Little justification for many price rises
Last week, Viet Nam News asked readers about the global economic downturn and whether their lifestyles had to change in order to cope with rising prices in Viet Nam. Here are some responses.
Do Thuy Linh, Vietnamese, Ha Noi
|
Next week:
Are you addicted to Facebook?
If so, you might be surprised to learn that Facebook has been constantly tracking its 750 million users, even when they were logged off the site, a fact the social networking giant has admitted is true.
Facebook, however, said that the privacy breach was a mistake, that software automatically downloaded to users' computers when they logged into Facebook "inadvertently" sent information to the company, whether users were logged in or not, according to an article on Dailymail.co.uk by Daniel Bates.
Although Facebook claims that it has already fixed the issue and reassures its users of privacy protection, the fact that Facebook can actually track down users' activities to such an extent has sparked controversy. And it is not the first time the social networking giant has been criticised for breaching its users' privacy. It has actually been sued for violating privacy several times.
Are you an active user of online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus? Does this revelation surprise you at all?
Do you think that social network users put their privacy at risk and to what extent can their privacy be violated by being active on these sites?
As a social network user, have you ever thought of limiting your time spent on these sites to protect your privacy, or even not using them anymore?
Should social networking sites be blamed if information about users is tracked?
We welcome your opinions. E-mails should be sent to: opinion.vietnamnews@gmail.com – or faxed to 84-4-39332311. Letters can be sent to: The Editor, Viet Nam News, 11 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi. All comments must be received by October 6. |
My family of three has a monthly income of VND20 million (US$960), which is VND2million more than last year. But the costs of essentials, especially food, have risen much faster, almost doubling since last year.
We used to spend VND3 million/month on food. It is now VND6 million. A kilo of lean pork, for instance, cost VND70,000 last year. It costs twice as much now.
We aren't too hard-hit, but I can't say we're unaffected. With rising costs, we've started to consider cutting down on things we used to afford. This summer, we haven't travelled, even within Viet Nam, although last year we managed to save enough for a trip to Singapore.
I had also long planned to redesign our house, repainting the walls and changing the curtains, etc, but I'm postponing it now. Just the other day, I went to buy my usual breakfast, a banh khuc (Vietnamese mungbean dumpling). The vendor asked for VND7,000 instead of just VND5,000 as before, explaining she had to increase prices since prices of everything from electricity to gas had shot up.
Although I understand the situation, I can't help feeling she was ripping me off, because, her price increase seems arbitrary.
This seems to be what's happening now: vendors and shop-keepers everywhere are just vying with each other to increase prices, using inflation as an excuse.It's hard for consumers like me to know how much of their increases are justified.
Suzie White, British, Ha Noi
I can't imagine how many people are unaffected by the global recession, even though suffering is spread unevenly across the world. I have never been rich and my spending has always been frugal so I can't say my lifestyle has changed all that much in the last three years having moved from London to Ha Noi.
Instead of rising prices, Britain's economy is suffering fallout from being at the opposite end of the growth scale from Viet Nam – stagnation. Instead of inflation, British people have to grapple with falling prices – businesses earn less, they sack workers, families spend less, and so the cycle continues.
It's true, economic crisis hits the poor hardest. Unfortunately, the British government has chosen to cut public spending on hospitals and education. Even the Victorians advocated free libraries – it is truly depressing.
Despite struggling with different economic problems, bring up the subject of global recession in a bar in London and you are sure to provoke the same groan that you would hear in a market in Gia Lam, Ha Noi.
Clearly there's a difference between someone who has just lost their job at Lloyds TSB in London to a pho stand seller struggling to make ends meet, but that doesn't nullify the hardship.
There is the other side of the coin too, of course, Viet Nam's super rich. Few foreigners can afford to compete with them in terms of enjoying luxuries.
Tom Miller, American, VN Green Building Council
The world economic collapse caused by an unregulated Wall Street is a reminder of dangers Viet Nam faces by joining the world economy of endless consumption. The best protection for individuals and communities against world economic collapse is sustainability.
Starting with the local community, do what you can to survive in a sustainable way. Viet Nam has thousands of years of experience in living "green" and sustainably. The same principles that worked so well for centuries in Vietnamese towns and villages must now be applied to space-ship earth.
Individually, we can look for ways to live a better quality life without major sacrifice. What would it be like, for instance, if Hanoians returned to bicycle riding? Immediately the population would be healthier from the cleaner air, the exercise and fewer dangerous collisions.
Dinh Huong, Vietnamese, Ha Noi
For all of the uncertainties in the news about the world economy and soaring prices in Viet Nam, there's one thing certain: most Vietnamese are struggling with rising prices. We read countless times about how young families have to cope with rising costs for school tuition, food, milk, electricity and gas. Even though the cost of living in Vietnamese cities is behind cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong, the gap is certainly narrowing.
The minimum wage is expected to rise from October 1 to at least VND2 million per month. But considering the prices of all essentials have skyrocketed, those who live on this amount will be suffering.
As a young professional in the hotel industry, I'm not one of the hardest hit, but I also have to tighten my budget. I have to cut back on such things as drinking coffee, eating out and going to the movies.
For shopping addicts, one creative way to keep money in the purse is go window shopping - or do the same thing on-line without clicking the "pay" button. At least, you get the satisfaction of making a selection.
Tomo Huynh, American, HCM City
Prices at restaurants and for housing and petrol have all gone up in the past year. However, compared to living in countries such as the US, Japan, Europe, it's not a big change.
However, as expats, we do see prices rising - and it's a big change relative to neighbouring countries such as China, Cambodia and Thailand, but it's not enough to make one leave Viet Nam. I really enjoyed the low cost of living when I first got to Viet Nam. I've learned to pay the correct prices instead of the price many foreigners pay, which can be much more than Vietnamese pay.
Vietnamese have suffered from inflation for several years. They cannot make any more cuts on spending. They have done as much as they can. — VNS