- Gasoline and diesel prices, even after the reduction, are still ridiculously high. Filling up the tank feels like a chore! Even us wage earners are getting headaches from this, let alone the working class. I don't know what kind of management this is.

I understood what Hung was talking about, so I teased him back:

Well, we just have to accept it!

Like "scratching the right itch," Hung raised his voice sharply:

- What's there to argue about? People are raving about it online. Gasoline prices are skyrocketing, yet the government remains completely indifferent, neglecting the people. The Price Stabilization Fund has become a "private purse" for vested interest groups, a place where leading businesses can act with impunity, embezzle, and engage in corruption. Reading about it makes my blood boil!

Illustration photo: baochinhphu.vn

- You're just browsing those "left-wing" websites again, listening to those political opportunists' hired cries and joining in, aren't you? Take a sip of water to calm down.

Hung felt resentful:

- But they have a point. Gasoline is an essential commodity, so why keep raising prices like this?

- Calm down, you need to understand that gasoline prices depend directly on fluctuations in the global market. But do you know how gasoline prices in Vietnam compare to the general average? Are you out of touch? According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade , the increase in domestic gasoline prices is still significantly lower than in many countries in the region. A significant part of this is thanks to the use of the Price Stabilization Fund.

Seeing that Hung was listening, I continued:

- The nature of the Price Stabilization Fund is not that it's a state budget allocation, but rather money set aside by the people in the selling price to be used back for the people when the market experiences extreme fluctuations. This is a humane mechanism and should be considered a "shock absorber" to be accurate. Thanks to the fund, when world oil prices surge dramatically, domestic prices are kept under control and do not increase sharply. Furthermore, the Government also flexibly uses tax tools. Reducing environmental protection tax or considering adjustments to import taxes on gasoline and oil during stressful times is the clearest evidence of its efforts to alleviate difficulties for the people.

Hung nodded in agreement.

- But they kept exaggerating it, which made me quite confused.

Of course! On social media, such negative rhetoric often hides under the guise of "courageously" speaking out to protect people's rights and caring for the poor. Political opportunists want to turn a purely economic issue into a crisis of confidence, aiming to make people think that the difficulties they are facing are not due to objective global circumstances but to the "weakness" and "self-interest" of the leadership and management apparatus. This is a tactic to divide national unity and undermine the prestige of the Party and the State in the eyes of the people.

At this point, Hung scratched his head and smiled awkwardly:

Oh, how insidious! I almost inadvertently contributed to those distorted narratives. From now on, I will be extremely vigilant, sir!

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-chong-dien-bien-hoa-binh/canh-giac-voi-man-khoc-muon-1032852