A boy ponders some Chinese-made toys at a shop in Binh Tay Province, HCMC

Vietnam has issued new safety requirements for fabric and toys that will take effect next April following the discovery of hazardous substances in Chinese cloth and toys.

A toy can be sold on the market if the pH level of liquid in it ranges between 3 and 10. The amount of free and hydrolysis formaldehyde in cloth is capped at 30 milligrams per kilogram.

However, many toy sellers and producers have expressed concern that the pH and formaldehyde tests will increase their overheads as each test costs around VND1.2 million (US$67).

Most toys being sold on Vietnam market are Chinese-made, and carry no other information other than the suitable age and instructions on how to use them.

Figures from the Goods Quality Management Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology show that only 1,030 toys were registered for quality tests in 2008 while the number of Vietnamese children under 3 has reached at least three million.

An officer from the ministry’s Quality Assurance and Testing Center (Quatest) in Ho Chi Minh City, who wished to be unnamed, said more than 90 percent of toys on sale in Vietnam are unchecked imports.

According to the new regulation, Quality Assurance and Testing centers in Hanoi, Da Nang and HCMC will be authorized to confirm if a toy or fabric meets the legal requirements for being sold in the Vietnamese market.

Hoang Lam, deputy director of the HCMC-based Quatest, said the regulation comes into effect next year because the centers need that time to improve their capabilities. Businesses can also be be better prepared to adhere to the new regulations by then, he added.

Lam said producers should consult concerned officials about making suitable changes to their production process.

Reported by Bich Thao