So-called fashion streets such as Le Van Si, Hai Ba Trung and Nguyen Dinh Chieu as well as shopping centres in HCM City have been crowded with many visitors.

Evenings have been especially busy at Ha Gatini, Ninomax, N&M, Viet Thy, Viet Tien and An Phuoc stores.

At Nhat Ha Company's Ha Gatini shops, the manufacturer has launched a series of new products aimed at middle-income consumers in Tet (Lunar New Year) and in the early days of New Year.

Many customers have been willing to spend around VND300,000 (US$14.4) each on dresses of this brand.

Similarly, customers aged 16-23 have flocked to Ninomax shops, which belongs to the Viet Fashion Joint-Stock Company, for eye-catching colours and various designs.

With a price of only VND300,000-500,000 ($14.4-24) for a shirt for men, An Phuoc and Viet Tien shops are priority options for male customers.

Chinese-made products at fashion and accessory shops on Le Van Si and Nguyen Dinh Chieu streets have seen a decline in sales, especially for clothes of women, although prices are only VND200,000-VND500,000 ($9.6-24).

Phan Van Kiet, deputy general director of Viet Tien Garment Co, said sales had increased by 25-30 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Currently, Viet Tien has increased supply by 25-30 per cent of volume to meet demands for Tet. Favourite items are selling between VND250,000 ($12) and VND600,000 ($28.8).

Viet Tien has increased its stock of Viet Long items targeted at low-income earners by 60 per cent. The average price is between VND180,000 ($8.6) and VND250,000 ($12).

The company also targets the high-cost segment with jackets priced between VND2.5 and VND5 million ($120-240).

"The sale volume of local companies has jumped sharply because the period for sales of unknown-origin products with cheap prices but low quality, including Chinese items is over," Kiet said.

Sales for the Viet Nam Textile Fashion Trading Limited Company (Vinatex Mart) stores have surged since the Christmas season.

Pham Thi Quynh Ny, marketing director of Vinatex Mart, said the company had spent about VND500 billion ($24.03 million) on goods for the Tet shopping season. This year's volume of goods increased by 57 per cent compared to last year.

Currently, turnover in all of their shops is VND9 billion ($432,692) a day, an increase of 192 per cent compared to normal days.

Dang Quynh Doan, director of Viet Thy Fashion Co, said sales for local products had risen partly because consumers had turned their backs on Chinese products.

Viet Thy's products priced between VND150,000 and VND260,000 had faced stiff competition from Chinese items during previous Tet shopping seasons, but they are now selling well.

"Chinese products sell only VND10,000-15,000 cheaper than local items because production costs in China are no longer cheap," she said.

Footwear has entered the peak sales season, at a price of about VND300,000 each for Chinese-made products.

Compared to locally made items at similar prices, most consumers decide to choose Vietnamese-produced items because they are concerned about unsafe and unknown-origin materials used for imported products.

Fashion footwear is mainly produced in districts 4,6,8,12 and Hoc Mon.