Hanoi (VNA) – The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.47% in August from the previous month, marking a return to growth after two consecutive monthly declines, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance.
The August CPI was 3.57% higher than in December 2025 and 4.89% higher than a year earlier. On average, the index in the first eight months of 2026 increased 4.45% from the same period last year. Transport prices were the main driver of the monthly hike, rising 4.09% month-on-month and pushing up the overall CPI by 0.41 percentage point.
Diesel prices surged 22.15%, while petrol prices increased 9.53%, following domestic fuel price adjustments in line with movements in global fuel markets.
Some vehicle-related services also became more expensive. Vehicle maintenance services rose 0.4%, including bicycle repairs, up 0.74%, and motorbike repairs, up 0.39%. Car washing and tire inflation services climbed 0.33%, while driving course fees moved up 0.37%.
Meanwhile, some passenger transport services became cheaper as travel demand eased after the peak summer holiday period. Rail fares fell 9.86%, airfares 0.81% and bus fares 0.29%. Prices of used cars, new cars and motorbikes declined 0.63%, 0.5% and 0.18%, respectively, as businesses offered promotional programmes to stimulate demand.
Education prices rose 0.47% from July. Education service prices increased 0.57% as some private universities, secondary schools and preschools in several localities raised tuition fees for the 2026-2027 academic year. Prices of paper products rose 0.37%, pens 0.34%, and stationery and other school supplies 0.29% amid increased demand for the new school year.
Gas prices rose 4.19% from the beginning of August in line with global prices, while kerosene prices increased 4.63%. In contrast, household electricity and water prices fell 1.33% and 0.32%, respectively, as household demand declined amid frequent rains, storms and tropical depressions.
Food and catering services were the only group among the 11 major consumer goods and service groups to record a decline, falling 0.03%, thus lowering the overall CPI by about 0.01 percentage point.
However, food prices increased due to seasonal demand. Egg prices rose 2.09% as demand for ingredients used to make mooncakes increased. Fresh and processed fruit prices climbed 0.18%.
The NSO also noted divergent movements between domestic and global gold prices. By August 25, the average global gold price had reached 4,377.25 USD per ounce, up 7.22% month on month, driven mainly by a weaker US dollar, lower US bond yields and stronger investment flows into gold funds. The gold price in Vietnam sat at 4,408.50 USD per ounce, with the international spot price converted to local currency.
Geopolitical tensions involving Iran and the Middle East, together with sanctions and other uncertainties, boosted demand for gold. In Vietnam, however, the gold price index fell 0.65% in August as market trading slowed. Despite the monthly decline, it was still 16.98% higher than a year earlier. On average, domestic gold prices in the first eight months increased 46.98% year-on-year.
As of August 25, the average US dollar index in international markets stood at 99.65 points in August, down 1.17 points from July. The decline was mainly driven by a weaker US dollar in international markets amid changing expectations for US monetary policy and lower US government bond yields.
In Vietnam, the US dollar price index in August fell 0.38% from the previous month, 0.36% from August 2025 and 0.38% from December 2025. However, the index for the first eight months of 2026 remained 1.31% higher than in the same period last year.
A notable point is that core inflation continued to remain below headline CPI. In August, core inflation rose 0.11% from the previous month and 4.55% year on year. For the first eight months, the figure increased 4.24%, below the 4.45% rise in average CPI./.
VNA
