Tet decorations are in high demand.
(Baonghean.vn) - In the days leading up to Tet, the streets of Vinh City seem to be dressed in new, colorful clothes. On all the streets, we can easily see decorative items for sale, making the Tet atmosphere even more exciting.
As in previous years, the most popular decorations for the Year of the Dragon are still hanging scrolls decorated with gold coins, gold bars, and apricot blossoms... with many wishes attached such as: "Van su nhu y", "Cung chuc tan xuan dai cat", "Tan tai tan loc"... priced from 15,000-30,000 VND/small string, 60,000-120,000 VND/large string; stickers, hangings of the God of Wealth, a pair of fairy boys and girls holding the word Phuc priced from 50,000-80,000 VND/pair are also chosen by many customers.
One of the new items that attracts customers this year is wall stickers with stylized dragons, apricot blossom lights with LED lights placed in the pistil; apricot blossoms, peach blossoms made of foam, styrofoam with glitter in many sizes (very convenient for sticking on walls, glass doors)... or stickers of Buddha, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara; the words Phuc - Loc - Tho, calligraphy.
This year's Tet decorations are quite rich in variety and design.
With the wish to pray for wealth and fortune at the beginning of the year, many people like to decorate their front door with decorative strings made of gold coins, pure gold bars, firecrackers, chili peppers... priced from 40,000 to 60,000 VND/string. Tet greeting cards are also available in most bookstores and souvenir shops; and domestically produced greeting cards are more dominant than foreign greeting cards.
Handmade cards are made quite meticulously and skillfully with many motifs that have the meaning of traditional Tet such as dragons, birds, carps, apricot blossoms... and are also being chosen by many customers. This year, the red envelope market has a unique service of printing the name of the sender and wishes on the red envelope. A representative of Pi-chanel store, the service provider, said that there are about 20 different designs with many subtle messages, meaning peace and luck for customers; each red envelope costs about 4,000 VND/piece.
Traditional red envelopes cost between 5,000 and 15,000 VND per dozen... Mr. Hoang Van Thong, owner of a shop selling Tet decorations on Nguyen Phong Sac Street (Vinh City) said: "Tet decorations are increasingly diverse in materials and designs. This year, prices of all items have increased by about 20 - 30% compared to last year, and imported items (mainly from China and Thailand) are still dominating the market because of their eye-catching colors, rich designs and sophisticated lines; domestically produced goods are generally monotonous and have little innovation."
If walking around the streets at night, customers will be overwhelmed by the shimmering colors of all kinds of flashing lights, round, diamond, pentagonal, hexagonal lanterns decorated with Chinese characters, flowers, dragons... which are selling quite well with prices from 150,000-250,000 VND/piece; flashing lights from 50,000-150,000 VND/string depending on size. In addition, on the market there are also feng shui waterfall models made of stone, porcelain designed in the style of dragons, phoenixes, peacocks, which can create the sound of a babbling stream, birds chirping, mist... priced from 1.5-2 million VND/set, which are currently chosen by many customers to decorate their homes more vividly.
With the wish to always have luck, success and prosperity... many people have spent a lot of money to buy feng shui items to place in their homes and offices. Ms. Le Thi Mai, owner of a store specializing in Gemstones - Feng Shui (on Dinh Cong Trang Street - Vinh City) said: "The last days of the year, the store is always busy because of the large number of customers coming in and out. They come to the store to buy natural stone products, gemstones to decorate their homes during Tet... to have a prosperous new year. The products that are popular with customers this year are round balls, tall stone pillars, green mustard plants, Pixiu, lions, three-legged toads holding pearls, three-legged toads (toads transforming into dragons) or carps jumping over the dragon gate, sails full of wind... with the meaning of bringing luck, abundance, and advancement in work.
Normally, the selling price depends on the glossiness and sophistication of each product; the more sophisticated the stone, the higher the price. In the feng shui stones on the market, there are not only domestic stones such as multi-colored jade, ruby, jade... but also stones imported from India, Pakistan, China such as amethyst, yellow quartz, marble. According to the concept, quartz is considered a precious stone, has natural energy, can dispel sadness and bring luck, so the selling price is very expensive, some items cost up to hundreds of millions of dong.
Every spring, the demand for decorating houses, offices, and branded stores increases significantly. Partly to beautify the new year, partly to pray for a more prosperous year. That is why the market for Tet decoration products is always bustling and in high demand.
Ngoc Anh
