The national Consumer Price Index ( CPI ) in July went up by a modest 0.27 percent against the previous month and 6.81 percent over the same period last year, the General Statistic Office (GSO) announced on July 24.

Ten out of 11 categories of the goods basket experienced price rises from 0.05 percent to 1.34 percent, with the highest seen in transport while the group of medicine and health services registered the lowest price increase.

Prices of restaurants and catering services, which accounted for almost 40 percent in the goods basket, were up by only 0.1 percent and the price of telecommunication services remained stable.

Head of the GSO’s Price Statistics Nguyen Duc Thang said the two times of petrol price adjustment this month resulted in a 0.09 percent increase in the CPI. In addition, the increase in the minimum wage for civil servants pushed up the overall price level.

July also marked the university entrance exams and summer holidays which fuelled demands for food, beverages, travelling and accommodation.

Not included in the CPI , the gold price dropped by 6.38 percent while the USD price saw a slight rise of 0.68 percent.

In the country’s two largest cities, CPI in Hanoi rose 0.22 percent over June and in Ho Chi Minh City, 0.17 percent, which were both a five-month high.-VNA