The increase in gasoline and oil prices in recent days has not only affected transportation and production activities but also directly affected people's lives, especially daily travel costs. Many people said they had to recalculate spending and consider more economical options in the context of fuel prices tending to increase.
Records in some areas of Hanoi show that after gasoline prices increased, the number of people coming to gas stations at times increased sharply, making buying fuel more difficult than usual.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Phan Hai Phuong (My Dinh ward, Hanoi) said that he had encountered quite a few inconveniences when refueling after the fuel price increased.
“From the afternoon of March 7, I had to work hard to refuel when waiting for almost an hour just to receive information that I was only allowed to refuel for 50,000 VND, despite the fact that a few other gas stations did not have that condition. People also rushed to buy gasoline, creating unnecessary jostling” - Mr. Phuong shared.
According to Mr. Phuong, the increase in gasoline prices will not only increase travel costs but may also lead to many other living costs in the near future.
If gasoline increases, surely many other things will also increase, from transporting goods to service prices. This will affect the family's monthly spending," Mr. Phuong said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dinh Duc Thinh (Hai Ba Trung ward, Hanoi) said that this gasoline price increase, although not too surprising, still requires him to recalculate daily travel costs.
I don't think this price is too surprising, but the sharp increase in gasoline prices also makes me need to reconsider my travel problem," Mr. Thinh said.
According to Mr. Thinh, his current working distance is quite far, averaging about 40km per day, so fuel costs account for a significant part of monthly spending.
With such a working distance, if gasoline prices continue to increase or remain at a high level for a long time, travel costs will increase significantly. If this situation lasts for about another month, I may consider buying an electric car to save costs," Mr. Thinh shared.
Not only Mr. Thinh, many people believe that the increase in gasoline prices may promote the trend of switching to using fuel-efficient vehicles or electric vehicles.
According to some people, electric vehicles may be a suitable choice in the context of increasingly unpredictable fuel costs. However, switching to this vehicle still depends on many factors such as initial investment costs, charging station infrastructure as well as people's vehicle usage habits.
In addition, some people said that in the immediate future they will choose travel-saving solutions such as limiting unnecessary travel, combining multiple tasks in one trip, or using public transport when possible.
In the context that gasoline and oil prices still have many potential fluctuations, many people believe that proactively adjusting consumption habits and choosing suitable means of transportation will be a way to reduce the pressure of living costs in the coming time.
