Car sales drop in Vietnam in August partly because it’s ghost month

Car sales in Vietnam were down 9 percent in August according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) and reported by Vietnam News. The outlet notes a broader economic downturn and constraints on consumer spending are part of the reason, but also that these numbers coincide with the month of the ghost on the lunar calendar which runs from the 16th of August to the 14th of September this year. In the month of the ghost it’s typical for Vietnamese to avoid major purchases.