Milk grapes, once considered "noble," have gone from being expensive to being the cheapest fruit on the market.

Milk grapes have been flooding the Vietnamese market for several years now, but they remain incredibly popular. Currently, this "aristocratic" variety of milk grapes, originating from China, continues to dominate online marketplaces, spilling onto sidewalks and being sold in abundance at street vendor stalls.

Remarkably, those huge bunches of plump, glossy green grapes, once only available to the wealthy, have now become a cheap, everyday commodity.

Milk grapes, packed in baskets or boxes, are commonly priced at 30,000-40,000 VND/kg, and in some places even as low as 25,000 VND/kg. (See details)

Many people are lining up to buy the world's most expensive Japanese grapes, priced at 12 million VND/kg.

While cheap, "aristocratic" Chinese grapes are flooding the market, many people are still lining up and placing deposits to buy a type of Japanese grape dubbed the most expensive in the world.

In contrast to the extremely low prices of Chinese milk grapes, some high-end imported fruit store chains are selling Japanese Ruby Roman grapes for 9-11 million VND per bunch or 12 million VND per kilogram. This is also the most expensive type of grape on the Vietnamese market.

Ruby Roman is a famous Japanese grape variety. In a recent auction, a bunch of Ruby Roman grapes fetched a record price of 260 million VND. (See details)

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Ruby Roman grapes from Japan are the most expensive grapes in the world. Photo: Mia Fruit

Thai jackfruit prices have risen to their highest level in over 3 months.

Thai jackfruit prices are rising rapidly. According to Tri Thức & Cuộc Sống (Knowledge & Life) , compared to about a month ago, the price of Thai jackfruit has increased by 10,000-12,000 VND/kg and is currently at its highest level in over 3 months.

Currently, the price of Grade 1 Thai jackfruit (9kg or more, meeting export standards) is being sold by farmers in many areas to traders and jackfruit purchasing centers at 42,000-43,000 VND/kg; Grade 2 (7 to under 9 kg/fruit) is priced at 21,000-22,000 VND/kg, and Grade 3 at 12,000 VND/kg. These prices are four times higher than in May 2024.

Luxury seafood is flooding the markets, with some varieties priced as cheaply as vegetables.

Never before have so many "luxury" seafood items flooded the markets as they are now, including some that are as cheap as vegetables. For example, small, live abalone costs from 10,000 to 15,000 VND per piece.

Meanwhile, Australian lobster tails (4-5 tails/kg) are being offered for sale at 300,000-340,000 VND/kg. Similarly, Shanghai hairy crabs, instead of costing several hundred thousand to nearly 1 million VND per crab as before, are now commonly sold at 50,000-70,000 VND per crab (100-140 grams/crab).

Explaining why the prices of "luxury" seafood are getting cheaper, Ms. Ngo Phuong Lien (an online seafood seller) said that, according to market principles, supply increases and prices decrease, and vice versa. For example, abalone used to be caught in the wild, making it scarce and extremely expensive. Now, there are many abalone farming areas with large production volumes, so the price is also lower.

Furthermore, instead of only producing high-end products, people are also proactively cultivating various types of seafood to cater to customers in different segments. Therefore, with abalone or hairy crab, besides the expensive varieties, there are also "cheap" options that wholesalers are currently selling on online marketplaces. (See details)

Rental prices have increased significantly.

The need for stable accommodation is always a top priority for students living away from home. According to Thanh Nien Newspaper, this is causing rental prices in areas with a high concentration of universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to gradually increase during the student enrollment season.

According to data from Batdongsan.com.vn, increased demand has led to an upward trend in rental prices in some areas starting from the second quarter of 2024. For example, in Ward 9, District 5 (Ho Chi Minh City), near many universities, the common rental price for a room in the second quarter of 2024 was 6 million VND/month, an increase of up to 50% compared to the same period last year.

Some landlords in Hanoi have stated they've increased rents by 10-15%, citing rising property prices as the reason for the increase. Similarly, the rental market in Ho Chi Minh City has also seen a trend of rising rents in recent months, significantly impacting the psychology and behavior of tenants.

Flight tickets for September 2nd holiday: Some routes are sold out, others have sky-high prices

According to VietNamNet reporters just before the holiday, on popular routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to famous tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon, etc., during the 4-day National Day holiday, tickets for some routes were sold out; for some routes, tickets were still available but the number of flights and seats was limited and the prices were exorbitant.

The difference compared to the April 30th - May 1st holiday is that, due to the extended summer vacation for children, families are choosing to travel by car more often, resulting in very low demand for air tickets on this route. For the September 2nd holiday, because it's close to the start of the new school year, air travel is a more popular choice. (See details)

Train tickets are discounted by up to 7% during the National Day holiday on September 2nd.

According to Family & Society News, the Vietnam Railways Corporation will offer a 5% discount on return tickets for individual passengers purchasing round-trip tickets during the National Day holiday on September 2nd, and a 7% discount for groups of 20 or more people. Social welfare beneficiaries will continue to receive regular ticket discounts.

According to the railway industry, unlike previous years, the North-South route has maintained a stable number of passengers even after the summer peak, thanks to flexible ticket pricing policies and improved service quality on trains and at stations. Furthermore, passengers have also chosen to travel on weekdays.