Around 9 p.m. on 13/2, the entrance to Lotte West Lake on Lac Long Quan street was still bustling with customers. The complex's parking lots for motorbikes and oto were completely full, indicating the high volume of visitors.
Inside, fashion and footwear stores, including: Uniqlo, Zara, Gap, Muji, Pull&Bear, Puma, Nike, Footlocker, and Pedro, were crowded with shoppers. At the Uniqlo store, the fitting room area was almost always full.
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The Uniqlo checkout area at Lotte West Lake was still crowded near 10 p.m. on 13/2. *Photo: Anh Tu*
Even close to closing time, around 10 p.m., the checkout area of the Japanese fashion brand still had dozens of customers waiting to pay at traditional counters and 8 self-checkout machines. An Uniqlo employee in the area stated, "the number of customers shopping on the evening of 13/2 surged compared to previous days."
Ngoc Quan, a resident of Tay Ho ward, explained that he had just finished work in the afternoon, allowing him to take his wife and two children shopping for Tet on the evening of 13/2. He opted for a shopping mall because it gathers many brands, offers readily available parking, and helps avoid traffic jams, unlike navigating multiple street stores. Meanwhile, some young families also made use of the time to shop on 13/2 and 14/2 before leaving Hanoi to return to their hometowns for Tet from sunday.
Beyond fashion stores, cosmetic and jewelry counters at the mall also attracted customers due to the proximity of Valentine's Day. These items are popular among young people during this Valentine's season.
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Customers shopping at the mall on the evening of 13/2. *Photo: Anh Tu*
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Customers shopping at the mall on the evening of 13/2. *Photo: Anh Tu*
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Customers shopping at the mall on the evening of 13/2. *Photo: Anh Tu*
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Customers shopping at the mall on the evening of 13/2. *Photo: Anh Tu*
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Customers shopping at the mall on the evening of 13/2. *Photo: Anh Tu*
The bustling atmosphere was not limited to Lotte West Lake. In Hanoi, many other shopping centers, such as: GO! Thang Long, Aeon Mall Long Bien, Aeon Mall Ha Dong, and other large WinMart supermarkets, were also full of customers on the evening of 13/2. Similar to the pre-Tet period in previous years, the area selling candies, nuts, and jams at GO! Thang Long was the most crowded last night. Close to closing time, hundreds of customers were still waiting to check out at this shopping center.
To meet the increased consumer demand during the peak Tet season, the GO! chain has also extended its daily operating hours. From 6/2 to 15/2, Central Retail's shopping centers opened from 7 a.m. and closed at 11 p.m., one hour later than usual. On the 29th of Tet, they continued sales until 12 p.m. and only closed on the 1st day of Tet. The chain will resume operations from the morning of the 2nd day of Tet.
Winmart and Winmart+ supermarkets and convenience stores also operated until noon on the 29th of Tet. However, this system will reopen from the 4th day of Tet.
Meanwhile, most Aeon facilities operate throughout Tet. The company stated that its supermarket and shopping mall areas in the northern region, including: Aeon Mall Long Bien, Ha Dong, and Hai Phong, opened from noon on the 1st day of Tet. Similarly, numerous Vincom shopping malls nationwide also operate throughout Tet.
Anh Tu
