Major shopping streets including Chua Boc, Dang Van Ngu, Ba Trieu, Nguyen Trai, and Bach Mai have seen heavy congestion, with sidewalks and stores packed until midnight.

Clothing and cosmetics shops reported operating at full capacity to meet demand.

At a men’s clothing store on Bach Mai Street, Hien Long, 23, and his friends eagerly picked out outfits before returning to their hometowns for the holiday.

On Dang Van Ngu Street, Hoang Tu, 21, carried five bags filled with clothes and cosmetics, saying she had spent part of her Tet bonus on shopping.

Warm weather forecasts encouraged shoppers to choose lighter clothing, with traditional Vietnamese ‘ao dai’ proving especially popular among young buyers.

A store representative on Dang Van Ngu Street said sales between February 5 and 12 rose 2.5 times compared to normal periods and 40 percent higher than the previous shopping cycle.

Similarly, shops on Chua Boc Street reported expected revenue growth of 10-12 percent compared to last year.

“Customers no longer shop early. They wait until the days right before Tet when the holiday begins,” said a representative of a men’s fashion store.

Many shoppers preferred buying in person rather than online to check product quality directly and avoid delivery delays during the busy season.

Mai Thanh Duong, 22, said shopping at stores gave him confidence in his purchases.

Security guards at stores worked overtime to manage parking and assist customers, while cashiers processed transactions continuously.

Some customers reported waiting 25-30 minutes to complete payments.

By 11:00 pm, streets such as Nguyen Trai and Dang Van Ngu were still crowded, with little space left for motorbike parking.