Hi-tech product fans have got shocked when hearing that a 64GB iPad 2 is being offered to sell at 38 million dong, which is equal to the price of one tael of gold in Vietnam. However, they have sighed with relief when some other websites are offering to sell the same version of product at 20 million dong only.

On March 14, hi-tech players flocked to a shop on Thai Ha street in Hanoi – Cellphone UK, in order to see with their own eyes, the first iPad 2 to ever appear in Vietnam. However, according to Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam, “Cellphone UK just showed the product as a sample and it still has not decided the official sale price.” The representative of Cellphone UK said “the shop would only have products to sell on March 16 at the soonest.”

The prices quoted by Cellphone UK on its website show that the shop’s prices are relatively lower than that offered by other shops. For example, iPad 2 16GB 3G + Wi-Fi (black and white colors) have the sale price of 19.1 million dong, while iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi 16.1 million dong, and iPad 2 32GB 3G 21.5 million dong.

Meanwhile, according to VnExpress, Rau Vang Shop in HCM City has been quoting the sale price of 27 million dong for 64GB 3G Wifi version, and 24.7 million dong for 32GB version. The prices does not include VAT and associated accessories.

One month ago, experts said that the iPad 2 would be available in Vietnam just three or four days after it hit the shelves in the US. However, to date, only several products have appeared in Vietnam as specimens which have been brought to Vietnam across the border (These products are not imported under the official channel by authorized dealers. They are carried to Vietnam across the border by travelers, or they are imported from different sources by private enterprises). Meanwhile, there has been no official statement about the time when the iPad 2 will officially hit the market. It is simply because right in the US, the “homeland” of the iPad 2, the super product remains very hot.

Meanwhile, VinaPhone and Viettel, the two biggest mobile service providers, have not made any statement about whether they will distribute the iPad 2.

On websites, many advertisement pieces on selling the iPad 2 have appeared. The sale prices offered there prove to be lower than the prices offered by high-tech product shops, about 17-22 million dong on average.

On Laptopvip, for example, 16GB 3G Wifi has the sale price of 17.2 million dong, while 32GB 19.3 million dong, and 64GB is the most expensive, priced at 21.5 million dong. However, high-tech fans have doubts about the possibility of purchasing the iPad 2 at such prices, which are not much higher than the original prices at which products are selling in the US.

Vatgia website is also full of advertisement pieces about the sale of the iPad 2. The products are advertised as being brought to Vietnam from the US. However, there is a big gap in the offered prices: the lowest offered price is 22 million dong, while the highest price level is at 32.59 million dong.

Experts believe that the quoted prices are just the price levels for customers to consider and place orders, while these will not be the final prices. The owner of a shop believes that the iPad 2 in Vietnam will have the sale prices which are 1.5 times or two times higher than the original prices. Therefore, the dear price which is equal to the price of one tael of gold, is completely possible.

Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam quoted Mai Nhat Phong, Director of Nhat Phong Company as saying that “Vietnamese people will hunt for the super product, even though the product in Vietnam will be much more expensive than it is in the US. Therefore, different shops set different sale prices after considering the purchasing power.”

According to Phong, sellers are calculating the sale prices of the iPad 2 by considering the original price, plus tax and other expenses.
Source: Vienamnet