Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s April consumer price index (CPI) edged up 0.07% over the previous month, mainly due higher house rents and food prices, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).
The April CPI rose by 1.37% over December and 3.12% over the same period last year.
On average, the CPI during the first four months of 2025 hiked 3.2% year-on-year, while core inflation went up 3.05%.
In April, prices rose in eight out of 11 groups of main consumer goods and services, two groups saw price declines, and one remained unchanged, said Nguyen Thu Oanh, head of the NSO's Price Statistics Department.
The food and catering services group had the biggest impact on the CPI as they climbed 0.12% month-on-month, contributing 0.04 percentage point to the overall CPI growth. Within this group, food prices inched up 0.17%, with pork prices rising 0.8% to push the CPI up by 0.03 percentage point.
According to Oanh, disease outbreaks are still recorded in several provinces, and the supply of smuggled pork has been tightened. Many localities have conducted comprehensive inspections and planned to relocate or shut down pig farms that fail to meet regulations. Additionally, increased demand for pork during the Hung Kings Commemoration Day and the April 30–May 1 holidays has also contributed to the rise in prices.
As of April 30, the price of live pigs nationwide ranged from 66,000 to 77,000 VND (2.54–2.96 USD) per kilogramme.
The beverage and tobacco group also saw a notable hike of 0.11% compared to March, driven by higher production costs and consumer demand. Apparel, headwear, and footwear prices increased 0.06% as demand picked up with the arrival of summer.
The group of housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials posted the sharpest rise, 0.62%, contributing 0.12 percentage point to the CPI expansion. Rental prices surged 0.57%, largely due to high real estate prices, which boosted rental demand. Additionally, rising costs for building materials, investment, and operations made landlords raise rents. Prices for housing maintenance materials also climbed 0.62% as a result of higher import costs for sand, stone, steel, bricks, and tiles as well as public investment stimulus policies.
Fluctuated gold prices
Domestic gold prices surged in April in line with global fluctuations, surging 10.54% from the previous month and 37.14% year-on-year. The gold price index soared 32.85% during January–April compared to the same period last year.
In contrast, the price of the US dollar moved against the global trend, mainly due to increased domestic demand. In April, the US dollar price index rose went up 0.97% month-on-month and 3.17% year-on-year, with a four-month average increase of 3.52%.
According to the NSO, major contributors to the four-month CPI hike included food and catering services, which rose by 3.86% year-on-year and contributed 1.3 percentage points to the overall CPI growth. Within this group, pork prices soared 13.46% due to limited supply and high demand during holidays, adding 0.46 percentage point to the CPI.
The housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials group saw a price increase of 5.26%, largely because of higher rental prices and input material costs, contributing 0.99 percentage point.
On the other hand, several factors helped curb the CPI upward trend. Most notably, the transport group declined 3.55%, reducing the CPI by 0.34 percentage point, primarily driven by a 12.43% drop in petrol and oil prices. The post and telecommunications services group also fell by 0.56%, lowering the CPI by 0.02 percentage point./.
