Make handmade gifts for your girlfriend on March 8th.

At 5 PM, standing in front of a shop selling scented candles and teddy bears, Tien Anh shyly held his girlfriend's hand tightly and walked inside.

A 26-year-old man from Hanoi said that in the past, he would buy flowers, clothes, or cosmetics to give to his girlfriend on holidays. This year, he tried something new by making a teddy bear himself, thinking that "it's more personal and his girlfriend will cherish it more."

After his girlfriend chose the color and design of the teddy bear she liked, Tien Anh began selecting fabric, sketching the shape, and threading the needle to sew according to the drawn lines. It was his first time sewing, so he pricked his hand with the needle several times, but after nearly four hours, he finally finished it.

"She sat next to me, chatting and encouraging me, and even filmed the process and posted it online to show off," Tien Anh said.

Tien Anh made teddy bears and scented candles as gifts for his girlfriend on March 8th and February 25th. Photo: Thanh Nga

Ten days before March 8th, Vo Minh, 23, from Dong Da district, Hanoi, took the opportunity to visit a pottery shop to make a mug as a gift for his girlfriend. Minh said that after shaping the pottery, he still has to wait for it to fire and then glaze, which takes 5-7 days, so he had to prepare in advance.

It took Minh nearly two hours to mold the shape of the cup, but his hand strength was a bit too much and he was clumsy, so the rim was misshapen. Despite repeated adjustments, Minh's creation still somewhat resembled a bowl. After struggling from morning till evening, the young man breathed a sigh of relief when he finally finished coloring and waited for the finished product. "I added our anniversary date to the bottom of the cup, hoping that when she uses it, she'll always remember," Minh said.

Since the beginning of February, many souvenir shops, flower shops, and scented candle shops in Hanoi have been continuously organizing handmade craft workshops to serve customers in anticipation of Valentine's Day (February 14th) and International Women's Day (March 8th).

A young man spent four hours molding ceramic mugs as a gift for his girlfriend on February 26th. Photo: Thanh Nga

The manager of a handmade goods shop in Tay Ho district said that before International Women's Day (March 8th), the shop was quite busy, with about 500-1,000 customers each day. More than 50% were male customers with girlfriends or coming alone to order notebooks, keychains, and phone cases. "This year, the number of male customers is double that of last year," the manager said.

At 6 PM the day before March 8th, a shop selling scented candles, teddy bears, and perfumes in Dong Da district was packed with customers lining up at the entrance. The shop manager said they received more than 70 customers that day, double the usual number. Of those, over 70% were couples or single men.

"This year, many male customers have come seeking advice on making perfumes and scented candles for their mothers and girlfriends, unlike previous years when it was mostly female customers," the manager said.

Handmade gifts at the shop are priced from 180,000 to 360,000 VND. Many male customers like to create their own perfumes with scents their girlfriends like and then engrave their names on the bottles to add a personal touch.

Minh Anh, 24, an employee at the Ceramic Club pottery shop, said that since the beginning of this year, holidays and weekends have often been fully booked or even overloaded, with peak days only receiving customers who have made reservations in advance. She said that more than 70% of customers are aged 18-29, and besides experiencing pottery making, it is also a dating spot for Gen Z couples.

"Young people are increasingly inclined to express their individuality, unique style, and personal touch, and this is also reflected in the gifts they prepare themselves," Minh Anh said.

Lacking confidence in sewing and embroidery, 25-year-old Quoc Khanh decided to have bags and scarves custom-made with embroidered patterns at a craft shop. Although he didn't make them himself, Khanh ordered everything from the ideas and colors to the embroidery patterns his mother liked. "Receiving the gifts early, my mother was touched. She uses them every day and proudly shows them off to the neighbors as gifts from her son," Minh said.

Knowing her boyfriend was planning to attend a workshop on making perfumes and candles, 23-year-old Bich Diep from Thanh Xuan district discouraged him and expressed her disapproval. Diep said that handmade items are usually twice as expensive as ready-made ones. For example, the perfume bottle her boyfriend intended to make cost 500,000 VND, while she could buy two bottles she liked for that price.

"It's fine if they both go on a trip to experience it once, but giving handmade gifts on every occasion is expensive and you don't know if they'll even make something that meets expectations, let alone looks good," Diep said.

Thanh Nga

Source: https://vnexpress.net/lam-do-handmade-tang-ban-gai-dip-8-3-4720105.html