HCMC – Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) edged up 0.16% in May from the previous month, driven by higher costs for housing, electricity, and food services, showed data from the General Statistics Office (GSO).
The May CPI increased 1.53% from December 2024 and 3.24% from a year earlier. The average CPI for the first five months of 2025 rose 3.21% year-on-year, while core inflation, which excludes volatile items, was up 3.1%.
Housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials posted the largest increase, rising 0.73% and contributing 0.14 percentage point to the overall CPI. Prices for maintenance materials rose 1.2%, rental housing increased 0.64%, household electricity climbed 0.84%, and running water prices went up 1.0%.
Nguyen Thu Oanh, head of the Price Statistics Department at the GSO, said May’s electricity and water price changes reflect April’s consumption due to billing delays. Kerosene prices fell 3.09% following recent adjustments.
Jewelry prices surged 10.64%, tracking domestic and global gold price movements. Personal care products and services inched up 0.52%.
Culture, entertainment, and tourism prices rose 0.28%, driven by a 1.09% increase in package tours during the holiday and summer season. Postal and telecommunications services gained 0.21%, and household equipment prices picked up 0.19% amid hot weather demand. Food and dining services edged up 0.03%, with dining out costs increasing 0.28%.
Transportation prices declined 0.42% as diesel and gasoline prices fell 2.33% and 1.2%, respectively, following global oil price trends.
Core inflation in May rose 0.33% month-on-month and 3.33% year-on-year, below the overall CPI increase. Price gains in food, electricity, and healthcare were not included in the core inflation measure.
