Although the year-end festive season is nearing, restaurants on some of the city's famous food streets of Phan Dang Luu, Hoang Sa - Truong Sa, Pham Van Dong, and Pham Ngu Lao are still very quiet with few customers.
Anh Loc, owner of a restaurant in Binh Thanh District said that he was very worried to see revenue falling by 70-80 percent compared to that of the same period last year. “We'd very much hoped for better operation at this festive time, but things seem very difficult," he said. "We've had to lay off 50 percent of our staff members due to financial difficulties."
Loc said that the situation was mainly caused by the economic downturn which has made people tighten their budget. Besides, police's intensifying alcohol checks have also discouraged people from eating out."
Another restaurant owner in Go Vap District, Van Tri Thai said that his restaurant has also seen a drop in customers this year and the business hasn't improved during the final months. "We're not going to employ more staff for the year-end festive season like previous years," Thai said. "Our business is still very difficult and we're trying to cut costs."
Many restaurants have had to close.
