A number of shops selling Mid-Autumn toys in Hanoi’s Old Quarter area have banned teenagers from photographing their products.

Hanoi’s Hang Luoc, Hang Ruoi and Hang Ma streets are very crowded, particularly in the evening.

But the huge numbers of young people taking photos of the festive scenes have been blamed for partially blocking the gift and souvenir shops, with owners complaining that this has affected sales.

Shop owner Ha explained that “Over the past ten days, I’ve had to continuously remind teenagers about photography. They stand too close to my stall in groups of five or seven people and pose, affecting the sales. After having the photos taken, they don’t even bother to say thank you. So in response I’ve put a sign up banning them from taking pictures outside my shop.”

However, she says her ban is primarily aimed at students, not children accompanied by their parents.

Shops in HCM City’s District 5 earlier banned photography for the same reason. Some shops in HCM City insist that photos can only be taken if customers buy a product or when they’ve bought ten or more items.

Signs banning teenagers from taking photos

Crowded Mid-Autumn streets

Standing next to the stalls

Some shops in HCM City have set requirements for taking photos