Imagine this conversation:
– You can definitely sell this to me for 30 cents less.
– I can’t. But I’ll give you some extra vegetables
The music of negotiations is found nowhere other than in traditional markets.
The culture of a society, the way its people live, communicate, their character, are all deeply revealed in these markets. Visiting such a market in the first days after moving to South Korea helped me integrate into life here faster. This is one of the interesting things that traditional markets bring to shoppers and tourists.
Like Vietnam and many Asian countries with a “wet market” culture, the Korean market has experienced several difficulties. A few decades ago, it was expected that the market would be wiped out by supermarkets.
While trying to survive, small traders have been hit hard by Covid-19. Markets, as crowded gathering points, had negative connotations about the spread of the pandemic. Second, the development of digital technology that has revolutionized e-commerce sometimes makes Koreans think that they might soon stop hearing the bustling sounds of life in wet markets.
But Koreans don’t sit back and watch their markets die. Traditional market traders have repeatedly protested to demand that the government support their livelihoods. For quick convenience, the government has reserved space at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul for traditional weekend markets. The government also provides that on market days (5 days per week), other forms of commerce must close at certain times, or even on certain days, to help small traders.
However, these solutions have generated much controversy regarding fairness in business. Furthermore, they cannot solve the problem of competition from electronic trading rooms. Therefore, recently, the Seoul city government has started “rehabilitating traders” as part of its efforts to restore markets associated with Seoul’s history and traditions, connecting markets with activities tourist. They selected businessmen with good business tips to share with more than 13,000 traders in traditional markets.
These selected people guide the market sellers with sales techniques, such as how to win the hearts of customers in a way that pleases the customers who come and also pleases the customers who leave. Added to this is the art of presenting goods. Like large supermarkets, they strategize how to display items and regularly rearrange the space to maintain customer interest.
Each small merchant also learns to speak politely and courteously while doing business, and also practices cooperating with each other to attract customers in their traditional markets.
Recently, I went to Jekidong Market. It was really different. Not only were the exhibits impressive, but the market also invested in decorating the ceiling with images of Seoul to help visitors better understand the market’s history in this more than 600-year-old capital.
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Two foreigners shop at a traditional market in Da Nang, June 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong |
Presenting its wet markets as a tourism product is now an important objective for the country.
Traditional festivals were recreated in these markets and gradually created a regular flow of tourists to these traditional markets. The Odae Rice Festival in Cheorwon, the Geumsan Ginseng Market, are some successful models.
Vietnam, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2022, has more than 8,500 traditional markets, where 35-40% of all goods in the country circulate.
According to a Nielsen survey, Vietnam has around 1.4 million grocery stores and 9,000 traditional markets, with a turnover of around $10 billion per year. Traditional markets are considered dying due to competition from e-commerce and modern retail models. The challenge is that with 74% of the population using the Internet, Vietnam has approximately 59 to 62 million consumers shopping online and the value of each person’s purchases is estimated at $300 to $320 per year. The percentage of internet users who buy products online every week in Vietnam is over 60%, lower than Thailand’s 66.8% and South Korea’s 65.6%, but higher than the global average of 57 .6%, also according to Nielsen.
The weakening of traditional markets will, in the long term, cause millions of unskilled workers to lose their jobs, weighing on the well-being of society as a whole.
Like Korea, Thailand is also looking to revive its wet market culture by making it a tourism product. For example, traders at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok always keep up to date with food and fashion trends in Japan and Korea, their main customer segment. The 9,000 stalls always offer a wide range of products at reasonable prices and are a nighttime paradise for tourists.
I saw the efforts made by Vietnamese markets to survive. Recently, the “squat market” in Vi Thanh town, Hau Giang, Mekong Delta, highlighted its function of “squat traders” to attract the curiosity of tourists and photographers. Merchants at An Dong Market in Ho Chi Minh City have created a “hybrid platform,” combining on-site and online shopping by live-streaming sales and shipping directly to their customers.
But that alone is not enough to compete with retail and e-commerce channels that are evolving every day. Traditional markets have their own advantages that other sales channels do not have, such as: fresh products, local specialties, freedom of choice, and above all cultural experiences and a lively atmosphere…
Compared to many countries, Vietnamese markets still have many weaknesses such as products of unknown origin, poor quality, exorbitant prices, poor food safety and rude communication with customers.
In their struggle to emerge from the gloomy situation, Vietnam’s traditional markets first help traders improve the quality of their services. Next, a new government strategy is needed to transform wet markets into a unique experience, which will not only secure the livelihood of traders but also help diversify tourist destinations.
*Nguyen Nam Cuong is a lecturer at FPT University.
