Struggling because of the price increase of construction materials at the end of the year

Scarcity of construction materials has affected the construction progress of many projects.

This price "storm" affects many construction contractors and the construction and repair plans of many households.

Establish a new price level

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Toan, owner of a construction materials facility in Tan Hung ward, at this time, the prices of many types of construction materials have increased sharply compared to the beginning of the year. Currently, the price of bricks is from 1,300 - 1,600 VND/piece (increased from 500 - 700 VND/piece), bluestone is 500,000 - 550,000 VND/m ³ (increased from 50,000 - 70,000 VND/m ³ ). Especially construction sand is from 500,000 - 600,000 VND/m ³ , yellow sand continuously "peaks" when reaching the threshold of 1,050,000 VND/m ^3. According to the assessment of many owners of construction materials facilities, the price of sand is a record high in recent years, twice as high as the price at the same period last year.

According to representatives of some construction material businesses, from mid to late year, people's demand for housing construction and renovation increases, while projects must ensure progress. Meanwhile, the import of goods is sometimes passive, not going as planned due to having to wait for goods, time pressure, and competition also makes it difficult for many construction material businesses. Labor and transportation costs have increased, while the supply of sand and stone is tightened by mining and environmental protection regulations, making it difficult for construction material prices to return to their previous levels.

The sharp increase in construction material prices has led to an increase in construction investment costs. Photo: THANH CHUNG

Contractors and people face difficulties

The high price of construction materials directly affects contractors and those who are carrying out civil construction projects. For example, the project to build an intersection connecting National Highway 17B with National Highway 5 through Phu Thai commune started in early December 2024 and is expected to be completed by the end of December 2025. Mr. Nguyen Nam Tung, Construction Site Commander, said that the recent increase in construction material prices has affected the construction process, with a shortage of construction materials at times. To overcome this difficulty, taking advantage of favorable weather, the contractor has arranged material storage areas to ensure construction progress.

Not only is it difficult for contractors of large projects, but also for households building houses, the increase in construction material prices is exceeding the estimate. Mr. Nguyen Van Nham in Kim Thanh commune said: "Although I know that the construction material market is fluctuating and on the rise, my family could not have foreseen the current "skyrocketing" increase."

According to Mr. Nham's assessment, most of the construction materials from bricks, steel, sand, stone to tiles, doors, etc. have increased. Mr. Nham's house started construction in March and was completed in October. The 1-storey house is 120 square ^meters wide, with an initial cost of about 1.1 billion VND. However, due to the sharp increase in construction material prices, the completion cost was "increased" to 1.4 billion VND.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Trung Dung's family lives on Dang Hai Street, Hai An Ward. According to the family's initial calculations, the estimated cost to complete the house under construction ranges from 1.2 to 1.3 billion VND. However, with the current increase in construction material prices, according to Mr. Dung's calculations, the estimated cost must increase by about 20 to 30% after completion. In addition, many families have plans to build or repair their houses, but because they see the high price of construction materials, they have to consider and calculate the time to wait for the price to "cool down".

However, according to the business community, the possibility of material prices "reversing" in the short term is very low, when input costs and construction demand at the end of the year remain high. In the face of the fact that construction material prices continue to increase, with no signs of stopping, many businesses, contractors and people want the State to take measures to ensure balance to stabilize the market. Authorities need to strengthen price inspection and supervision, prevent speculation and illegal price increases; at the same time, ensure stable supply.

Recently, the Ministry of Construction sent a telegram to the People's Committees of provinces and cities. Accordingly, the Department of Construction was assigned to collect information on construction material prices through manufacturing and trading enterprises, investors, and construction contractors in the area. From there, this agency will check and determine the reasons for the price increase of many materials, and send a report to the Ministry for monitoring. Localities are requested to promote the issuance of licenses for mineral activities as common construction materials and improve the quality of announcing this price level to have more supply, preventing price increases...

According to the 9-month report of 2025 of the Ministry of Construction, natural sand in some provinces and cities increased by more than 58% compared to the same period in 2024. Construction stone also increased by 10 - 18% each quarter since the beginning of the year. According to data from the Institute of Construction Economics (Ministry of Construction), in many provinces and cities, sand prices fluctuated from 700 - 800 thousand VND/ ^m3 , in some places exceeding 1 million VND/ ^m3 , an increase of 30 - 60% compared to the first quarter of 2025. For construction steel, the price increased by an average of 100 - 270 thousand VND/ton, depending on the type and region.

HUYEN TRANG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/lao-dao-vi-vat-lieu-xay-dung-tang-gia-dip-cuoi-nam-525384.html