Traditional toys for children at a toy store in Hang Ma Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

Traditional toys for children in the Mid-autumn Festival, including paper mache masks, star-shaped lanterns, lamps with shades and paper figures and lion heads, are proving more popular this year than imported toys.

The traditional toys, which are believed to account for 70-80 per cent of the total toys at each toy booth in streets of Hàng Mã, Hàng Lược and Hàng Gai, are made from simple and environmentally-friendly materials such as bamboo sticks, handmade glue, paper mache, and paper.

Furthermore, thanks to more professional in production, the traditional toys are increasingly diverse in design, competitively priced and, importantly, still preserve the unique values of the national essence.

Bùi Tâm, owner of a toy store on Hàng Mã Street, said the consumption of traditional Mid-autumn Festival toys was very high this year.

Traditional toys such as paper mache masks, star-shaped lanterns and lion heads were the shop's best sellers, she said.

In the previous years, when the Mid-autumn Festival came, imported toys often dominated the market because they were cheap, so she imported the toys to sell, she said.

However, this year, the traditional toys were gradually gaining popularity again, local people were tending to prioritise buying and using goods of domestic origin, she added.

Nguyễn Thị Hoa, owner of a toy store in Hàng Mã Street, said consumers tended to choose traditional toys for their children because of reasonable prices and diverse designs this year.

In addition, "traditional toys with clear origins and familiar materials are also one of the reasons why the toys are chosen by many people," she said.

Ánh Xuân, who just bought a lamp with shades and paper figures for her daughter at a toy store in Hàng Mã Street, said she often chose traditional toys for her children in recent years because of their clear origin.

“In my childhood, I got such beautiful and rustic traditional toys, so I also want my children to have those toys now," she said.

A girl plays with a traditional toy in Hàng Mã Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội.

Bùi Thị Nga, a customer at a toy store in Hàng Mã Street, said she bought traditional toys for her children so they could understand the origin and meaning of the nation's Mid-autumn Festival.

Trần Duy Thành, a customer, said that the designs of traditional toys were now improved much, not inferior to imported products.

The Mid-autumn Festival was also believed to be the best time to teach the children about ancient Vietnamese culture, he said.

It now costs VNĐ15,000-17,000 (US$0.6-0.7) for a star-shaped lantern; VNĐ35,000-38,000 ($1.4-1.6) for a paper mache mask; VNĐ100,000-300,000 ($4-12) for a lamp with shades and paper figures; and VNĐ150,000-650,000 ($6-27) for a lion head depending on size.

An iron ship - a toy associated with the childhood of the Vietnamese Generation Y - have also returned this Mid-autumn Festival with prices ranging from VNĐ100,000-1 million ($4-41) depending on size and sophistication.

In a related move, the city’s Market Management Department has stepped up the supervision of poor quality goods and smuggled goods under the direction of the Việt Nam Directorate of Market Surveillance under the Ministry of Industry and Trade to ensure the safety of children during this year's Mid-autumn Festival season.

The unit will focus on inspecting and handling establishments selling children's toys that are violent, dangerous, inappropriate for age, and toys with unknown origin. — VNS