VIETNAM’S CPI UP 3.27% IN JAN-OCT

A shopper selects vegetables at a supermarket - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in the first 10 months of 2025 rose 3.27% year-on-year, while core inflation increased 3.2%, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

In October alone, the CPI inched up 0.2% from the previous month, and 3.25% higher year-on-year. Ten of 11 commodity groups recorded price increases, led by food and catering services, which climbed 0.59% and contributed 0.2% to the overall rise.

Education costs rose 0.51% due to higher tuition fees at some private institutions. Prices of other goods and services were up 0.43%, driven by a 9.82% surge in jewelry prices. Household equipment and appliances increased 0.20%, while clothing and footwear rose 0.18% as year-end demand picked up.

The transportation group was the only one to decline, down 0.81% mainly due to lower domestic fuel prices. Gasoline fell 2.48% and airfare dropped 5.46%.

Gold prices soared 12.53% month-on-month and 65.03% year-on-year in October, following a 9.28% increase in global prices as the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates and investors turned to safe-haven assets. The U.S. dollar index in Vietnam slipped 0.34% from the previous month but rose 5.54% from a year earlier.

Core inflation rose 0.35% in October and averaged 3.2% over the 10-month period, slightly below the overall CPI rise, as food, electricity, healthcare, and education costs continued to climb.

Source: The Saigon Times