When we arrived in Vietnam in 2009, the exchange rate was $1 ~ 17,800 VND.  Today, it’s at 20,700 and if you buy in the black market (if you can find one), it’s 21,000 VND.  A huge world of difference.

The trouble is the rate of increase of salaries is inversely proportional to the rate of price increase of consumer goods (Whew!  Was that me who just wrote those words? Weh.).

Early this month, the taxi fare increased already.  And today, I read in the papers that there will be a ceiling price adjustment (fancy term for “increase”) on airfare for domestic flights starting April 27.  The new price ranges from 41.3 USD (under 300 km) to 130 USD (over 1,280 km).  The current price range is 30 USD 90 USD, respectively.

Boy am I glad we’ve already book our flights to Phu Quoc already.  There’s always the bus but traveling at 40kph isn’t any fun.  If you’re going on a vacation, you lose a lot of time on the road.

Bummer.