Supermarkets in Hanoi have been overcrowded with long queues of clients rushing to buy essentials for Tet before all the stalls close for the holiday.

It’s only 9 am in the morning and amid the infernal cold but a supermarket on Tran Duy Hung street was already packed with customers on the Kitchen Gods’ day. Despite 60 check-out counters are added, getting the bill checked is still very time consuming.

A customer was tired of lining for over 20 minutes to cash, however, still she has to wait.

Like every other Tets, the booths of fruits, candies, cakes and foods are always the most crowded while some affordable products run out very soon.

This year, fruity sweets that cost around VND50,000 (US$2.15) per kilogram are the most preferred.

One man said that even though he knows that this supermarket is crowded, he still came for shopping because of the affordable prices of the products this supermarket offers.

“The demand seems to be never-ending” a staff said while another relentlessly unpacked carton boxes of candies and saw that they were running out quickly.

After battling for the candies, now the customers were lining for weighting.

Some were impatient of queuing and left without their goods. Imported apples were also hot sales.

The stall of beers and alcohol was desolated as the law against the harms of alcohol and beer and Decree 100 took effect. Decree 100 provides that bicycle and electric bike riders, motorbike and car drivers with alcohol in their blood face heavier fines and may even have their driving licenses revoked for up to 24 months.

A week before Tet, the supermarket closes one hour later than normal days.

Photos by Anh Tu/Vnexpress