Vietnam inflation up at 3.6%

Vietnam inflation up at 3.6%

HANOI (AFP): Vietnam recorded a year-on-year inflation of 3.6
percent in the month to Aug. 25 against a 3.1 percent annual rise
in July, according to official figures released yesterday.

Monthly inflation in August was only 0.1 percent over July
according to the General Department of Statistics.

Food prices were up 1.1 percent over the same period last
year, however the price of rice, a key part of the Vietnamese
diet, rose just 0.2 percent during the past 12 months.

Prices for construction materials held steady in August with
the year-on-year prices rising 0.8 percent.

Fuels have been the only major commodity to see double digit
inflation over the past 12 months, up 18.6 percent, however costs
in August fell 0.6 percent due to a slight cut in fuel prices
recently. Services rose 9,2 percent over the year.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's main economic hub, has seen prices
rise 3.9 percent from a year earlier, just slightly higher than
the national average.

Prices in Hanoi fell slightly over the previous month,
dropping 0.2 percent from July, and rising just 1.5 percent over
a year ago.