HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Car andmotorbike sales have been dropping sharply since the end of Julyas people are unwilling to make big-ticket purchases in the ‘Ghost Month’.

In Vietnam and several other Asian countries, the seventh lunar month isbelieved to be a period of bad luck and inauspicious for buying major itemssuch as cars and holding important events like weddings and ground-breaking forhouses.

Nguyen Thanh Danh, owner of Ho Chi Minh City car showroom Saigon Hoang Minh,said sales usually falls during the Ghost Month despite attractive promotions.

Car dealers on Cong Hoa street in Tan Binh district said lots of customers havemade deposits but refused to take delivery during the month, giving excusessuch as travelling overseas.

Car dealers have been offering gifts to buyers such as accessories worth tensof millions of dong.

Many brands have also cut prices. The Chevrolet Orlando is nearly 100 million VNDcheaper at just 600 million VND. Ford and Hyundai have also reduced the pricesof some models.

Prices of motorbikes such as the Honda SH have fallen to 82-99 million VND (3,727-4,500USD).

Those of others such as Honda PCX, Air Blade and Lead have also been cut alittle.

Honda has launched a big promotion campaign until September 15 offering freemobile phone top up cards on certain purchases.

Customers are also offered low interest rates for paying in installments./.