Consumers shops at a supermarket (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The consumer price index (CPI) in May increased by 0.54 percent compared to April, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
The figure represents a year-on-year increase of 2.28 percent, the GSO said, adding that the CPI in the first five months of this year surged by 1.59 percent on an annual basis.
Among the 11 groups of products and services, transportation services posted the highest growth in May of 2.39 percent, mainly driven by the price hike of petrol and oil, which was adjusted on April 20 and May 5.
Increases were seen in building materials (0.88 percent); restaurant and catering services (0.36 percent); cultural, entertainment and tourism services (0.34 percent), beverages and tobacco (0.11 percent); and household equipment (0.09 percent).
Deputy head of the GSO’s Price Statistics Department Do Thi Ngoc said the May CPI rise was attributed to the price hike in food due to the drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta and mass fish deaths in the central region.
In May, domestic gold prices fluctuated along with world prices, which stood at 1,298 USD per ounce in the first days of the month and then fell to 1,272 USD per ounce on May 15.
The VND/USD exchange rate has remained stable so far this year thanks to new exchange rate management.-VNA
