Vietnam’s living cost inches up 0.19 percent in June

The hiking inflation rate came after the increase in the price of materials price, electricity and water prices according to growing demand.

The average CPI in the first 6 months of 2021 increased by 1.47% compared to the same period in 2020. This is the lowest increase since 2016.

Core inflation in June increased by 0.07% over the previous month and by 1.14% over the same period last year. Average core inflation in the first 6 months of 2021 increased by 0.87% over the same period in 2020.

The average fuel price in H1 surged 17.01 percent year-on-year, pushing the CPI up 0.61 percentage point, while rice prices grew 6.97 percent, contributing to a rise of 0.18 percentage point in the CPI, she said.

Prices of construction materials, such as cement, iron, steel, and sand, jumped 5.03 percent, adding 0.1 percentage point to the CPI.

In contrast, H1 prices of food declined 0.39 percent from the same period last year, contributing to a 0.08-percentage-point slide of the six-month CPI. It is because of drops in prices of staples, for example, pork (down 4.15 percent), and chicken (down 2.04 percent).

A decrease of 3.06 percent in electricity price in H1 also made the CPI to edge down 0.1 percentage point.

The COVID-19 resurgence has been curbing travel during the first six months of the year, causing rail tickets and airfares to fall 3.41 percent and 17.05 percent, respectively.

The average gold price spurred 18.06 percent year-on-year between January and June.

► Vietnam’s economy grows 5.46% in the first 6 months of 2021

Source: GSO, VietnamPlus