Long lines of shoppers waiting outside supermarkets have become common these days as people look to stock groceries in particular.
A resident of Go Vap district who identified only as Hang said, “A supermarket told me to come back after three hours. I got back about 15 minutes late, but all the merchandise was sold out.
Many retailers are struggling to keep up with the growing demand due to issues with moving goods to the city.
Since truck drivers have to provide negative Covid-19 test results to enter the city, many have to spend time acquiring them, delaying their trips.
Nguyen To Kieu Trinh, VinMart’s director of operations for the south, said [at three days] the validity of the test results is too short, making it difficult for drivers to reach HCMC on time.
Some drivers are stranded at checkpoints, he said.
A spokesperson for Bach Hoa Xanh said the travel pass requirement delays the transport of vegetables from the Mekong Delta provinces and the central highlands province of Lam Dong.
The Vietnamese Automobile Transport Association recently called for an extension of the validity period of the ticket, warning that there could otherwise be a shortage of drivers.
Another problem for retailers is the lack of staff, especially to handle online orders.
A spokesperson for the Big C retail chain said online shoppers ordered several times more vegetables, meat and dry foods than average, and therefore there were delays in delivery.
Saigon Co.op and Vissan said they are facing a similar problem.
Most large retailers engage employees from other departments to handle online orders.
Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, deputy director of the HCMC Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said that as some localities around the city are going through their own epidemics, transport has been somewhat disrupted.
Most retail businesses said vaccination was the best way to solve the supply problem.
The conglomerate Masan Group, owner of the VinMart retail chain, urged the government to prioritize workers in retail and production of essential goods for vaccination.
This is an urgent requirement, he said, pointing out that he alone has 40,000 employees of which only 16% are vaccinated, as purchases increase, which means more possible contact with people for them. .
HCMV is on its sixth day of a 15-day social distancing campaign and has had more than 19,400 cases in the latest wave of Covid so far.
