HCMC native falls behind peers, reliant on parents’ $245,000 house

I have two colleagues named An and Cuong.

An, who comes from a wealthy family in the countryside, received VND3 billion (US$122,299) from his family’s high-priced land sale to buy a spacious apartment in the city.

His parents also often send him vegetables and meat produced at the family’s farm.

Cuong, who was born and raised in HCMC, lives in a cramped, multi-generational family house in a narrow alley. The house is valued at VND6 billion ($244,598), which is very high, but has various issues, including the lack of personal space.

Cuong is jealous and believes that An has it so much better than him.

Reader Chau Linh

These are comments by other readers about the story shared by Chau Linh:

Reader namdtk.hcm:

“Cuong in the story resembles many people I know. They rely on their parents’ house in Saigon and do not strive hard enough, then gradually fall behind their peers. They should be saving and investing by leveraging the advantage of not having to pay for housing. Instead, they spend irresponsibly.

Many of my colleagues from other provinces came to Saigon to work hard. A couple I know now earn a total of VND30 million per month. They had a much lower income when they first moved to HCMC, had to rent a place in the city and send money back home to help their parents, but they still managed to buy an apartment, albeit with additional bank loans.”

Reader nguyen.ductb38:

“Having a house in the city provides a significant head start compared to those from rural areas who move to the city to start their careers.

How many families are there that can sell their countryside property to help their children buy houses in the city? The majority of people who move to the city begin with nothing but eventually secure jobs and houses of their own.

This contrasts with the current generation of city-dwellers, like my children, who have grown up in relative comfort and are less accustomed to adversity. As a result, they lack the resilience and ambition often seen in children raised in rural areas”

Reader duy.nkset:

“Comparing the family backgrounds of An and Cuong is unfair due to their different circumstances. Clearly, An’s family in the countryside is more wealthy, sending him VND3 billion and still owning more land, while the other’s family is just a working-class family in the city.

However, living in your parents’ house should at least motivate you to earn money and renovate it. If your family members do not agree to renovate the house together, you should move out, work to buy your own place and inherit whatever you can when your parents pass away.

In major cities like Hanoi and HCMC, children of people who migrated to the city must work hard or they will be in more difficulties than rural people. Without a house or land to inherit and facing potential unemployment in old age, they are in a tougher spot than rural people who move to the city for work. They need to work diligently to secure their future.”

Reader 72thg9j2gv:

“A long time ago, wealth in the countryside was not considered to be on the same level as living in the city. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Being wealthy in the countryside is not as rich as living idly in the city’?”

So what is your viewpoint on this matter?

*These comments were translated into English by AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.