On the morning of 24/12, the National Assembly Standing Committee reviewed the citizen petitions report for November. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Chairwoman of the Science, Technology and Environment Committee, noted that her family's shopping experience revealed significant price increases for many essential goods during the year-end period, especially vegetables. This trend has led to a rise in other living costs, placing considerable pressure on household budgets, particularly for low-income workers and retirees.

"Vegetable prices are currently two or three times higher than two or three months ago", Hai stated. She called for the citizen petitions report to emphasize this issue and propose solutions from authorized agencies for early price control, especially during the year-end season and the upcoming Tet Nguyen Dan (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Chairwoman of the Science, Technology and Environment Committee Nguyen Thanh Hai. Photo: Hoang Phong

According to the report, since late September, three major storms have consecutively impacted Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands. These storms caused prolonged heavy rainfall and flooding, damaging tens of thousands of hectares of crops. Landslides in many areas disrupted the transportation of agricultural products, while increased logistics costs further drove up vegetable and root crop prices across the region.

In Lam Dong, the country's largest vegetable growing region, hundreds of hectares of crops in communes like Hiep Thanh, Don Duong, Ka Do, and Quang Lap were deeply submerged during heavy rainfalls. Many farming households have delayed planting due to concerns about continued adverse weather, resulting in sharply reduced output and a supply shortage.

A representative from Van Duc Vegetable Production, Business and Service Cooperative in Gia Lam, Hanoi, reported that before the storms, the cooperative supplied 30-40 tons of vegetables to the market daily. This volume has now decreased to approximately 15-20 tons. The drop in production, coupled with consistent demand, has caused vegetable prices to soar. Leafy greens, previously priced at 7,000-10,000 VND per bunch, now cost 15,000-17,000 VND. Common root vegetables and fruits have risen to 18,000-20,000 VND, and some types, such as bau (bottle gourd) and muop (luffa gourd), are about 20,000 VND per kg.

Son Ha