A CASE STUDY AT ETAM MARKET, BUON ME THUOT PROVINCE

Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies had an investigation into Etam market in Daklak province on October 22, 2013.

After their studies on food at wholesale markets in HCMC, Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies had an investigation into Etam market in Daklak province on October 22, 2013.

According to salespeople at the market, consumers’ awareness about health has been increased, for they do not buy seasoning powder without labels. That means they are willing to pay more money for the product with appropriate packing. Sellers there also added that only restaurants buy unlabeled products made in China. You just have to pay 23,000VND for 500 grams of these products whereas it costs you 26,000 VND to get 454 grams of genuine counterparts. However, only one out of six shops in Ban Me Thuot has unlabeled Chinese products on sale.

Branded seasoning powder has good sales in Buon Me Thuot. When asked about Ajinomoto-branded seasoning powder, salespeople said that they had sold out of it.

Chinese agricultural produce such as apples, pears, carrots, garlic, onions and potatoes is available for sale at the locality, but when asked, shop owners confirmed that they are originated from North Vietnam. Vietnamese garlic is priced at 45,000VND. Garlic from Ly Son (a small district in Quang Ngai province, Vietnam) can be bought at 80,000VND whereas Chinese counterpart is on sale at 15,000VND only. According to sellers, restaurants are still the main buyers since Chinese garlic has low price and its bulbs are big, which will bring them more profit. However, Vietnamese garlic is still popular among households.


Many types of agricultural produce at the locality are imported from China and contain numerous chemicals, which really concerns consumers. Lots of sellers even use red soil in Ban Me Thuot and spread it on the outside of sweet potatoes in order to make consumers mistake them for ones originated from Da Lat.

MSG are claimed to be exported from the North of Vietnam.

To ensure the quality of imported agricultural produce and help consumers stop worrying, the government needs to implement tougher measures for importing and encourages legal trading. Goods must have labels with identifiable origin so that manufacturers and exporters have to be responsible to consumers. Such measures also help to decline smuggling across borders, which makes the state suffer deficits in tax-collection, as well as creating a fair business environment for all enterprises in Vietnam.

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