Nha Trang market is being flooded with lanterns and toys for the coming Mid-autumn or Moon Festival...
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| Many choose domestically produced lanterns for kids. |
Nha Trang market is being flooded with lanterns and toys for the coming Mid-autumn or Moon Festival.
Imported products have outnumbered domestically ones, but have won fewer customers. Many shops on Nguyen Trai St., Ngo Gia Tu St., Sinh Trung St., etc. are full of Mid-autumn lanterns and toys, but few are in new designs.
Ha Thi Anh, the owner of Dong Hai Shop (2-4 St.) says Chinese lanterns with new designs include those in the shape of planes, cars, dolls, flowers, crowns, etc.
There are fewer shoppers for mid-autumn lanterns and toys than last year, maybe because of financial hardship, Nguyen Quoc Thanh, the owner of Phuong Thinh Shop (Sinh Trung St.) says.
This year, the cost of mid-autumn toys increases by 15 - 20%. Locally made lanterns sell well.
Colored paper candle lanterns in the shapes of fish, butterfly and animated cartoon characters cost VND10,000 – 20,000/ item, cellophane candle lanterns VND25,000 – 50,000/ item, up by VND1,500 – 2,000/ item.
A Chinese lantern costs VND25.000 - 70.000/item, up by 25 - 30%. Although Chinese toys have flooded the mid-autumn market, locally made ones seem to win more customers.
Truong Thi Thong, the owner of Ngoc Uyen Shop on Nguyen Trai St., says domestic toys have been much improved in designs with lower prices.
She adds many believe traditional domestic toys are safe and educational. Creative self-assembly toys with scraps and materials available for kids to make lanterns themselves are quite popular.
No violent and dangerous toys have been found at most of the Moon Festival product shops in Nha Trang City.
N.T
