Vietnam's CPI rises slightly in August

Hanoi, September 10 (VNA) - The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance announced that the consumer price index (CPI) last month rose 0.05% month-on-month and increased 3.24% year-on-year.

Prices of eight groups of goods and services raised last month, while three groups declined compared to July.

Specifically, the eight groups of goods and services with rising prices included housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials (up 0.21%).

Rental housing increased 0.28% as demand rose in some localities ahead of the new school year, with students returning to major cities for studies.

Household electricity rose 1.01% as hot weather boosted consumption. Home maintenance materials edged up 0.49% due to higher brick, sand and stone prices, driven by supply shortages, rising production and transportation costs and strong construction demand.

The education group rose 0.21%. Within this, educational services went up 0.21% as several private universities, high schools and preschools adjusted tuition fees for the 2025–26 academic year.

Additionally, paper products grew 0.9%. Pens of all types rose 0.71%. Stationery and other school supplies climbed 0.52%.
In contrast, three groups of goods and services recorded price declines. Post and telecommunications fell 0.04%. Food and catering services dropped 0.06%.

Transportation decreased 0.11%, with diesel prices down 2.06% and gasoline prices down 0.2%, reflecting recent domestic fuel price adjustments.

The National Statistics Office reported that core inflation last month rose 0.19% from the previous month and 3.25% year-on-year. Core inflation for the first eight months of the year grew 3.19% year-on-year on average.

This was lower than the 3.25% rise in average overall CPI. The difference was mainly because food, electricity, healthcare and education services, which were key drivers of CPI, are excluded from the core inflation calculation basket. /.