Toys which are unsafe or can instill violence in children, such as plastic guns, swords and grenades, are currently flooding the Da Nang market.  Many parents buy such toys for their children without realising the possible health consequences or the risks of adversely affecting the personality development of their children.

Many plastic guns on sale at a local toy shop

It is now common to see a wide range of toy weapons on sale in local children’s toy shops, and at open-air markets in front of the Tien Son Sports Arena, restaurants along Hoang Sa, the 29 March Park, and the Da Nang Starlight Entertainment Centre on Dien Bien Phu. 

Toy guns of different sizes, loaded with plastic bullets, are best-sellers because of their eye-catching colourful designs and low prices.  Most of them are sourced from China. 

A small plastic gun can be bought for between 35,000 and 40,000 VND, whilst larger ones might still only cost 50,000 to 60,000 VND.  Children aged between 3 and 10 show a keen interest in these toys because they are very attractive, and parents often succumb to their child’s unceasing demands for these dangerous items. 

Despite being eye-catching, many of the toys are unsafe because of the toxic substances used to make them, and they can be dangerous for young children to use.  Toy guns, close replicas of real weapons, use plastic bullets that can cause loss of sight or other severe injuries if used carelessly. 

According to national regulations, the import and distribution of toys such as guns and swords is completely banned in Viet Nam.

A doctor from the city’s Psychiatric Hospital warned that the use of toy weapons might negatively affect the personality and intellectual development of children.  He also noted that children who are allowed to play with toy guns are likely to be violent in later life.

Mr Nguyen Nho Hau, the Deputy Head of the city’s Market Management Bureau, said that his agency recently seized and destroyed hundreds of smuggled toy weapons collected from across the city. 

He hoped that the district and ward-level police forces would join efforts with the Bureau to crack down on the illegal trading of these dangerous toys.  He also recommended that parents should not buy toy weapons for their children.