The truth about 'premium Kobe beef' sold everywhere at super cheap prices

Kobe beef is a famous Japanese beef in the world . In Vietnam, there are many different types of Kobe beef, priced from 2-15 million VND/kg, often used in luxury restaurants and hotels.

Recently, the “online market” has been flooded with Kobe beef being sold at super cheap prices, even cheaper than American beef brisket. The price of this type of beef ranges from 220,000-350,000 VND/kg, depending on the type.

Many housewives have raised doubts about cheap Kobe beef. Some people shared that when thawed and cooked, the beef fibers were loose, like they were grafted together, not natural beef. The quality of the beef was normal, not like the “premium VIP goods” advertised by the seller.

Talking to PV.VietNamNet about the super cheap Kobe beef that is being sold everywhere, Mr. Tran Van Cuong - manager of a food store chain in Hanoi - said that it is actually Aukobe beef, but traders call it Kobe beef. Genuine Kobe beef does not cost several hundred thousand VND per kilogram.

Aukobe beef is Australian beef, not Japanese. On the market, Aukobe beef tenderloin costs from 400,000-500,000 VND/kg. (See details)

Plums at Hanoi market are expensive, but Son La farmers still earn billions by 'picking up'

Off-season plums are sour and astringent but still expensive at Hanoi markets. In the market, plum prices are based on fruit size. For example, 18-25 plums/kg cost 300,000 VND/kg, 25-35 plums/kg cost 250,000-270,000 VND/kg, and 40-60 plums/kg cost 80,000-150,000 VND/kg. Even plums with cracked skins cost up to 55,000-60,000 VND/kg.

These days, farmers often have to “pick each fruit” in their gardens. This year, the yield is not as stable and high as the main plum season. Households in this area have large plum growing areas, the amount of off-season plums harvested is up to 10-20 tons, earning billions of dong. (See details)

man hau 1344.jpg
Plum prices at Hanoi market are quite expensive. Photo: NVCC

The 'capital' of jujube in Hanoi has a bad harvest, prices have increased sharply

Affected by the weather, the "capital" of growing loquats in Duong Lieu, Hoai Duc, Hanoi, this year had a bad harvest, with output sharply decreasing compared to last year. VTC News reported that due to the bad harvest, the price of loquats is double that of last year. Grade 1 loquats cost 35,000-40,000 VND/kg, grade 2 loquats cost 25,000-30,000 VND/kg.

After reaching the street, the loquats are sold for 15,000-20,000 VND/tael (equivalent to 150,000-200,000 VND/kg), 5 times higher than the price when bought directly from the garden. On the "online market", the loquats are sold for even higher prices.

Farmers struggling with squash

The squash season in Quang Nam is in full swing, but there are no traders coming to buy, while prices have dropped sharply. According to Tien Phong, right at the time of the crop, the weather is favorable, so squash has a high yield with a very large quantity, but because it cannot be consumed in time, the price has dropped dramatically, only from 1,300-2,500 VND/kg. Meanwhile, in previous crops, because few people grew squash, the price was from 8,000-9,000 VND/kg.

The harvested squash filled the house until it was ripe and rotten, so they were thrown away because no one would buy it. With the hot weather like now, people are even more impatient, waiting to be "rescued" to get back some of their capital.

Musang King durian price chaos

Musang King durian is in season but prices are quite "chaotic" because the quality of the product varies greatly from garden to garden.

According to a survey by the reporter of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, this year, the price of Musang King durian has decreased significantly compared to 2 years ago.

If in 2022, fresh whole Musang King durian had a retail price of 500,000-800,000 VND/kg, now it is only 400,000-500,000 VND/kg. In addition to the selected type, Musang King durian grade 2 and grade 3 only cost 150,000-180,000 VND/kg, equivalent to Monthong durian.

The owner of a store specializing in selling "unique" fruits in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, said that there are too many sellers of domestically grown Musang King durian, so they are "trading" on price. Compared to the same period last year, the price of VIP Musang King has decreased by about 30%.

Airfare prices on April 30 are 'hot' again

Airfares have just cooled down a bit after Tet, but they are increasing again as the April 30-May 1 holiday and the peak summer tourist season are approaching.

According to a survey by VTC News on the morning of March 23, round-trip airfares from Hanoi to Phu Quoc departing on April 28 and returning on May 3 range from 5 million to over 7 million VND/ticket. This price is 2.5 million VND/ticket higher than the current price.

For the Hanoi - Nha Trang flight departing on April 28 and returning on May 3, the best price found on the morning of March 23 was 3.9 million VND/round-trip ticket and the highest was 7.7 million VND, 1.2-1.5 million VND higher than the current time. Ticket prices for flights departing from Ho Chi Minh City during the period of April 30 - May 3 are also not affordable.

After Tet, dong leaves are sold out, traders do not have enough to pay for orders.

Dong leaves are still ordered by many customers after Tet, but traders say that at this time there is not enough stock to fulfill orders for customers.

Ms. Doi Thi Thuy - a dong leaf seller in Dong Nai - told Nong Thon Viet that the price of dong leaves has decreased slightly compared to before Tet. Before Tet, dong leaves were sold wholesale for about 1,000-1,200 VND/leaf but now they are about 700-800 VND/leaf.

It is worth noting that after Tet, customers still ordered a lot but the amount of leaves harvested in the gardens was not much, so the situation of "sold out" occurred. With the current selling price, 1 hectare of dong leaf trees can bring in an income of more than 200 million VND for the gardeners.

The truth is that beef is cheaper than pork, starting at only 80,000 VND/kg. On the online market, cheap beef is sold everywhere, starting at only 80,000 VND/kg. However, the origin of this type of beef has not been clearly verified. Many people think that it is beef raised with banned substances or Indian buffalo meat.