Helmet Market: Enough Supply

Since September 15, all civil servants and party cadres had to wear helmets when riding motorbikes to working offices, so there was a fever for helmets, especially Protec models. At the showroom of Protec Tropical Helmets Company at 12B Ngoc Khanh Street, hundreds of people jostled to buy helmets. Currently, the fever has cooled down but demand remains very high. The price of Protec helmets increased from VND165,000 each before September 15 to VND215,000 from October 2.

 

Bui Thi Thu Huong, Sales Manager of Protect Tropical Helmets Company, said the company increased the helmet price because the price of resins imported from Germany soared. They usually run out pink and blue helmets because of high demand. Huong said her Protect factory is now producing 5,000 helmets a day to meet the demand, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The company is also completing orders from companies and offices. Some banks order 2,000-5,000 helmets for their promotional programmes. However, we have to turn down many because we are already running at full capacity. In August 2004, the Government also advocated wearing helmets but it did not become effective. Many helmet producers had to close business.

 

Apart from Protec, Vietnamese customers are also very keen on Honda helmets. A representative from Honda Vietnam Company said his company is operating at its full capacity of 1,500 units a day and is supplying 40,000 helmets a month. In spite of soaring production costs, Honda Vietnam advocated the policy to keep the selling price unchanged. Currently, Honda helmets are sold between VND148,500 and VND165,000 each.

 

However, helmet retailing has slowed down. In the past three months, many main streets in Hanoi such as Hue, Cau Giay and Thuy Khue streets, a lot of helmet shops were opened. Ms Trinh, a shopkeeper at 321 Hue Street, said her business is not good when the deadline is nearing. The prices of helmets are almost unchanged.

 

Many shops are now selling counterfeited helmets. For example, market watchdogs find out around 20 models of helmets looking similar to Saga models of Protec such as Protest, Protet, Protect, Hightech, Morning and Hanel. These helmets are sold at some VND180,000 but the quality is very poor.

 

Authorities need to take action to control the quality of helmets to realise the goal of minimising traffic fatalities as proposed by the government.

 

Mr Wang DeMin, First Secretary of Taiwan Economic Office in Ho Chi Minh City,said at his working trip to Hanoi he absolutely supported the regulations on compulsory motorcycle helmet use. Possibly, Vietnamese people are unfamiliar with helmets. In Taiwan, when motorcycle helmets were made compulsory, many people did not like it. However, it then became a very good habit. According to our statistics, helmet use reduces traffic fatalities by 50 per cent. The core matter is only the habits of the people.

 

Mr Nguyen Tuan Minh and Phan Van Hue, who use motorbikes as passenger transport means, said they completely support the compulsory helmet use policy of the government. We are willing to buy helmets ourselves and for customers although we have to pay more.

 

Most people support the policy of the government. However, the helmet market depends on the people’s use and its efficiency in reducing loss in traffic accidents.