People buy vegetables at a market in Hanoi.
Nguyen Ha, from Saigon Ward in Ho Chi Minh City, reported on November 19 that cucumbers, lettuce and herbs have jumped in price.
“Just last week I bought cucumbers at VND 20,000/kg; now it’s doubled to VND 40,000/kg. Lettuce and spring onions have nearly tripled to around VND 100,000/kg,” she said.
A survey of markets and vegetable shops in the city found that most items are up 50-100 per cent from the week before, and 30-50 per cent higher than the same period last year.
Wholesale market operators in Binh Dien, Hoc Mon and Thu Duc say that green vegetable supplies have dropped dramatically, especially leafy greens. Prices for many products, such as tomato and salad greens, have risen by 30-50 per cent compared with normal levels; some items are now two or three times more expensive.
Traders attribute the shortage to prolonged flooding in many growing regions, which has destroyed crops and caused large-scale spoilage during transport.
On November 19, Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, told the press that unfavourable weather had severely disrupted supply. “In the Mekong delta, floodwaters have risen, reducing farming area. Lam Dong Province has suffered landslides, which hinder transport. In the north and central regions, prolonged storms and flooding have caused major crop damage. With cold weather arriving soon in the north, supply is likely to remain volatile.”
A vegetable farm is flooded in Nghe An Province.
In Hanoi markets, green vegetable prices are also surging. Nguyen Thu, from Hoang Cau, said the rise has been persistent for days. She explained that flooding in several regions has squeezed supply.
“Normally a bundle of water spinach or mustard greens costs VND 5,000-10,000, but now it’s VND 20,000-25,000 per bundle. Tomatoes have shot up from more than VND 20,000/kg to VND 60,000-70,000/kg,” she said.
Hoang Van Tham, director of Chuc Son Vegetable Cooperative, said that erratic weather, long rains, then harsh sun, has slowed the growth of leafy greens. He said farmers have been planting for weeks but are unable to harvest. That, he argued, is the core reason why prices have climbed so sharply: supply simply cannot meet demand.
