Vietnam launches promotion month, online shopping day

The “Autumn Online Shopping Day,” organized by the Vietnam E-Commerce and Informatics Agency (VECITA), is running for the entire Friday with more than 50,000 discouted products available at the program’s official website, www.OnlineFriday.vn.

The goods range from consumer and hi-tech products to fashion clothing, books and travel packages, according to the organizer, which is managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Back-to-school products are also one of the event’s highlights as Vietnam’s 2015-2016 academic year is slated to start next month.

The 2015 online shopping day is expected to attract 2,500 retailers and total transaction value of US$25 million, triple last year’s figure, according to VECITA head Tran Huu Linh.

“The event will create chances for consumers to buy high-quality products at discounted prices,” Linh said. “It will also allow businesses to promote their products and build up a habit of shopping online.”

The discounts offered on the event’s website range from 20 percent to 50 percent, with such famous retailers as HotDeal, Lazada, and Nguyen Kim also participating.

On Saturday, the Ho Chi Minh City’s “Month of Promotions” will kick off with a series of activities held across the city.

The event, organized annually in September by the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, will take place in the form of streets gathering booths selling discounted goods, or golden hours during which customers can enjoy huge discounts for their purchases.

Thousands of stores, shops, supermarkets, and small markets in Ho Chi Minh City will participate in the program.

A “Promotional Month” fair will run from August 28 to September 3 at the Phu Tho Stadium, whereas another fair intended to boost consumption will take place at the Binh Phu Park in District 6 from September 6 to 13.

The Le Thi Rieng Park in District 10 will also see a shopping campaign focused on promoting Vietnamese-made goods running from October 8 to 12.

Nearly 300 businesses, 448 stores and 315 small traders have registered to join the Month of Promotions, Nguyen Phuong Dong, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said.

“This is a chance to promote Vietnamese-made products to consumers, who will be able to buy quality goods at cheap prices,” he added.