Mooncake prices hiked by up to 20% on rising costs
Mooncake prices are 3-20% higher than a year ago due reportedly to higher ingredient, labor, and packaging costs.
During the upcoming mid-autumn festival on September 25, mooncake prices in Vietnam have seen significant increases, with some boxes now costing between VND830,000-850,000 (US$32.5) for a box of four, up from previous years. Hoa, a resident of HCMC’s Gia Dinh Ward, noted an increase from VND700,000 last year for a similar box. Small bakeries and stores have seen a 7-8% price hike on traditional fillings like red bean, taro, and lotus seed paste, while mixed filling varieties have risen by 10%.
The owner of a long-standing mooncake bakery in HCMC’s Cau Kieu Ward, Tran Tien Dung, explained that he raised prices by 15% due to a rise in ingredient and labor costs by 30-40%.
Major manufacturers, such as KIDO, have opted for smaller price increases of 3-5% for certain flavors and left others unchanged. With the festival approaching, mooncakes are also becoming increasingly popular online. Here, they can be found in non-traditional fillings like tiramisu or molten salted egg, with prices ranging from half to even a quarter of the retail store prices.
However, the HCMC Department of Food Safety has warned consumers to be cautious when purchasing online, particularly from sellers who do not clearly disclose their production facilities or the origins of their ingredients.
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