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“Construction Sand Prices in Da Nang Soar, Leaving Many Project Sites Starved for Supply”

24 May, 2025

Soaring construction sand prices in Da Nang city have significantly impacted thousands of ongoing construction projects. (Photo: Thanh Phong/Vietnam+)

In Son Tra district, Da Nang city, a seven-story residential building project that broke ground in February 2025 is currently in the rough construction phase. The project requires a substantial amount of sand, but recently, the contractor has faced challenges due to a sudden spike in construction sand prices.

According to the construction unit’s representative, without considering sand quality, a 100m2 building with seven floors will need approximately 30 cubic meters of sand per floor, totaling at least 200 cubic meters for the entire structure. However, instead of price stability, sand prices have surged within a month, skyrocketing from an average of VND 300,000 per cubic meter to over VND 620,000 per cubic meter, more than doubling.

Individual housing construction projects in Da Nang city are contracted to construction companies. (Photo: Thanh Phong/Vietnam+)

Specifically, engineer Nguyen Tan Bien shared, “Sand sources are currently scarce, and despite the significant price increase, it’s challenging to procure sand from suppliers. This situation creates difficulties for construction contractors, as most have already agreed on material prices with investors at the project’s outset.”

At another residential construction site, also in the midst of construction, Mr. N.P.H, the homeowner, shared, “In March of this year, when we started construction, the average price of construction sand was VND 350,000 per cubic meter, and it remained stable until April. But in just one week, prices have been rising daily, reaching VND 700,000 per cubic meter on May 20.”

Expressing his frustration, Mr. N.P.H added, “We contacted suppliers, but they didn’t even have sand to transport. This situation worries me a lot. We only need a few more truckloads of sand, but we’re still waiting. If we weren’t already in the middle of construction, I wouldn’t dare start building now. Sand is as expensive as gold dust.”

Individual housing construction project where the owner directly hires a group of workers in Da Nang city (Photo: Thanh Phong/Vietnam+)

To understand the cause of this issue, our reporter contacted several commercial sand suppliers in Da Nang city. It was revealed that the city’s construction sand supply has traditionally come from quarries in Quang Nam province, mainly from three large quarries in Dai Loc district: Dai Son quarry (Pha Le Company), Dai Hong quarry (Truong Loi Company), and Dai Hoa quarry (Quang Cu Company).

However, suppliers are currently facing challenges in procuring sand from these quarries. Most of the large quarries in Dai Loc are either closed or releasing sand sparingly, with some suppliers only able to procure a few truckloads per day.

Moreover, the quarries have significantly increased their prices. To buy “a truckload of sand from the quarries in Dai Loc, Quang Nam, and have it delivered to the supplier’s yard, the supplier must pay the quarry owner an average of over VND 10 million for 13 cubic meters of sand, or about VND 770,000 per cubic meter, excluding other expenses. Therefore, if the supplier has no sand in reserve, the retail price per cubic meter could rise to between VND 800,000 and VND 900,000.”

The difficulty in procuring construction sand has left many individual housing construction projects worried as their sand reserves dwindle. (Photo: Thanh Phong/Vietnam+)

To address this issue and understand its impact on the thousands of ongoing construction projects in Da Nang city, our reporter contacted the Da Nang Department of Construction.

Mr. Vo Tan Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, shared that regarding the fluctuation in construction material prices in the area, the Department has requested districts, project owners, and project management units to cooperate with relevant units (construction contractors, consulting units, etc.) to provide information on price changes to the Department by May 30. The Department of Construction will then inspect and determine an appropriate course of action.

Earlier, in early April 2025, the Quang Nam Department of Construction announced the material prices for the first quarter of 2025. Notably, the price of construction sand at the aggregate yard in Dai An commune, Dai Loc district, including loading costs, was only VND 190,000 per cubic meter. This highlights a more than 3.6-fold increase in sand prices within a month.

Thanh Phong

– 16:00 21/05/2025