If the inflation factor was excluded the growth would be at 8.8%, a little bit higher than the same period last year (8.76%).
The retail sales of goods reached VND2,4 trillion (US$10.2 billion) in the first nine months of this year, occupying 75.2% of the total sales and up 12% over the same period last year.
The accommodation and food services, which accounted for 12.3% of total sales, recorded a value of VND396 trillion (US$16.9 billion) during the period, a year-on-year rise of 8.4%.
The travel services brought in VND30.3 trillion (nearly US$1.3 billion), making up 0.9% of the total value and is up 16.9% over the corresponding period last year.
The sales of other services during the first nine months reached VND375.7 trillion (over US$16.05 billion), a hike of 9.7% in comparison to the same period last year, contributing 11.6% to the total value.
In September alone, the total value of retail sales and consumer services was estimated at VND374.8 trillion (US$16.01 billion), up 1.3% from the previous month and a year-on-year increase of 12.5%.
