According to Lao Dong Newspaper, since the beginning of August, the shopping atmosphere preparing for the new school year has been bustling at supermarkets, bookstores and stationery stores in Hoa Binh ward.
While children eagerly look forward to returning to class, many parents - especially workers' families - are struggling to take care of their children during the opening season.
Late afternoon after work, Ms. Thanh Huong (34 years old, a worker at Hoa Binh Urban Environment Company) stopped by a bookstore near her home to ask to buy first-class books for her first son. Holding the list issued by the teacher, she calmly calculated. "The book alone alone costs more than 200,000 VND. Adding uniforms, school bags, school supplies... The total cost has increased to nearly 2.5 million VND", Ms. Huong shared.
Husband works as a construction worker with an unstable income. She alone regularly carries a salary of 7 million VND per month.
"I was very excited, always asking to buy a pair of superman photos, but had to choose a cheaper one. Seeing her not being like her friends is also heartbreaking," she said.
In the left Bank of the Da River Industrial Park, where many boarding houses for workers are concentrated. Mr. Tran Van Tu (39 years old, from Yen Bai), a worker at a company specializing in the production of optical lenses, said that his daughter is in 6th grade this year, so she has to buy everything from the beginning.
The set of textbooks, summer uniforms, exercise equipment, new backpacks... cost more than 3 million VND. Not to mention that there are many other contributions at the beginning of the school year. Meanwhile, monthly living expenses such as electricity, water, food, gasoline, etc. are still increasing steadily, forcing his family to calculate every penny to make ends meet.
The couple's combined income is about 18 million VND/month, although they have tried to save a few months ago, the cost of shopping for the two children at the beginning of the school year is still "exorbitant" by nearly 8 million VND.
"I tried to cut down on meals and drinks, limiting personal expenses, but sometimes I still don't know where to get them to pay my children at the beginning of the year," said Mr. Tu.
At a long-standing book store on Thinh Lang Avenue, Ms. N. - the store owner said that the price of textbooks and notebooks this year has increased by about 10 - 15% compared to the same period last year.
"A complete set of first-grade textbooks currently costs from 200,000 to 250,000 VND, not to mention supplementary books or extra learning materials. However, it is only the beginning of August, so purchasing power is quite sparse. Many parents only come to ask for the price first, then make an appointment to return a few days later," Ms. N. shared.
According to Ms. N., to share some of the burden with parents, the store applies a program of giving gifts with small gifts such as labels, timetables, master's degree boards or a notebook for each set of textbooks purchased.
