“Vegetables Cost More Than Meat and Fish These Days”

Following extensive and prolonged flooding, vegetable prices in Da Nang’s markets have skyrocketed.

At Hoa Cam Market, vegetables like water spinach, bok choy, sweet potato leaves, and Malabar spinach are selling for 20,000 VND per bunch, double the usual price. However, each bunch is significantly smaller, often just half or even a third of the normal size.

“I bought a bunch of bok choy, barely enough to fill my hand, for 20,000 VND. I had to buy another bunch to make enough soup for my family. Essentially, two bunches now cost what one used to, totaling 40,000 VND, four times the usual price,” said Anh Thu.

With vegetables so expensive, some vendors are hesitant to stock up, fearing they won’t sell. “Previously, I’d sell forty to fifty bunches a morning, but now I’m only selling a little over ten. They’re so expensive, and the bunches are so small. I feel bad for the buyers,” one vendor shared.

The vegetables available at the market are also in poor condition due to the prolonged rain. Many, especially bok choy, have yellowed leaves and waterlogged stems. According to vendors, only a few high-elevation gardens escaped flooding, allowing farmers to salvage some vegetables for sale. Major supply regions remain submerged.

At Cam Le Market, water spinach, bok choy, Malabar spinach, and sweet potato leaves are priced between 20,000 and 25,000 VND per bunch. Each bunch is small, enough for only one or two people.

Nguyen Thi Dao (Cam Le District) noted that her family has switched to eating more tubers and fruits due to the high vegetable prices. However, meals still feel incomplete after several days.

“I spent 100,000 VND on vegetables for my family of four today, enough for two meals. We love sweet potato leaves, but I could only find a few bunches, and they were wilted and fibrous,” Dao said.

Vegetables like amaranth and morning glory are nearly impossible to find, with only a few bunches available in the entire market.

Herbs like Vietnamese balm, betel leaf, and laksa leaf are equally expensive. Tuyet Le (Hai Chau District) mentioned that she used to buy these herbs with loose change at Dong Da Market. Now, vendors quote over 100,000 VND per kilogram, making it difficult to buy small quantities for 5,000 or 7,000 VND.

Many residents hoping to stock up on vegetables before Typhoon 13 had to leave empty-handed due to the high prices.

According to Tien Phong reporters, severe flooding in late October submerged many vegetable-growing areas in Da Nang. The La Huong Safe Vegetable Garden (Cam Le District) was completely destroyed, and agricultural losses were significant in former Quang Nam province.