As the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday approaches, the demand for cleaning and renovating homes in Ho Chi Minh City appears to be tepid this year, possibly influenced by economic challenges and a shift toward more self-reliant tidying practices.

Traditionally, by the early 12th lunar month, house cleaning service providers in major cities in Vietnam are usually inundated with orders. 

However, this year, the customary surge in requests is noticeably absent from Ho Chi Minh City while the seven-day Tet holiday, from February 8 to 14, is just a few weeks away.

“Annually, due to a busy schedule, when there are new customers, I would hire university students [as part-time workers] to reinforce our workforce,” said Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, the owner of a housekeeping and cleaning service in Thu Duc City under the southern metropolis. 

“This year, there is a noticeable scarcity of orders for the days around Tet. 

“Therefore, I only utilize workers under regular labor contracts here, without calling in additional sources. 

“There is no shortage of workers; rather, the dearth is in the number of orders.”

Other providers of house cleaning services have also mentioned that they are currently fulfilling orders exclusively from their existing customer base.

“We have had no bookings for the past ten days, and even for a week before Lunar New Year’s Eve [February 9], our schedule remains empty,” noted a representative of a service provider.

Despite maintaining the same service prices as last year, without any increase even close to the Tet date, these providers are finding that their promotional efforts, including discounts and advertisements on Facebook, are not yielding the expected results.

For instance, the cost for cleaning a 100-square-meter apartment with two bedrooms three days before Lunar New Year’s Eve is VND3 million (US$122). 

Cleaning a 400-square-meter villa five days ahead of Lunar New Year’s Eve is priced at VND12 million ($488). 

Orders placed over 20 days before Lunar New Year’s Eve enjoy lower service prices.

Despite having thousands of followers on Facebook, the providers are facing a lack of interactions for their discount advertisements.

A representative from on-demand house cleaning service app bTaskee said that their company witnesses an increase in demand for Tet compared to normal days, which, however, is still lower than previous years. 

The number of customers booking orders via bTaskee has not risen as anticipated notwithstanding the app having thousands of workers available for work during the holiday season.

Self-reliant

This Tet season, people seem more inclined to handle house cleaning themselves, even households with traditionally high demands for such services during holiday seasons.

The shift is attributable to various factors, including economic challenges and the desire to cut costs. 

“My children have school until four days before Lunar New Year’s Eve, so I’ll have them clean the house and wash the sofa without relying on a cleaning service,” said Phuong Dung, who works as an accountant in Ho Chi Minh City.

She added that this year would mark the first time she personally takes on the task of cleaning the house for Tet, as her income is not thriving.

Anh Tuyet, a gig worker in the city’s Binh Thanh District, said that she has faced many rejections after reaching out to relatives and friends to seek cleaning orders for this Tet.

“They told me that they are saving as much as possible this year, which means that they opt to handle the cleaning themselves,” Tuyet said. 

“Wealthier families are also less inclined to seek assistance this Tet, as they perceive it to be more challenging than the previous year and find no necessity for additional house care.”

Opposite trend

In contrast, Quang Ngai in central Vietnam reports a different trend, with house cleaning services experiencing a surge in demand, according to Nguyen Tan Hoa, director at Kim Cleaner, a home and industrial cleaning company. 

“In small provinces, people often opt for comprehensive cleaning services at the end of the year, instead of daily or monthly maid services as seen in larger cities,” Hoa said. 

“Therefore, our company has received a high volume of orders. 

“We have taken on all the orders since the beginning of the month and will work until the company closes three days before Lunar New Year’s Eve.”

Tet cleaning prices in these regions are also higher than usual weekday rates, he added.

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