Mr. Nguyen Huu Hau - a construction worker with more than 20 years in Bac Ninh, is currently renting a room in Hau Duong village, Kim Chung commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi - near Thang Long Industrial Park (Dong Anh, Hanoi).
The small rented room where he lives with his son in elementary school was so simple that there was no electronic device except a fan. The TV has been broken for a long time, in the room there are only beds, cabinets and desks of the children.
With a household electricity price of 3,500 VND/kWh, Mr. Hau used to pay about 300,000 - 400,000 VND per month. But this June, after the adjustment of electricity prices, the bill increased to 500,000 VND.
"A hundred thousand dong increased to nearly a day's work. Raising children for school, tuition, food, now an extra electricity bill, a little bit at each rate, adds a burden" - Mr. Hau shared.
Not daring to turn on the fan much, the father and son tried to take advantage of the wind. Meals are also simpler. "Previously, I could have bought more Lang Son and a few shrimp, now I have to calculate carefully. It's not that I don't want to eat well, but I have to be more cautious" - Mr. Hau said.
Not far away, the boarding house of Mr. Truong Van Tai - a worker at FCC Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Thang Long Industrial Park) has 12 rooms, but only 4 rooms are air conditioned.
Mr. Tai's family is one of the few who have the conditions to install the air conditioner themselves because they have young children. "The summer is hot, I can't let my child get hot. But using conditioners causes electricity bills to skyrocket, so my wife and I only dare to turn on at night and limit the time of use" - Mr. Tai shared.
Mr. Tai's electricity bill last month reached 900,000 VND, after applying a new electricity price.
The couple are all workers, with an average combined income of 17 million VND/month, but after deducting rent, electricity and water, children's tuition, living expenses... there is not much left.
"We have saved all our money. There are days when I want to eat something a little more delicious, I have to wait until the weekend. Spare every penny" - Mr. Tai said.
The story of Mr. Hau and Mr. Tai is just two of millions of ordinary workers who are struggling with high living expenses. For them, the increase in electricity prices is not just about electricity bills, but a chain of household spending.
Meanwhile, the rental housing conditions of the majority of workers are still lacking, the method of calculating electricity and water is still due to the homeowner applying prices higher than the average, not to mention that the majority do not enjoy the same traditional electricity prices as official households.
"We hope to have more specific support policies for workers in boarding houses. Although the electricity increase is not large for many people, for workers every penny is valuable" - Mr. Hau said, looking far away at the old fan in the sunny room.
