The large-sized tear-off calendar market for 2012 has managed to attract many consumers despite high prices, according to traders.

Since the middle of October, calendars have gone on display in many stores on the main streets of both Hanoi and HCM City.

According to a shopowner on Hanoi's Lang street, since the start of this month his store has sold 3,000 large tear-off calendars, most priced from 350,000 VND(16 USD) to 580,000 VND (27 USD) each.

An online-trader, in addition, said that he has managed to sell 15-17 such calendars per week.

Traders revealed that, although prices are high, large-sized tear-off calendars have remained a favourite among consumers as presents or convenient forms of decoration.

Unlike large tear-off calendars, not many people have shown concerns about wall and desk calendars due to poor design.

Most traders agreed that designs, including countryside landscapes, Vietnamese Lunar New Year festivities and famous sites from around the world, have remained largely the same, causing low demand.

A shopowner on HCM City's Trieu Quang Phuc street, said that her sales have gone down by 20 percent against last year, in part due to a 20 percent increase in prices resulting from upped costs associated with ink, paper and labour.
With such an increase, current prices range from 15,000 VND to more than 1 million VND (47 USD) per calendar./ .