Contractors and residents face difficulties.

Construction material prices have recently skyrocketed, causing difficulties for contractors and homeowners alike. Under pressure from unexpectedly high costs, many projects have been forced to delay progress, reduce scale, or even temporarily halt construction.

Rising construction material prices have forced many projects to delay their completion. IN THE PHOTO: Construction site in Hoa Minh ward, Lien Chieu district. Photo: TRONG HUNG

Material prices have skyrocketed.

Since the beginning of 2025, residents and construction businesses in Da Nang have continuously complained about the soaring prices and increasing scarcity of building materials such as sand, bricks, and stone. According to reports, the price of construction sand currently ranges from 550,000 to 700,000 VND/m³, with plastering sand (yellow sand) exceeding 700,000 VND/m³ – an unprecedentedly high price. Many construction material dealers in Da Nang are reporting sand prices ranging from 550,000 to 750,000 VND/m³, an increase of nearly 150,000 VND compared to the previous month and over 200,000 VND/m³ higher than at the beginning of 2025. Not only have prices increased, but the supply of sand has also become severely scarce.

“There were days I made dozens of phone calls and still couldn’t find a single truckload of sand,” shared Mr. Nguyen Tuan, the owner of a housing project in Thanh Khe district. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, Director of Hy Ma Joint Stock Company, a company currently constructing many large projects in the area, stated: “The supply cannot meet the demand. Stopping construction delays progress, while continuing construction means there are no materials or the available materials lack proper documentation, easily leading to violations.” Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Cong Hieu, Director of Nam Trung Hieu Trading and Service Company Limited (a construction materials business), said: “The supply of sand and bricks in Da Nang mainly depends on mines in Dai Loc district ( Quang Nam ). When the source experiences problems, the market is immediately impacted, significantly affecting contractors working on projects under contract.”

Not only has the price of sand increased, but the price of hollow bricks and solid bricks in the Da Nang market ranges from 1,750-2,100 VND/piece, an increase of 400-600 VND/piece compared to the beginning of the year (depending on the type of brick). However, many dealers say that despite the high prices, supplies are still scarce, and the supply from factories in Quang Nam is unstable, with many places having to wait 4-6 days for orders. Mr. Nguyen Hoang (Lien Chieu district) shared: "My house started construction in March. The estimated cost for the house was about 60,000 bricks, but now the price increase has raised the total brick cost by 25 million VND. When there is a shortage, workers have to take a few days off waiting for materials, which greatly affects the progress."

Furthermore, the price of ready-mix concrete in Da Nang has continuously increased by approximately 15% since the beginning of 2025. Notably, many businesses supplying ready-mix concrete have announced a temporary suspension of product supply to construction projects, mainly due to a shortage of raw materials, especially sand. Recently, Da Nang Housing Development and Construction Joint Stock Company announced a temporary suspension of ready-mix concrete supply for civil construction projects and some ongoing projects starting from May 18, 2025. The reason given is that many sand mines in Quang Nam are temporarily suspending operations for inspection purposes, causing a serious shortage of sand for concrete production.

Proposing solutions to "cool down" the situation.

Faced with insufficient supply to meet demand and skyrocketing prices, businesses and citizens are hoping for strong and timely intervention from state management agencies to stabilize the market. According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Khue, Director of PKC Construction Co., Ltd., the prices of construction materials such as sand, bricks, and ready-mix concrete have increased by 10-30%. Meanwhile, many construction contracts were signed in advance at low unit prices and cannot be adjusted. This forces businesses to incur losses and bear costs beyond their means.

According to the Department of Construction, there are currently no construction sand mines in the area, causing many difficulties. In the near future, when Da Nang city merges with Quang Nam province, the city will have solutions to ensure the supply of construction materials. Construction businesses believe that to stabilize the supply, authorities need to make the materials market transparent, especially for sand and bricks; and strictly handle hoarding, tax evasion, and mining without invoices. Replanning mining areas to reduce dependence on a single locality is also an urgent requirement. In addition, a flexible contract price adjustment mechanism should be established, especially for projects signed before the sharp price increase, and the use of alternative and recycled materials should be encouraged to reduce pressure on traditional supply sources. Businesses also requested that the Department of Construction and the Department of Industry and Trade strengthen forecasting, publish prices periodically, and provide data to help contractors and residents proactively respond.

TRONG HUNG

Source: https://baodanang.vn/kinhte/202505/gia-vat-lieu-xay-dung-tang-nha-thau-nguoi-dan-gap-kho-4006890/