Flower, gift and food shops in Hanoi have launched special offers  in honour of International Women's Day, which falls on  March 8.

Traditionally, one of the best gifts for the occasion is fresh flowers. The Hanoi Times was told by Le Y Van, owner of a flower shop on Nguyen Hoang Street in Nam Tu Liem district, that customers can choose bouquets for prices ranging from a few thousand to millions of Vietnam dong.

"We have inventoried a wide range of locally grown orchids, lilies, roses, sunflowers, carnations and other flowers imported for the occasion from the Netherlands, South Africa and elsewhere, such as roses, hippeastrums and allium globemasters," adds Van.

Many beautiful flowers are available at Van's shop to celebrate International Women's Day. Photos: Anh Kiet/The Hanoi Times

She pointed out that sales had risen sharply in recent days thanks to promotions and were expected to peak on March 8.

"We also sell bouquets of fruits such as strawberries and cherries, costing from VND600,000 (US$25.4) to VND2 million (US$84.8). Many customers not only buy in the shop, but also order online. This year's purchasing power is about the same as last year's, although the price of flowers has increased. Most customers who order flowers often prefer bouquets with mid-range prices, around VND300,000 ($12.15)," Van said.

Le Quoc Trung, owner of Bong's Flower Shop on Xuan Thuy Street, told The Hanoi Times that the demand for ordering and buying flowers started to pick up on March 3.

"I have received orders for flowers long before March 8. But it is still the busiest day, especially at flower shops near universities where there are many female students. People line up to buy flowers, students give flowers to their teachers, boyfriends to their girlfriends or mothers," Bong said.

He added that his shop had pre-ordered all kinds of flowers and hired more staff to specialise in packaging, selling and delivering flowers to customers.

"I often buy flowers for my mother and wife every year. This year, the price of flowers is reasonable, so I can buy the flowers of my choice," Duong Khang, a resident of Cau Giay District, told The Hanoi Times.

Gift shops, supermarkets and shopping malls in Hanoi also offer many beauty and grooming sets with promotions and discounts.

A range of products for sale at Big C in Hanoi to celebrate International Women's Day.

In Central Retail's supermarkets (Big C, Go!), the "For the women I love" program offers attractive promotions on products such as: up to 45% discount or one price on facial cleansers, make-up removers, shampoos, mouthwashes; 10-40% discount on sunscreen products. The programme runs until 13 March.

Winmart Supermarket System launches the "Your Month" promotional program with many attractive incentives such as up to 50% discount, buy 1 get 1 free promotion, up to 50% discount on some consumer goods such as bottles, thermos cups, boxes and presses of major brands. It also offers attractive discounts of up to 40% on many cosmetics and personal care products such as lipstick, skin cream, body lotion, shampoo and clothing.

In celebration of International Women's Day, Lotte Mart is running the "Spreading Fragrance" promotion program with many attractive incentives and discounts on South Korean branded beauty products, cosmetics, food, and other items.

Chu Thi Tam, an owner of a large cosmetics shop on Le Duc Tho Street said that customers usually buy cosmetics such as shampoo, body wash and make-up items to gift their children’s teachers.

“These products would usually increase significantly around a week before March 8. Skincare, make-up and body care products are among bestselling items," Tam told The Hanoi Times.

The Winmart supermarket system launches the "Your Month" promotional program  with many attractive incentives.

Not only in supermarkets and traditional stores, but also on e-commerce platforms, there are many promotional discounts of 20-70% on fashion, cosmetics and gifts. However, many experts recommend that consumers should choose reputable online sales sites and carefully check information about the seller as well as product information, terms, and sales policies.

Tailor shops have slashed prices by up to 50% on clothes. E-commerce platforms, commercial banks, travel companies, restaurants and others have also launched promotional programmes for women customers.

In addition to shops, retailers and e-commerce platforms, banks are also offering freebies to female customers. On March 6 and 7, all female customers making deposits at Sacombank branches will receive an additional 0.05 percentage points higher interest rate for deposits of six to 12 months and 0.1 percentage points for deposits over 12 months.