Over the last few weeks, the staple of Nguyen Thi Hoa’s diet was salt and sesame seeds because it’s all she could afford.
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| Workers at Norfolk Hatexco Company in Ha Noi eat lunch. |
Over the last few weeks, the staple of Nguyen Thi Hoa’s diet was salt and sesame seeds because it’s all she could afford.
There were many others like Hoa from the
Since Tet (lunar new year) prices were increasing rapidly while incomes remained unchanged.
The price of one cabbage rose from VND3,000 (US$0.18) to VND12,000 ($0.75). Rau muong (water spinach) reached a record price of VND20,000 ($1.25) from the previous price of VND2,000 ($0.12).
Many people started bringing in rice and dry food from their hometowns to the larger centres of Ha Noi and
Toan and his wife planned to have a second baby this year but they have since been spending their savings on daily expenses. While they used to spend VND500,000 ($31.25) a month on food, they started handing over three times that much since Tet.
Nguyen Thi Huong, who works at Tae Kwang Vina company, Bien Hoa 2 industrial zone in the southern
As a result, Huong and three other roommates started riding bicycles to three small and far away markets where they could find cheaper food.
"Dinner for four people costs VND20,000, equivalent to one bowl of noodles in the city. We have to budget to save money for emergencies," said Huong.
"For men, it’s even worse," said Le Van Loc from the central
Earning a salary of VND1.4 million ($87.5), Loc saw most of his monthly salary vanish in two days on meals, coffee and going out.
Other than cutting down on food expenses, already sparsely enjoyed leisure activities were cut even more, or replaced by cheaper outings.
Instead of going to the cinema, someone on a budget could buy old newspapers for VND1,000 per kg or go to the supermarket just to look around.
Tran Duy Hung couldn’t even take his girlfriend out for coffee as drink prices shot up so quickly; now they are limited to spending their nights wandering the streets.
"Petrol prices went up to VND14,500 per litre. Driving around takes at least two litres, the price of two meals. It’s better to stand on the side of the road and talk," said Tran Duy Hung from Bien Hoa 1 industrial zone.
Sharing Hung’s money concerns, many couples started gathering on the streets of Bien Hoa city to sit on their motorbikes and talk.
Many workers were limited to buying foam rubber sandals because it’s cheaper than leather shoes.
With workers cutting down on everything, markets have started emptying out.
"Before, I could sell 30-40kg of meat to workers in a day, now I’m selling half," said Nguyen Thi Ha in a small market near the guest houses of Bac Thang Long industrial zone.
Looking for ways to solve the money crunch, some workers returned to their hometown.
Long Binh District is surrounded by three industrial zones where most people rent rooms to workers. As high prices drove workers away, many landlords started finding themselves with empty rooms.
(Source: VNS)
