Yeah1 and Central Commttee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union have jointly launched a programme offering consumers a discount of 50 per cent on necessary products.

Starting Monday, 13 traditional markets in HCMC will resume operations, observing strict Covid-19 prevention measures.

Vegetables and eggs are the most in short supply in HCM City due to the supply disruption caused by COVID-19, and the city needs support from provinces in the eastern and Central Highlands regions to mitigate this, according to the city Department of Industry and Trade.

Supermarkets in HCMC have been so flooded with buyers in the last few days that many keep running out of goods.

HCMC is experiencing a shortage of vegetables, fruit and eggs as Covid-19 spreads to southern localities, hitting the food supply chain.

Despite the impact of Covid-19, e-commerce platform Buy2Sell has reported an increase in goods consumption, showing the huge demand for online shopping.

The rising incidence of COVID-19 has led many localities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta region to adopt social distancing.

HCM City authorities have demanded that supermarkets and convenience stores take preventive measures to handle essential goods reselling at much higher prices, causing a supply shortage at supermarkets.

Around 1,000 outlets will be set up around HCM City to sell groceries since supermarkets are struggling to meet the burgeoning demand amid the COVID-19 shutdown, its Department of Industry and Trade said.

The Vietnamese market with a population of nearly 100 million is attracting both foreign and local food suppliers, with many local exporters turning to the domestic market to overcome this difficult COVID-19 period.