Vietnamese products dominate the Mid-Autumn Festival toy market.

With only two weeks left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, the children's toy market is bustling, with Vietnamese products holding a dominant position.

Rich in variety

Hang Ma Street in Hanoi is bustling with buyers and sellers these days. Toy shops spill out onto the sidewalks. Toys for the Mid-Autumn Festival are quite diverse in design and type, with eye-catching colors. It's easy to see that Vietnamese products are dominating the market. Ms. Lan, the owner of shop 74 Hang Ma, said that this year her shop only imports Mid-Autumn Festival toys from Vietnam because Vietnamese products have improved in design and are reasonably priced in recent years.

The best-selling items are lanterns priced from 15,000 to 25,000 VND each; small star-shaped lanterns from 10,000 to 25,000 VND each; small rice drums from 30,000 to 50,000 VND each, and large ones from 120,000 to 150,000 VND each. Masks made from papier-mâché are priced from 20,000 to 50,000 VND each, and lion masks cost 150,000 VND each. "This year, my wholesale customers are only interested in Vietnamese goods; few have inquired about Chinese products," Ms. Lan shared.

Children enjoy traditional games.

I've noticed that Vietnamese products this year are quite diverse. For example, there are all kinds of lanterns: there are paper lanterns shaped like cartoon characters, carp, chickens, pigs, etc.; lanterns made of glossy plastic are also brightly decorated with all the animals that children love.

Ms. Hang (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi), a customer choosing lanterns for her child, shared: “Regarding Mid-Autumn Festival toys, I find Vietnamese products more beautiful and diverse than Chinese ones. I think that Vietnamese products must be quality-checked by relevant authorities before they can circulate in the market, so I feel more secure buying Vietnamese products. Moreover, Vietnamese products are not violent and have high educational value.”

However, walking along Hang Ma Street, one can observe that most toy shops still sell Chinese-made goods alongside their toys. Ms. Thu, the owner of shop number 75 Hang Ma, said that Chinese goods are cheaper, so customers still inquire about buying them. When asked if these Chinese goods have been inspected for quality by relevant authorities, Ms. Thu remained silent and did not answer.

On other streets selling children's toys such as Hang Luoc and Luong Van Can, only the shops selling Mid-Autumn Festival toys show a significant presence of Vietnamese products, while other toy items are mostly from China.

You should buy products with the CR sticker.

When buying Vietnamese products, consumers should choose products from companies that have established a reputation in the market, such as New Technical Packaging Joint Stock Company, Gia Long Fine Arts Joint Stock Company (Kibu brand), etc. Products from these companies usually bear the company logo.

Mr. Huynh Van Khanh, General Director of New Technical Packaging Joint Stock Company, said: "To combat counterfeit goods, this year we have embossed the company name on the handle and body of the lanterns."

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Linh, Director of the Department of Conformity Assessment - General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality, Ministry of Science and Technology, stated that the Mid-Autumn Festival is an occasion when businesses boost sales of children's toys, which is accompanied by an increase in quality violations. Therefore, the General Department has directed the Department of Quality Management of Goods and the local Standards, Metrology and Quality Sub-departments to strengthen quality inspections of products circulating in the market.

The General Department is also considering and researching proposals to adjust, amend, and supplement some regulations on administrative penalties in the field of goods quality. "The penalty levels need to be increased to ensure deterrence, and the authority to impose penalties should be given to more functional agencies," Mr. Linh stated.

Authorities advise consumers to check the origin of toys for children and whether they have been labeled with the CR stamp (the CR stamp is a basic indicator of safety for children's toys).

"In cases where toys have been stamped with the CR mark but children still experience allergies or find them unsafe, consumers can report this to the General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality, the Department of Quality Management of Goods, or the local Standards, Metrology and Quality Sub-departments so that we can investigate and strictly handle the violations," said Mr. Nguyen Hoang Linh.

According to VOV.VN