Scarce supply is the reason for the skyrocketing sand prices. Photo taken at a sand business in Tan Thinh ward (Hoa Binh city).
Burden of rising construction material prices
A few months ago, Mr. Bui Viet Dung, in Cho hamlet, Dong Lai commune (Tan Lac) decided to renovate his dilapidated kitchen. The initial estimate was more than 100 million VND, but when he started working, he was "shocked" because the actual cost skyrocketed. "The price of sand has tripled, from more than 100,000 VND/m³ at the beginning of this year to more than 300,000 VND. Bricks at the beginning of the year were only about 900 VND/piece, now they are nearly 2,000 VND/piece. Adding labor and other costs, the total amount of money spent is more than 150 million VND," Mr. Dung worried.
Mr. Dung said that although he had considered many options, even cutting down on some unnecessary items, the repair could not be delayed any further because the project was unfinished. "Once it's done, you have to try. But it's really stressful," Mr. Dung sighed.
Not only Mr. Dung, many households also fall into a "dilemma" when faced with the problem of building houses in the context of escalating materials every day. The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham, group 13, Tan Thinh ward ( Hoa Binh city) plans to start building a house in the middle of this year, after nearly 2 years of delay to wait for a "good year". However, the joy has not been complete when the worry about costs comes again.
"My husband and I have saved up for many years to build a house, waiting for the right age to build according to feng shui. But now the prices of sand, bricks, and cement have all increased too quickly. The initial estimate was about 1 billion VND, but now it is up to 1.5 billion VND. I am really worried," Ms. Tham shared. Although she went to many material dealers to compare prices, the difference was not much, causing her family to consider cutting some items such as the yard, gate or delaying the construction time.
For families in difficult circumstances, the increase in the price of construction materials makes things even more difficult. For example, the family of Mr. Bui Van Son, Dung hamlet, Gia Mo commune (Tan Lac). As a family in difficult circumstances, Mr. Son received support to build a new house from the temporary housing elimination program. However, the skyrocketing price of materials has gradually made the budget of 200 million VND become scarce. "At first, I thought that amount of money was enough because the government supported it, and my relatives also helped. But the prices of sand, bricks, and cement kept increasing every day, so the cost of building a house increased quite a bit," Mr. Son shared.
Reality shows that not only people are affected but construction businesses and material trading establishments are also facing difficulties in the "storm" of sand prices.
Why sand prices skyrocket?
Quynh Ha Company Limited, Tan Thinh Ward (Hoa Binh City) is one of the long-standing sand businesses in Hoa Binh City. Sand is imported from mines for retail sale to customers. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, a representative of the company, said: The company has been operating for more than 20 years but the market has never been as volatile as it is now. Previously, the highest price of sand was 150,000 VND/m³, now it has reached 270,000 VND/m3. According to Ms. Ha, the price of imported sand has increased continuously, just nearly a month ago it was more than 100,000 VND/m3, now it has increased nearly 3 times.
"There are orders where we have received advance payments from customers, and committed to keeping the price, if the sand price decreases, we will reduce it, but we cannot increase the price. But now the sand price is increasing so quickly, we have to make up for the losses on those orders," said Ms. Ha. In addition to Ms. Ha's business, many sand businesses are also facing a shortage of goods. As shared by Mr. Dung, the owner of a sand business in Trung Minh ward (Hoa Binh city): Sand prices are high because the supply cannot meet the demand. There are many days when the business cannot import sand, and may have to stop operating soon because there is no goods.
Not only suppliers, but also those who provide material distribution services for small construction projects are also in a "tense" situation. Mr. Bui Van Trang, owner of a construction material business in Ren hamlet, Gia Mo commune (Tan Lac) is also facing difficulties as the amount of imported sand is increasingly scarce. Meanwhile, his business supplies materials to many local households who are building houses.
Mr. Trang said that at the beginning of 2025, the price of construction sand at the facility was about 200,000 VND/m³. Currently, after many adjustments, the price has jumped to 320 - 350,000 VND/m³, while yellow sand has increased by over 300% compared to the end of 2024. "With this situation, I am really worried. The high price has caused many households intending to build houses to temporarily stop. As for those who have not completed their construction, I continue to supply materials, but with such high prices, it is difficult for them to pay in full," Mr. Trang shared.
The "storm" of rising sand prices has not shown any signs of cooling down, causing many consequences for people, businesses and the construction market in general. If this situation continues, not only will the dream of settling down of many families be affected, but the progress of civil works will also be at risk of stagnation. It is time for the authorities to take more drastic measures to review and control supply, stabilize prices, and avoid widespread negative impacts in the future.
Written by Dao
Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/12/201803/Lao-dao-tr111ng-bao-gia-cat.htm
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