The CPI grow 2.71 percent year on year between January and April of 2019 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam recorded a year-on-year riseof 2.71 percent in the consumer price index (CPI) between January and April of2019, a three-year low in the period.
The General Statistics Office (GSO) announced onApril 29 that the CPI in April grew 0.31 percent from the previous month, 1percent from December 2018, and 2.93 percent from a year earlier.
Month-on-month increases were recorded in nineof the 11 main groups of consumer goods and services, namely transport (4.29percent); housing fees and construction materials (0.6 percent); householdequipment and utensils (0.11 percent); culture, entertainment and tourism (0.1percent); beverage and cigarette (0.08 percent); garment, headwear and footwear(0.06 percent); education (0.05 percent); medicine and healthcare services(0.01 percent); and other goods and services (0.15 percent).
On contrast, prices of food and food servicesfell 0.57 percent and those of postal and telecom services declined 0.07percent.
Director of the GSO’s Price StatisticsDepartment Do Thi Ngoc said the price hikes on April 2 and 17 pulled petrolprices this month up by 9.88 percent from March.
Prices of train tickets were also raised by 2.76percent due to the surged travel demand during the two national holidays in themiddle and end of April, contributing to the overall growth of 4.29 percent intransport prices.
Additionally, electricity prices increased by1.85 percent from last month under the impact of the Ministry of Industry andTrade’s price hike decision in late March.
Meanwhile, some factors helped to curb the CPIuptrend, Ngoc said, noting that pork prices dropped 3.07 percent as a result ofthe spread of the African swine fever. Sugar prices decreased 0.67 percentbecause of lower prices in the global market and weaker demand amid abundantsupply. Abundant supply also led to lower fruit and vegetable prices.
In April, domestic gold prices fluctuated inline with global prices, falling 0.5 percent month on month to 36.7 million VNDper tael of SJC gold.
The price of the US dollar also declined 0.02percent, the GSO said, adding that the USD/VND exchange rate this month wasrelatively stable, about 23,350 VND per USD on average.
The GSO said the core inflation – which is theCPI excluding food items, energy products, and state-managed healthcare andeducational services – in April increased 0.09 percent against March and 1.88percent year on year.
It rose 1.84 percent in the first four monthscompared to the same period of 2018.-VNA
VNA
