Ho Chi Minh City-based pet hotels and grooming services are currently operating at full capacity amidst the Tet bustle.

Due to the upcoming Tet holiday, pet owners have rushed to seek temporary lodging and grooming services for their furry companions. 

Consequently, many pet hotels have been fully booked and are unable to accommodate new clients. 

Pet spas have also stopped accepting fur trimming appointments and are focusing solely on bathing and basic grooming to meet the overwhelming demand.

Dan Chi, a 26-year-old pet owner, shared that her family would be returning to their hometown of Da Nang in the central region for Tet celebrations and had no one to care for their cat, Tao, in Ho Chi Minh City. 

To ensure Tao's well-being, she carefully selected a pet hotel that provides a loving and professional environment.

Ho Huy Hau, the owner of Haulambao Petshop which provides both pet grooming and hotel services, said that his shop is now unable to accept new bookings for pet boarding services.

Bookings have been pouring in since the beginning of the 12th lunar month. While some pets will be going home on the 29th day of the month as their owners will return from pre-Tet tours, most will be staying at the shop until the seventh day of the new lunar year. 

“To provide our furry guests with a spacious, happy, and healthy environment, we're not accepting any new reservations,” Hau noted.

Pet hotel costs range between VND120,000 (US$4.8) and VND300,000 ($12) per day, depending on the pet's size, weight, and dietary requirements. 

Accommodations typically include spacious and air-conditioned rooms with regular cleaning. 

Pets are provided with a variety of nutritious meals, including grains, dried chicken, soup, and other treats.

Grooming services are also in high demand. Pet groomers are working long hours to meet the needs of their clients, often starting their day early and working late into the night. After grooming, pets are often photographed in festive settings.

It takes about three to four hours to bathe and groom a dog. With the high demand during Tet, some pet owners have been dropping off their pets the night before just to ensure their turn in the morning.

To improve competitiveness, some pet shops also offer pick-up and drop-off services.

The prices of grooming services range from several hundreds of thousands to several millions of Vietnamese dong, depending on the pet's size and the complexity of the grooming procedure. (VN1 million = US$40)

The overwhelming demand for pet grooming services has created a shortage of qualified groomers. Many pet shops are struggling to find enough staff to meet the increased demand, said the owner of a pet shop in Ho Chi Minh City.

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