Made in China at Hanoi's oldest market

Visiting Dong Xuan Market, the largest and the oldest wholesale market in Hanoi, one can immediately see that most of the products and items being sold there are made in China.

Built by the French in 1889, Dong Xuan Market has been renovated several times, the latest in 1994 after a fire almost destroyed the market.

Currently, Dong Xuan Market is considered the largest wholesale market in Hanoi with some 2,000 shops selling everything from electronics, clothes, household appliances, toys, fashion accessories and foodstuffs.

According Tinh, a 70-year-old female shopkeeper, products made in China, particularly cheap electronics and fabrics, are the favorite of Vietnamese shoppers at the market.

She said almost 80 percent of the products sold in the market come from China.

Tinh, who has been selling fabrics at the market for over 30 years, said unlike before, it is now easy to buy goods from China.

"Years ago, there was a man who bought fabrics from China and delivered them to us, but then my family decided to go to China to buy products ourselves. It is more convenient and we earn more profits," Tinh told Xinhua.

According to Tinh, her customers patronize Chinese-made fabric not only because they are cheaper but also because of their beautiful design and excellent quality.

Thanh, who owns four shops at the market selling watches, accessories and jewellery for more than 10 years, told Xinhua that he goes to China two to three times a month to buy the items sold in his shops.

"Selling Chinese products is quite profitable as many Vietnamese, especially the young people, like products with beautiful designs at comparatively lower prices," Thanh said.

Thanh said one time he bought Chinese-made accessories worth about 10 billion Vietnamese dong (472,000 U.S. dollars).

Thanh said he goes to China, orders the goods that he needs and pays for them and the goods are delivered to his shops without much hassles.

Hoa, a 28-year-old male shopkeeper, said if he cannot travel to China, his business partner in China will send him photos and information about Chinese-made products via email or Wechat,

"After I make my order and remit a partial payment, the items will be delivered to me in Vietnam," Hoa said.

"When I have time, I will go to China's Guangxi where I can do the purchasing myself. Many people there speak Vietnamese so I need no interpreter. It would be very easy for me to transact business," Hoa added.

Le Thi D., a 50-year-old textile dealer, said many traders at Dong Xuan have built close business contacts with Chinese partners for a long time.

"About 70 percent of the fabrics in my shop are from China's Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. Once a year, traders from China come to meet Vietnamese partners for doing yearend balance sheet. We have kept close relations with them for years. They even took their families here to meet their Vietnamese partners and also to visit Vietnam," Le said.

According to the latest figures from Vietnam's General Statistics Office, in 2014, Vietnam imported some 43.7 billion U.S. dollars worth of products from China, an increase of 18.2 percent compared to the previous year.

Among the imports, fabrics posted an increase of 20.7 percent, machinery, tools and equipment up 19.7 percent, while imports of phones and electronic accessories up 9.5 percent year-on-year.

In 2014, Vietnam was estimated to incur a trade deficit of 28.9 billion U.S. dollars with China, up 21.8 percent compared to 2013, said the statistics agency.

"A good relationship between the two countries will make trade and business activities between the two peoples more convenient and stable. As Vietnam and China are neighbors, I hope that the two countries will keep their bilateral relations intact because this will benefit the two peoples," said Le, who has been selling textile at Dong Xuan Market for nearly 18 years.