Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in the third quarter of this year expanded 3.32% as compared with the corresponding time last year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said at a press conference in Hanoi on September 29.

The figure in the first nine months of this year was up 2.73%, while core inflation rose 1.88%.

In September alone, the index went up 0.4% month-on-month, and 3.94% year-on-year, mainly due to increases in prices of essential goods and services as well as tuition fees in certain localities, according head of the GSO Nguyen Thi Huong.

Among the 11 baskets of consumer goods and services, nine experienced price hikes, while two others saw price drops, comprising transport services (down 2.235) and post and telecom services (down 0.04%).

Huong further explained that the average increase of petrol prices of 41.07% in the nine months has resulted in a 1.48 percentage point rise in the CPI. Moreover, higher demand for catering services after the COVID-19 was brought under control and food price hikes also pushed up the index.

The domestic gold price fell 1.71% in September month-on-month but jumped 4.06% year-on-year. It climbed by 6.22% in the nine-month period.

In September, the price of US dollar was up 0.53% against the previous month, and 3.45% as compared with the same period last year. In the first nine months, the price experienced a growth rate of 0.75.

To deal with the rising inflation pressure, the Government has instructed ministries, agencies and localities to issue many policies and roll out solutions concertedly, helping to ensure production and business stability./.