Vietnamese studying in several foreign countries are struggling to cope with a sudden rise in prices.
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Prices in Australia’s New South Wales have shot up since late 2010, Le Thi Hong Linh, a hospitality student in the state, said.
Housing rents are up nearly 14 percent after floods in nearby Queensland State in January, she said.
“I have cut down on shopping for clothes and other things.”
Ngoc Quynh, who has just completed an MBA in Melbourne, said she has to temporarily shelve plans to study for a TESOL course because of rising prices and find a job to survive instead.
Nguyen Ngoc Binh, an MA student in New Zealand, complained that his family has to provide financial support since his scholarships and salary from part-time jobs can only cover tuition and lodging.
Libraries have become a haunt for Vietnamese students in New Zealand because they can only afford books that are absolutely essential, he added.
With prices rising also in the US, Vietnamese students face the same plight here.
A room costing USD1,000 a month and normally housing two people now accommodates three or four as they have been forced to become thriftier.
Nguyen Quoc Dai, a banker in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3, said he now sends his son who is studying in California, the US, USD1,800-1,900 a month compared to USD1,500 last year.
The inflation in the US is making things harder for his family in Vietnam, he complained.
