Early in the morning, Ms. Bui Thu Trang (34 years old, Kim Boi commune, Phu Tho province) carried her basket to the market as usual.
After just a round of the market near her house, she noticed that some familiar items such as pork and green vegetables had all increased by a few thousand VND compared to previous days. It seems that the "domino effect" from the increase in gasoline and oil prices has been and is creeping down to the mountain town.
Returning home, Ms. Trang, while preparing breakfast, complained that market prices are starting to increase according to gasoline prices.
A few days ago, pork belly was about 120,000 VND/kg, today it has increased by nearly ten thousand more. Vegetables have also increased slightly," she said.
Stepping into the kitchen, Ms. Trang, while putting away her belongings, said to her husband: "It's probably because gasoline has increased, so the market price has started to increase.
However, her husband - Mr. Le Van Tuan - believes that the change may just be a small fluctuation in the market or the psychology of sellers when hearing the news of gasoline price increases.
The two started arguing right at breakfast. For Ms. Trang, the increase in gasoline prices will certainly lead to the increase of many other items. Mr. Tuan, on the other hand, believes that many small traders are just "following the tide".
If transportation costs increase, goods must also increase. Everything depends on gasoline and oil," Ms. Trang said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tuan said that the fluctuation in a few days is not enough to confirm that food prices increased due to gasoline.
Sometimes it's just because today's supply is small, or because sellers see gasoline prices increase, so they increase prices accordingly," he said.
Such debates are not uncommon in many families as fuel prices have continuously fluctuated recently.
According to information from the inter-Ministry of Industry and Trade - Finance, from 3:00 PM on March 7, 2026, domestic gasoline and oil prices will continue to be adjusted to increase sharply. Specifically, E5 RON92 gasoline is priced at 25, 226 VND/liter, an increase of 3, 777 VND/liter compared to the previous operating period; RON95-III gasoline is priced at 27, 047 VND/liter, an increase of 4, 707 VND/liter.
Oil items also increased significantly. Diesel oil 0.05S is priced at 30,239 VND/liter, an increase of 7,207 VND/liter; kerosene 35,091 VND/liter, an increase of 8,490 VND/liter; mazut oil 180CST 3.5S is at 21,327 VND/kg, an increase of 3,831 VND/kg.
Just two days earlier (March 5), gasoline and oil prices were also adjusted to increase sharply compared to the previous operating period. The continuous increase in fuel prices in a short period of time has caused many people to worry that transportation and production costs will increase accordingly, thereby affecting the prices of consumer goods.
At some people's markets in Phu Tho, Lang Son, Son La, many small traders said that food prices are often affected by many factors such as supply, season or transportation costs.
When gasoline and oil prices increase, freight costs may increase accordingly, but food price fluctuations usually do not occur immediately.
However, the psychology of fear of price escalation still appears in many families. Just a slight increase in a few items can easily make conversations about spending more tense.
