Sharjah24 – AFP: Vietnamese are paying hundreds of dollars for gold plated tiger models as gifts as Lunar New Year draws near, bucking a major economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.
Tet, as it is known in Vietnam, is the most important festival of the year and the occasion for people to give gifts to loved ones and business partners.
With the year of the tiger starting on February 1, many are choosing pricy models of the striped felines.
Thousands of 24-carat gold plated tigers are hitting high-end souvenir shops in Hanoi, selling for between $300 and $3,000.
"The gold-plated tiger model will bring me the feeling of being in a higher class," said architect Pham Quang Duc who bought himself a winged tiger model for home decoration.
The year of the tiger is supposed to bring power and prosperity, and artisans said they tried to reflect this in their work.
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