4:20:45 PM | 23/3/2010
Consumer price index of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, two biggest cities in Vietnam, in March is estimated to have risen 0.75% and 0.78%, respectively, from February, the municipal statistics departments said.
Hanoi saw the index rising 3.78% for the first quarter and up 9.58% from a year earlier while Ho Chi Minh City witnessed respective rises of 3.78% and 10.27%.
The rise in CPI is mostly attributed to the increase in electricity, petrol, gas and steel prices as well as taxi fares and transportation fees.
The Hanoi Statistics Office was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that restaurant services topped the list with an increase of 1.23% with foodstuff recording a rise of 1.19% this month.
Medicines and healthcare services, education, textiles, garments and footwear prices also rose by between 0.01% and 0.05%. Food prices declined by 0.35% while prices of telecommunications services stayed unchanged.
The prices of gold and the US dollar were up by 0.59% and 0.49%, respectively, over February in Hanoi, causing the prices of gold and the greenback to rise 14.4% and 10.23% on-year in the first quarter.
In HCM City, the municipal Statistics Office estimated that the price of food declined by 1.2% in March compared to last month while the price of foodstuff increased by 1.6%.
The situation was contrary to the same period last year, the office said.
In March, transportation prices have seen the sharpest increase of 1.48%, followed by housing and construction materials and restaurant services, with increases of 1.26% and 1%, respectively.
Minister of Finance, Vu Van Ninh, said at a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee March 18 that Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in March is likely to rise between 0.5% and 0.6% from Feb.
The minister also forecast that inflation would expand 0.3%-0.4% on-month in Hanoi this month while it would be lower in Ho Chi Minh City. (VNA)
Vietnamese
