Vietnam’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.05 percent in August compared with July, according to Vietnam’s National Statistics Office (NSO).
This was driven by higher housing rents, electricity costs, and eating-out services.
CPI in August was 2.18 percent higher than December 2024 and 3.24 percent above the same month last year.
For the first eight months of 2025, average CPI rose 3.25 percent year-on-year, while core inflation increased 3.19 percent.
Eight groups of goods and services saw price increases.
Housing, electricity, water and construction materials rose 0.21 percent as hot weather drove up power demand and construction costs remained high.
Education services rose 0.21 percent due to new school year tuition adjustments, while garments, hats and footwear increased 0.17 percent.
Beverages and tobacco were up 0.17 percent, household appliances 0.11 percent, other goods and services 0.11 percent, culture and tourism 0.08 percent, and medicine and medical services 0.03 percent.
Three groups recorded price declines.
Post and telecommunications fell 0.04 percent as mobile phones became cheaper.
Food and beverages slipped 0.06 percent, with food down 0.18 percent but eating out up 0.2 percent.
The traffic group dropped 0.11 percent, led by lower diesel and petrol prices.
Core inflation in August rose 0.19 percent month-on-month and 3.25 percent year-on-year, slightly lower than headline CPI due to food, utilities, health, and education costs being excluded from its calculation.
| Group | August vs July (%) | Key drivers (according to NSO) |
|---|---|---|
| Housing, electricity, water & construction materials | +0.21 | Higher rents, power demand, building materials |
| Education | +0.21 | Tuition fee adjustments, school supplies |
| Garments, hats & footwear | +0.17 | Back-to-school shopping |
| Beverages & tobacco | +0.17 | Summer demand, higher production costs |
| Household appliances & equipment | +0.11 | Higher labour and production costs |
| Other goods & services | +0.11 | Gold and jewellery prices, personal services |
| Culture, entertainment & tourism | +0.08 | Hotels and leisure activities |
| Medicine & medical services | +0.03 | Exchange rate impact on drug imports |
| Post & telecommunications | -0.04 | Lower smartphone and tablet prices |
| Food & beverage services | -0.06 | Lower food prices, offset by higher eating out |
| Transport | -0.11 | Lower fuel prices, softer vehicle demand |