In recent decades in Vietnam, convenience stores, supermarkets, and online shops grow in number year after year, with no signs of stopping. Traditional open-air markets, on the other hand, shrink considerably in both size and number; and many either fear or celebrate their inevitable disappearance. Personally, I think that traditional open-air markets will surely and ultimately survive; and that their surival is welcomed indeed.

First, open-air markets offer a sense of community that cannot be found in convenience stores or online shops. In my mother's usual marketplace, she has her favorites: A lady who sells seafood, a gentleman who sells fruits, and another lady who sells rice and grains. Not only does she know them personally, she also knows for certain the quality of their goods. In an existing traditional market, reputation is everything. Risking reputation either by dishonesty or by pricing shenanigan means risking businesses. Such is the power of community: In a small, tight-knit community, merchants rely on reputation and trust to survive. Those who do not, do not last long. Additionally, buying locally is also a way to support local businesses and to catch up with the trendy "farm-to-table" movement.

Another favorite pastimes of my mother is price haggling. To socially-inept basement dwellers or time-strapped busybees, this may seem like a waste of time; but the practice has its advantages. Price haggling allows for flexible pricing that facilitates sales, which is good for both the merchants and the customers. A little discount here and there to "sweeten the deal", so to speak, could potentially be the difference between a happy customer and a non-buying customer. The merchants can clear inventory faster, and the customers can save more money. What is not to love?

Let us not also forget the effect of online shopping on the environment. Sure, plastic bag is the devil. But online shopping comes with its own enormous environmental costs as well: Packaging (paper packaging has even worse carbon footprint than plastic one) and transportation of goods (which, besides its own carbon footprint, also induces traffic congestion which leads to even more carbon emission). In a traditional market, customers can bring their own bag and other containers (my mom still does!); or they can choose shops that use organic packaging like banana leaves, which by the way is quite popular in Vietnam. Furthermore, "ugly" produce does not have to go to waste: merchants can always sell them at a deep discount to people who do not care about how round their potatoes are.

It is true that many convenience stores in Vietnam adopt practices that address these issues. For example, Bachhoaxanh tries their best to have semi-stable staff who know customers in the vincinity by name and deliver to their door; and almost all supermarkets offer steep discounts on slow-moving stock. Still, these practices are not enough to break the diehard habit of old people. This is why I do not see open-air markets in Vietnam going anywhere soon -- at least in my mother's life time.