Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in September rose 2.2 percent from the previous month, representing a record monthly rise since June, 2011.

It also marked a 6.48 percent rise year on year.

September’s figure drove the nation’s CPI in the past nine months to 5.13 percent compared with last December and to 9.96 percent year on year, said the General Statistics Office (GSO) on September 24.

This unexpected rise was fuelled by increases in prices of all 11 baskets of commodities used for CPI calculation, ranging from 0.01-23.87 percent.

According to Head of the Price Department Nguyen Duc Thang, price hike in the groups of medicines, healthcare, education and transport services, housing, and construction materials was responsible for 2.1 percent of September’s 2.2 percent CPI.

Among these, the highest price rise was recorded in medicines and healthcare services, up 23.87 percent from August and 43.2 percent year-on-year.

Prices of education services saw a month-on-month surge of 10.54 percent as tuition fees for the new school year, started in September, were adjusted up in 42 cities and provinces nationwide.

The cost of transport services continued its August growth to hit 3.83 percent, contributing 0.34 percent of the reviewed month’s figure.

The housing and construction materials experienced a rise of 2.18 percent, making up 0.22 percent of the country’s CPI due to the increased prices of petroleum and gas.

The post and telecom services group still made the lowest increase.

In the month, CPI in the country’s two economic locomotives, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City , rose sharply by 2.47 percent and 1.21 percent, respectively.

Thang forecast that CPI will likely grow in October as around 20 provinces and cities in the country plan to increase healthcare and tuition services.

It will be hard to maintain this year’s CPI at 7 percent, he said.-VNA