I love’ with discounts of up to 50 percent off for personal care and beauty product lines.
Meanwhile, Co.opmart supermarket systems in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi also offer 50 percent discounts on more than 1,000 beauty products and gifts from big brands. In addition, gifts such as e-vouchers, movie tickets, and flowers are also given to Saigon Co.op’s regular customers.
