The price of a seven-sheet wall calendar currently ranges from VND21,000 (US$1) to VND60,000 ($3), while a single-sheet calendar is about VND10,000.— File Photo

HCM CITY (VNS)— With preparations beginning in June, calendar producers are hoping their designs for 2014 (the Year of the Horse) will be popular this year, as the economy remains stagnant.

According to Manh Ha, a calendar producer in Ha Noi, most calendars feature pictures of well-known local landscapes, traditional architecture and paintings, people and daily life, but young designers have made a few changes.

"We created a collection of 12 designs of calendars for the New Year season that focus on children playing traditional games in brightly coloured clothes. Calendars decorated with poems by the nation's well-known poets, including Nguyen Du and Ho Xuan Huong, are also included," he said.

Ha's company produced 3.5 million of seven- and five-sheet wall calendars and loose-leaf calendars, mostly for Ha Noi, HCM City and southern provinces.

Ha explained that, just as in previous years, the calendar market is making many publishers nervous, since no one can be sure about customers' tastes until the last minute.

"Many calendar makers just print a few hundred calendars to start with. If these sell well, they undertake larger print runs," he added.

The price of a seven-sheet wall calendar currently ranges from VND21,000 (US$1) to VND60,000 ($3), while a single-sheet calendar is about VND10,000.

The price of loose-leaf calendars range between VND40,000 ($2) and VND300,000 ($15), depending on design, size and quality.

Calendars from special collections created by prestigious artists are more expensive, costing an estimated VND300,000 to VND700,000 ($35).

According to a calendar vendor in HCM City's Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, unlicensed businesses are taking advantage of an unregulated market. Illegally made calendars are being sent to rural areas.

About 10 million loose-leaf calendars published by State-owned companies will be sold in bookstores across the country this season, according to the HCM City Publishing Department. — VNS