In Hanoi, mirroring previous god of wealth days, hundreds of people queued outside gold shops on Tran Nhan Tong street from early morning, despite transactions beginning only at 6h. Some customers arrived as early as 1h or 2h.

Do Van Huan, one of the earliest customers, arrived at 2h. He purchased one chi of gold adorned with a horse symbol for good luck, priced at 18,48 million VND.

Early this morning, Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) listed bullion gold prices at 182 - 185 million VND per luong, a 300.000 VND decrease from yesterday's closing. Plain rings at Bao Tin Minh Chau and Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ) were uniformly priced at 181,8 - 184,8 million VND per luong. DOJI Gold & Gems Group traded plain rings for approximately 181,9 - 184,9 million VND.

Nguyen Tien Dung, a resident of Bach Khoa ward, also queued from dawn, opting to purchase silver. Since last year's god of wealth day, many customers, particularly young individuals, have shown a growing trend towards buying silver for good fortune.

From opening until 8h30, Phu Quy adjusted silver prices more than 15 times. The selling price per kilogram of silver from this brand rose from 90,85 million VND to over 92,2 million VND. At Doji's store on Tran Nhan Tong, silver also sold out after 8h.

This year, Bao Tin Minh Chau installed automatic gold vending machines at all its branches. Buyers can use these devices for transactions and payments, reducing pressure on traditional counter sales. After completing payment and receiving their invoice, customers are directed to collect their gold from an area behind the cashier counter.

Cashier counters at gold shops in Hanoi operated at full capacity early this morning. Most customers purchased gold; none came to sell. Doji did not impose a maximum purchase limit per customer and would sell until stock was depleted. Bao Tin Minh Chau also had no limit but would only deliver a maximum of three luong of gold upfront, with the remaining amount delivered after 12/3.

A similar bustling scene of gold purchases unfolded at stores in Ho Chi Minh City from early this morning. Hundreds of people flocked to Mi Hong gold shop in what was Binh Thanh district. Mi Hong traded plain rings this morning at 182,2 - 185 million VND per luong, a slight decrease compared to yesterday.

"Gold prices are increasingly high, so I only bought two phan of gold (0,2 chi) at the beginning of the year for good luck", Nguyen Thanh Tra My shared.

This year, amidst limited supply, many businesses promoted mini gold products under one chi to meet the public's demand for good luck on god of wealth day. Many young customers, particularly Gen Z, prefer purchasing "lighter" gold.

The SJC store on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street was also crowded with customers this morning.

This year, besides traditional products such as gold bullion and rings, brands also crafted gold items featuring horse figures to symbolize the Year of the Binh Ngo.

According to businesses, gold purchasing demand for this year's god of wealth day remains high, showing a slight increase compared to regular days. However, shopping trends have shifted; customers no longer concentrate their purchases solely on the main holiday but spread them out from the end of the year and immediately after the Tet holiday.

Giang Huy - Thanh Tung