HCMC – The consumer price index (CPI) of HCMC in May declined by 0.33% month-on-month, according to the city’s Department of Statistics.
Three of 11 main commodity groups saw their prices drop last month including food and catering services by 0.41% month-on-month; housing, electricity, water, gas and construction materials; and transportation dropping by 0.97% and 2.3%, respectively.
The costs of education, as well as apparel, headwear and footwear remained unchanged, while the remaining groups saw a month-on-month rise in prices.
In terms of food and catering services, the price of food edged down 0.4% as the demand for rice and instant noodles dropped, while that of foodstuffs inched up 0.72% against the previous month.
The prices of electricity and rent were revised down slightly as a way to ease the burden on residents due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the price of cooking gas increased by 11.6%, while that of kerosene tumbled by 10.6%.
The adjustments in local fuel prices on April 28 and May 13 saw the prices of gasoline and diesel oil in May dip by 5% month-on-month.
Between January and May, the city’s CPI soared by 3.76% year-on-year, VietnamPlus news site reported.
In May, the gold price index increased by 1.19% month-on-month and surged by 33.4% year-on-year, while the U.S. Dollar Index edged down 0.49% month-on-month but added by 0.71% over the first five months of 2020 year-on-year.
