Tunnel brick prices have risen sharply.

Since the beginning of the year, the prices of various construction materials have been trending upwards, with the price of tunnel bricks (fired clay bricks) nearly doubling compared to the same period last year (currently at 1,650 VND/piece). This is due to sharply increased production costs and the real estate market starting to warm up.

Trucks have to queue up to pick up goods at the North Atlantic Brick Factory in Thinh Duc commune ( Thai Nguyen City).

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, residing in Le Hong Phong residential area, Bach Quang ward (Song Cong city), said: "My family started building a house in March 2025. At that time, the price of tunnel bricks at the factory was 1,100 VND/brick (excluding transportation costs), and I had already paid a deposit of over 20 million VND. However, at this time, the price of bricks has increased to 1,650 VND/brick. If a construction project requires about 40,000-50,000 bricks, the cost will increase by an additional 25-30 million VND. Furthermore, buyers have to place orders and wait 2-3 days for delivery, which also affects the progress."

Mr. Ha The Hien, a civil construction contractor in Thai Nguyen City: Currently, tunnel bricks are quite scarce, and homeowners have not been able to find a supplier, so some construction projects we are contracting have had to delay their progress.

Upon investigating several brick factories in the province, we found that there was virtually no unsold inventory. At the brick factory in Thinh Duc commune, Thai Nguyen city, numerous trucks were lined up waiting to load bricks. A driver there said that the shortage had been ongoing for about two months, and brick prices were at record highs. Trucks had to wait 2-3 days before they could load their orders. Previously, most customers came to pick up bricks to transport within the province, but now there are also trucks from Hanoi , Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and other locations.

The sharp increase in the price and scarcity of tunnel bricks has significantly affected the construction progress of local residents.

Mr. Ha Van Sang, representative of the North Atlantic Brick Factory in Thinh Duc commune, Thai Nguyen city, stated: This year, the supply of raw materials (raw materials) is scarce, and the real estate market in Thai Nguyen is also showing more signs of improvement. In particular, after the historic flood in September 2024, some brick factories along the Cau River were damaged and have not yet been repaired to resume production. Therefore, the remaining brick factories are currently operating at almost full capacity to meet part of the current construction demand.

Mr. Tran The Tung, representative of Tan Long Brick Factory in Thai Nguyen City, affirmed: "In previous years, the price of bricks fluctuated from 880 to 950 VND/piece, and there was a large surplus, sometimes reaching 60,000-70,000 pieces. However, since the beginning of 2025, the price of tunnel bricks has started to increase sharply, at times rising up to three times in a single month, and there is no stock available for sale."

This situation arises because the prices of fuel and input materials have all increased significantly. For example, coal currently costs over 2 million VND/ton to import, a 40-50% increase compared to 2024, and at many times, it is impossible to import. In addition, the price of electricity for production has increased by 5%; the price of input materials (clay) has also risen. Therefore, increased production costs have forced the factory to raise product prices. - Mr. Tran The Tung

Currently, at many building material dealers, tunnel bricks are being sold at 1,800 - 1,850 VND/piece, which can reach over 2,000 VND/piece if transportation costs are included; steel (depending on the type) ranges from 15,000-15,300 VND/kg; construction sand is approximately 340,000 VND/m3; and concrete sand is over 400,000 VND/m3 (an increase of about 3-5% compared to the same period)...

According to some construction experts, in addition to the high prices of raw materials used in brick production, this year's weather has been very favorable for construction due to the low rainfall. Furthermore, the real estate market in the province is starting to improve. Therefore, the increasing demand for civil construction projects is the main reason for the high price of fired clay bricks.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/tin-moi/202505/gia-gach-tuynel-tang-manh-a460d5a/