HÀ NỘI — More than 100 Zippo lighter enthusiasts and collectors gathered in Hà Nội to enjoy their common hobby last week.

The event also included a mini exhibition of dozens of Zippo lighter collections, featuring hundreds of different styles and designs. The event, called ‘Zippo Hot Tour Hanoi – Vietnam’, was held on Friday night to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the American lighter producer and the 19th anniversary of Zippo Việt Nam.

Since Zippo Việt Nam was established in 1999 to manage the monopoly distribution of Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, the hobby of collecting the distinct, windproof lighters has expanded widely.

“Since it was founded 19 years ago, Zippo Việt Nam has witnessed 10 per cent growth every year. We are very proud that Zippo Việt Nam has been elected as Zippo Distributor of the Year out of more than 160 monopoly distributors all over the world,” said Zippo Việt Nam’s general director, John Troha.

With the hobby of collecting Zippo lighters in Việt Nam developing, the parent company in the US has authorised Zippo Việt Nam to create surface designs for a collection of limited-edition lighters, entitled Trench Art 2017.

According to Troha, this collection, at present, is for Việt Nam market only. “However, we will have a plan to distribute these collections worldwide by 2020,” he said. — VNS