Feather use may be done and dusted

HANOI, Vietnam - Fluffy, soft and easy to buy off the back of a bike: Vietnam's chicken feather dusters have ruled the roost for generations. But artisans fear for their future as buyers turn to cheaper alternatives.

The dusters, ubiquitous across the country's leafy capital, have long been a staple in Vietnamese homes to clear cobwebs from ancestral altars or hard-to-reach corners of the house.

But today, cheap synthetic dusters have flooded the market - the latest influx of mass-produced goods to chip away at traditional artisans' profits.