Shoppers enthuse about Hanoi’s fair 

THE HANOI TIMES — Thousands of enthusiastic shoppers flocked to the July Promotion Fair over the past weekend to win gifts through interactive games like “Guess the Price - Win a Gift,” “Balloon Shooter - Hunt Zero-VND Deals,” and lucky draws that kept the energy high throughout the event.

This year’s fair featured innovative digital experiences with themed zones like “Touch Technology-Live Smart” and “AI-Intelligence Connecting the Future” designed to showcase emerging technologies, drawing in a large number of young tech-savvy participants.

Sharing with The Hanoi Times, Pham Gia Khanh, a student at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said: “Exploring the AI booth gave me access to fascinating innovations and insights into future technologies. It’s much more than just shopping.”

The fair also housed 100 product booths offering discounts of up to 50% on a wide range of items. Especially popular were the “Proudly Vietnamese Goods” zones, where locally made products were displayed, contributing to national branding and promoting domestic consumption.

Nguyen Lan Huong, a visitor from Xuan Dinh Ward, said she was thrilled when getting significant discounts, winning gifts, and joining interactive games. “It was fun and rewarding,” she told The Hanoi Times.

According to organizers, the five-day program attracted 50,000 visitors, including over 3,000 attendees on the opening day, and nearly one million fanpage views, reflecting strong engagement.

Hoang Minh Lam, Director of the Hanoi Center for Industrial Promotion and Development Consultancy, said that the program combines commercial vibrancy with strategic national goals.

“This is about boosting consumption, supporting Vietnamese brands, increasing domestic product visibility, and promoting the ‘Vietnamese people prioritize Vietnamese goods’ campaign,” he said.

According to Nguyen The Hiep, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, the event supports the growth of green and smart consumer ecosystems. “We prioritize Vietnamese products with clear origins and promote e-commerce-driven promotions to reduce intermediary social costs,” he noted.

The promotion program contributes to Hanoi’s 2025 socio-economic targets, particularly the city's GRDP growth rate of 8% or more. It also seeks to boost the total retail sales of goods and consumer services by 14%.

By integrating commerce, innovation, sustainability, and public engagement, Hanoi’s July Promotion Fair has offered a consumer festival and a strategic platform for economic and cultural development.

A capital-wide retail response

In response to the program, supermarket chains such as Central Retail with its GO!, Tops Market supermarkets, along with BRGmart, Fujimart, WinMart, AEON, Lotte, Co.opmart, MediaMart, Pico, and others, offered discounts of up to 50% on thousands of essential consumer goods.

These promotions were often accompanied by bonus perks like gifts, point accumulation programs, shopping combos, and additional discounts for cashless payments.

Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Director of GO! Thang Long Supermarket noted that the 2025 promotion program had introduced innovations.

“Thanks to early guidance and clear communication from the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, retailers like us are more proactive and well-prepared this year,” she said.

GO! and Tops Market had carefully prepared product inventories, expanded promotional categories, and introduced a variety of creative formats to better engage customers.

“We have been offering app-based deals, digital payment perks, and point-based loyalty incentives,” Hang said.

This year’s campaign also featured strong involvement from financial and tech partners such as Vinaphone, NextPay, MoMo, and major banks to bring modern payment solutions like QR codes and mobile ordering platforms to the event. These tools streamline the shopping experience and align with the city’s broader push toward a digital economy.