Fashionable, dirt-cheap helmets are flooding Hanoi’s pavements. All of them are not verified for quality and made by recycled plastic.

Fashionable, colorful helmets on Pham Van Dong road.

Their prices are from VND30,000 to VND80,000/unit (USD1.46-$3.9).

They are also offered by vendors on Pham Hung road.

Along Buoi and Lang roads.

The Ministry of Science and Technology in 2008 issued regulations on national standards for helmets.

Under the regulations, helmets that fail to meet standards are not allowed to circulation in the market.

A helmet seller says that helmets come from various sources of supply.

Even families produce helmets, using plastics recycled from waste.

The production cost for such a helmet is only VND10-20,000 (USD0.5-1).

A customer says: “I buy this cheap and nice helmet to cope with traffic police officers.

If accidents happen, you will die with any kind of helmet.”

Helmet sellers also offer helmet repair services.

Two young men--one did not wear helmet, stopped to buy a VND30,000 helmet on Khuat Duy Tien road.