VietNamNet Bridge – Toys rental services are becoming popular in Hanoi as local parents look to keep their children entertained.   

Mutual benefits

Ha’s family from Thanh Xuan District’s Khuong Dinh Street has a six-month-old son. As their house is a bit narrow, they are hesitant to buy too many toys for their son.

Many parents opt to rent toys for their children.

“Some friends suggested I rent toys via online forums. After careful consideration, we decided to rent a toy for our son at VND150,000 (USD7.20) per month,” Van said.

They were very happy to return the toy when their son grew up without being worried about space for storage.

Nguyen Minh Anh from Dong Da District said, “Children often get bored with toys quickly. Sometimes, my child would only play with a toy for a month. It would cost a lot of money if I continued buying toys for them, so I decided to rent instead.”

Ngoc Nga, an office worker who is going to have a baby, has decided to rent a vibrating cradle VND120,000 (USD5.70) per month instead of spending VND2.5 million (USD120) on a brand-new one.

“I decided to rent the cradle for three months and will return it when my baby grows up. It’ll mean I save money and space as well,” Nga commented.

Do Bich Van from Tay Ho District’s An Duong Vuong Road likes to entertain her son. She spends around VND5 million (USD239) a month of her son’s toys.

“By the time my son was four years old he had hundreds of items. I had use a corner of my house for the toys. I’ve decided to lease the toys to save space and earn some money as well,” Van said.

Thu Thuy from Chua Boc Street in Dong Da District has a toy shop. Apart from sales, she also offers a toy rental service.

“Amid spiralling prices, many parents are hesitant to spend money on their children’s toys. Many children are left disappointed when they’re told they can’t have something as they’re too expensive. I decided to provide a toy rental service to help,” Thuy said.

According to Thuy, to date more people tend to rent toys rather than buying.

Affordable

Van said that those who want to rent toys are required to leave a deposit in addition to the rental fee.

Rental prices range from VND40-50,000 (USD1.90-USD2.40) per week or VND150,000-160,000 (USD7.20-USD7.65) per month while deposits depend on the original values of the toys.

“We also provide toy delivery service at VND20,000 (USD0.95) per contract,” she added.

Van said that most people tend to rent toys for children aged less than two.

“Sometimes, some people offer to buy second-hand toys but I refuse as I just want to share these toys with as many children as possible,” she added.

Source: DTriNews