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China-made clothes unmarketable
The information released about toxic substances in China-made clothes is keeping Vietnamese consumers away.
Vietnamese consumers have become more cautious when buying clothes for themselves and their children. The information about the toxic substances in China-sourced clothes has made the sales of clothing shops decrease by a half. Some shop owners have had to seek other supplies, or remove the ‘made in China’ labels to deceive consumers. China-made clothes, which were once the favourite of Vietnamese people, have become unmarketable.
Van, the owner of a children’s clothing shop on Tay Son road in Hanoi, complained that her sales have dropped by 50 percent in the last three days. Consumers nowadays always ask about the origin of products before they decide whether to purchase. Especially, Van said, customers who choose clothes for infant or children of under three years old are now very selective.
On average, four of seven buyers ask details about the origins of products, according to Van. Some customers like the products, but still decide not to buy them after finding out they come from China. Previously, Vietnamese consumers preferred China-made goods, but they now have shifted to use made-in-Vietnam products, which are more expensive but safer.
Ngoc Quynh, a young mother, said that she was worried when hearing that China-made clothes could cause skin cancer. “My child is just eight months old, and his skin proves to be very sensitive,” she said, adding that it would be better to purchase clothes at familiar and prestigious shops, because China-made goods are selling everywhere, and she could be cheated into buying Chinese articles.
Some shop owners have been removing labels from clothes since hearing the news about the toxic substances. A woman at a clothing shop on Kham Thien street in Hanoi, pointing to piles of children’s clothes, said that she removed the made-in-China labels in order to reassure customers. She said that the clothes on sale at other shops are either sourced from China or made from fabric imported from China.
“They (the clothes producers) purchase fabric at Ninh Hiep market to make clothes. I’m sure that the fabric here all is imported from China,” she said.
Some shop owners have replaced the label “Made in China’ with ‘Made in Cambodia’ or Thailand and Singapore, while having pushed sale prices up by three-fold.
However, cautious customers still can see from bar code 690 that the products are sourced from China.
Nguyen Bao Ngoc, Deputy Head of the Huu Nghi Border Gate Customs Sub-agency, said that China-made clothes have been mainly imported from Nan Ning or Guang Zhou to Vietnam. However, it is difficult to determine the exact origins of products. Export documents only show the names of export companies, while there is no detail about manufacturers. Ngoc has advised people to check bar codes to learn the origins of products.
Trinh Van Ngoc, Head of the Hanoi Market Management Department, said that the department has received information about clothes that can harm skin sourced from China. Ngoc said the department is cooperating with health care inspectors and relevant agencies to examine some samples of clothes and toys available on some big streets.
“We have taken samples of clothes from Lang Son and we are going to examine the clothes on sale on the streets in Hoan Kiem district,” he said.
VietNamNet,VNE
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