Salary cannot match electricity bill
In early July, the outdoor temperature in Hanoi sometimes reached 40 degrees Celsius, the hot air seeped into each cramped boarding house in Bac Thang Long Industrial Park, turning the already suffocated rooms into a true "crazy bowl".
In a rental room of about 15 square meters, Mr. Nguyen Van Doan (from Lao Cai) and his wife could only rely on an old fan that had been turned away and tried to ward off the heat. The deal with them is still a luxury I dare not think about.
"My wife and I only use fans, but the rooms are covered with corrugated iron, cramped, and extremely cramped. Many nights are so hot that no one can sleep, I keep worrying until morning, the next day I work as a tired person," Mr. Doan confided, continuously wiping away the drops of sweat on his forehead.
He calculated that with a small income per month, he still had to spend money on rent, food, gas, and send some to his hometown. It is very frugal, at the end of the month I have 3-4 million VND left to prevent when my child is sick or has a surprise.
"Normally, my family pays about 350,000 VND per month for electricity. Since hearing the news of the electricity price increase, my husband and I have been worried," said Mr. Doan in a worried voice.
Even with air conditioning, I don't dare to jump
A few rooms away, Ms. Hoang Thi Duong (from Tuyen Quang) has bought a air conditioner since the beginning of the summer. But that comes with another worry. The air conditioner was almost just for scenery, quiet in the corner of the room.
"Yes but no. I only dare to turn it off when it is too hot to bear, but I only dare to turn it off at 27-28 degrees Celsius and then turn on the fan to relieve the exhaustion," Ms. Duong sighed, pointing to the air conditioner.
Having worked as a worker for a few years, her income is only 6 million VND/month if she does not work overtime. That salary, after deducting nearly 1 million VND from the rent, the cost of electricity, water, and food in Hanoi is expensive, she only has a little left to send back to her hometown to help her parents.
"Everyone in the boarding house is complaining about the electricity bill now. I just thought about receiving the bill at the end of the month and was nervous. I'd rather endure a little heat than see my salary go. Every electricity increase is a burden that must be calculated," Ms. Duong shared.
Mr. Doan and Ms. Duong's worries are also the common worries of thousands of workers renting accommodation in industrial parks. For workers, the electricity bill at the end of the month is not just a number, it is a verdict for upcoming meals, for expenses that must be cut and for the worry of never ending up about a more fulfilling life in the city.
