Vietnam: too cold for business?
Northern Vietnam is in the throes of an unusually cold snap, which has killed thousands of cattle, forced schools to close and made life difficult for flower growers ahead of the key lunar year selling period next month.
Although the north of the country typically faces moderately chilly winters (with an average low of 13 degrees Celsius), temperatures in Hanoi have fallen to as low as 7 degrees Celsius, while mountainous areas to the north of the capital have experienced sub-zero temperatures.
But it’s not all bad news. Home appliance stores and clothes shops in Hanoi are reporting swift business as shivering customers rush to pick up electric heaters and warm coats in a city where many now have air-conditioning to alleviate the summer swells but central heating is unheard of.
Nhan Dan, the Communist party’s official newspaper, today reported that nearly 4,400 cows and buffalos have died thus far in northern Vietnam because of the icy temperatures. It advised farmers not to force their cows and buffalos to plough the fields if the weather is below 12 degrees and recommended that they feed their cattle hot soup and keep them in warm barns.
While the cattle get a day off it is below 12, life is harder for schoolchildren. The ministry of education said that primary school kids can only go home if temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius and secondary school pupils must stay at school unless it is colder than 7 degrees Celsius. Many children and elderly people have been hospitalised in the country’s northern provinces.
Life is also tough for flower growers who are gearing up for their busiest period of the year, the lunar new year celebrations that begin on February 3. The cold weather means that popular lunar new year flowers such as roses, gerberas and peach blossoms are not blooming as early as usual. Producers are concerned that this may hit their revenue, according to the Vietnam News, the country’s English language daily newspaper.
But business is booming for people like Nguyen Thi Nhung, who runs a small home appliance retail and wholesale business in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. She is selling 200 electric heaters a day to individual customers and bulk buyers such as restaurants even though prices have surged by as much as 100 per cent because of the rapid jump in demand.
“Nobody expected the cold weather would last this long so no-one, neither buyers nor sellers, was prepared,” she says. “Now that it’s forecast to continue, people are deciding to buy one.”
The best sellers, she adds, are the cheaper products, ranging from 200,000 Vietnam dong to 400,000 Vietnam dong ($10-$20).
Clothes shops are also profiting. One small store owner in central Hanoi says she’s turning over more than three times the usual amount, thanks to the flurry of customers picking up heavy winter coats.
For those without the time or money to pick up a coat or heater, there’s always the warm embrace of the ruling Communist party, which is currently holding its five-yearly national congress.
“Despite the extremely cold weather outside, the atmosphere at the opening ceremony of the 11th national congress is very respectful and attentive,” said Nguyen Huu Dung, a delegate from Quang Tri province in central Vietnam.
Related Reading
Cold weather closes schools in Vietnam, DPA
Vietnam leaders leave problems unresolved, FT
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