HCM CITY — Nguyễn Hồng Vân and her son bought a set of sixth grade books and notebooks and pens at the Thăng Long bookshop in HCM City’s Bình Thạnh District.

Vân told the Việt Nam News: “This is a good time to buy books for my son so that he can take a look at them before beginning the new school year.”

Lê Minh Trường of District 2 and her daughter were choosing school supplies at a bookshop in District 1.

Trường said: “The new school year will start soon. So I brought my daughter here to buy stationery for her.”  

Shopping for school supplies at bookshops and supermarkets has seen a surge in recent days.

Books, pens, pencils, backpacks, school bags, uniforms and others are available in a range of designs and prices, with most being local products.

The comic and reference books sections are also packed with children these days, both reading there and buying.

As usual, the city has a price stabilisation programme covering four groups of school supplies: notebooks, shoes, uniform and bags.

It is constantly growing, and this 13 companies have registered to sell 17.08 million notebooks, 570,000 uniforms, 1.86 million schoolbags and backpacks, 920,000 pairs of shoes and other school supplies at fixed prices, meeting 35-50 per cent of demand.

Hương Mi Handbags Co Ltd said it is again taking part in the programme this year and hopes to sell around one million backpacks and schoolbags, 20 per cent more than last year.

The company has many new models this year, including backpacks that prevent back deformities, and is focused on improving quality to ensure absolute safety for children.

Nguyễn Minh Trung of Tập Việt JSC (Starbook) said his company would supply 10 per cent more notebooks this year, and they feature new patterns.

Due to costs especially of paper going up by more than 35 per cent this year, the prices of notebooks are about 30 per cent up at VNĐ5,000-VNĐ15,000, he said.

Bùi Văn Tỉnh, deputy director of Tuấn Việt Shoes Co Ltd, said the company has increased supply by 2,000 pairs this year and their prices start at VNĐ225,000 (US$10.08).

Bookshops, supermarkets and other sellers have launched promotions for stationery and school supplies.

Many bookshops in HCM City, including Thăng Long, Nguyễn Văn Cừ and Fahasa, are offering discounts on textbooks and reference books as well as products like notebooks, pens and school bags.

Co.opMart and Co.opXtra supermarkets are offering large discounts on uniforms, bags, notebooks, pens and others.

Lotte Mart is also offering discounts of up to 49 per cent on uniforms, notebooks and textbooks and other school supplies in July and August.

Đoàn Diệp Bình, head of branding and communications at the Korean supermarket, said: “Anticipating that demand for school supplies will increase strongly, Lotte Mart has increased stocks of school bags, backpacks, uniforms, shoes and other school supplies by 10-15 per cent.”

It too has focused on supplying quality notebooks and uniforms and super-light bags and backpacks that would prevent back deformities, he said. — VNS