Instead of Lego jigsaw puzzles, stuffed animals, dolls, or model cars, Vietnamese children from well-off families expect to receive hi-tech items or the tours worth thousands of dollars for the International Children’s Day June 1.

Rich parents buy hi-tech products for children

Nguyen Huu Thang in Cau Giay district was wavering between an iPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy tablet. “My wife and I had agreed before that we would give the daughter an iPhone 4S as present for the children’s day. However, when I came to a shop, I found out that Samsung Galaxy would be also a good choice,” he said.

“I don’t care about the prices of the gifts. I just want to give the gift that my daughter most favors,” he added.

Thang said he does not intend to buy normal toys for the 12 year old daughter, because she has many toys like these already. As the girl likes hi-technology products, Thang believes that a tablet would be suitable for her.

Meanwhile, Thanh in Hai Ba Trung district simply said he would buy the things his child wants. “My kid has asked for an iPad,” he said, adding that it would be better to give the presents children expect.

Vietnamese parents nowadays tend to give valuable gifts to their kids. Children’s toys can also show the “upper class” of their parents. Hai Yen, the officer of an information technology company in Vinh Phuc province said that her boss has booked a tour to Europe for the family on the International Children’s Day, worth 200 million dong. Normal toys or learning aids prove to be undeserved to the children from high income families.

“My child always wishes to have more toys. I always have to think twice before buying a toy, though I just have to pay tens of thousands of dong. Meanwhile, the boss’s child only has the toys worth hundreds of dollars,” Yen said.

The representative of a travel firm has confirmed that a lot of families have booked outbound tours on the International Children’s Day occasion. Most of them have booked tours to Europe, which is now in the most beautiful season of the year.

The executive said that a tour to Europe costs every traveler 80 million dong at minimum, while the traveler would have to pay 100 million dong for medium class tours.

Poor people also buy valuable things

In fact, the children from well-off families not only expect to receive gifts from their parents, but from their parents’ relatives and colleagues as well.

Le Duy Hoan, a worker of a construction company in Cau Giay district, said that he and a colleague of his have bought a Vaio laptop worth 20 million dong, which they would give to the boss’s son as the gift on the day.

“This is a way of “lubricating the important relations”, “ Hoan said, adding that he is satisfied with the idea of buying laptop, even though he has to spend the sum of money equal to his two-month salary.

Children from the rich families nowadays cannot be attracted by jigsaws or simple toys. They need original and special gifts. “An outbound tour proves to be an ideal gift, but we only can afford less expensive presents,” Hoan said.

The headmaster of a nursery school in Dong Da district in Hanoi has warned that it may do more harm than good if parents always try to give expensive gifts to children. The parents buy valuable things for their children just to show their upper class in the society and high income. However, this would make children think that they would have everything they want.

Source: VNN