VietNamNet Bridge – It is only 11 in the morning, but Nguyen Thi Kieu is done for the day. She has closed her fish stall in Hung Vuong Market, located in HCM City's Binh Thanh District, much earlier than usual.

There are no more customers. Vendors like Kieu are suffering because the city's street markets have become less competitive than supermarkets.

Kieu says there used to be 10 people selling fish in the market, but there are only three now.

She also has to accept lower profits than in the past because she would lose customers if they thought the price was high.

The city's Department of Industry and Trade reports that since the beginning of this year, sales at street markets have fallen by 10 per cent over last year, while increasing by 20 per cent at supermarkets.

Street markets were finding it difficult to compete because supermarkets offered greater convenience and more security in terms of quality of goods, department officials said.

Other experts say one main reason for declining consumption is the tough economic condition that have forced consumers to tighten their belts.

However, there are other factors at play, say industry insiders.

"As a big traditional market in HCM City, we are not strongly affected by world recession. But we have to admit that sales in our market has reduced by 10-15 per cent over last year," said Dao Sy Long, deputy head of Tan Dinh Market's management board.

He told Viet Nam News that shops selling fabric, clothing and home appliances were the most affected. He said the "poor" conditions at traditional markets also discouraged customers from shopping there.

The environment around many markets in the city is very dirty, especially when there is flooding, and this affects the quality of food and foodstuff.

The prevalence of fake goods and goods of unclear origin was also preventing consumers from shopping at street markets.

"The security condition in the markets is not good. Moreover, it takes time to bargain for them in the traditional market," Long said.

Parking was another major constraint, he said.

"Many markets do not have parking lots," adding to the incovenience of shopping at street markets, Long said.

There are 243 street markets in HCM City, according to the Industry and Trade Department.

Department officials say they will continue checking conditions at traditional markets in the city and offer timely support.

The department has co-operated with organisations and companies to bring high-quality products to traditional markets and encouraged vendors and traders to launch more promotional programmes in order to attract customers.

VietNamNet/VNS