Economists and experts said a proposal to ask local shops to stay open through Tet holiday was unfeasible.

Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung (middle)

Most shops and services are closed from first to the third day of the Lunar New Year so workers one can spend time with family.

On January 9, Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung proposed that petrol stations, commercial centres and supermarkets operate as normal through the Tet holiday.

Ngo Tri Long, former head of the Institute for Market and Price Research, said, "Fuel is one of the necessities so the stations can serve 24 hours even during the holiday. But supermarkets are optional."

Meanwhile, Lawyer Tran Minh Hung from HCM City Bar Association, said he understood that the chairman wanted the people to have the best services as possible, but this should not be legalised.

"Most people just want to spend time with family. Rarely does anyone want to work despite higher salary and bonuses," he said.

The president of the Hanoi Supermarket Association, Vu Vinh Phu, said people mostly buy food before Tet and they prefer fresh ingredients and live animals that are more easily found at traditional markets, so supermarkets would see losses if they stayed open during Tet.

A representative of Big C Supermarket said it would follow normal schedules as in previous years and open on the third day of the new year.

Vu Thi Hau, deputy director of Nhat Nam Co, which manages the Aeon-Fivimart supermarket chain, said only the Fivimart supermarket in Long Bien District would be open on the first day of the Lunar New Year.