Vietnam’s consumer price index in December up 0.21%

Average inflation in 2017 was 3.53%, below the National Assembly’s target of 4%.

In December, medicine and healthcare costs posted the largest increase at 2.55%, while transport costs rose by 0.84%.

Clothes and footwear climbed 0.43% as a result of rising demand in winter, while utility costs and building materials rose 0.22% due to hikes in the price of gas, water and electricity.

On the contrary, food and catering services fell by 0.23% and telecommunications services dropped by a slight 0.03%. Education costs remained unchanged from the previous month.

The gold price index in December declined 0.12% against November but increased by an average of 3.71% compared with 2016. Meanwhile the US dollar also rose by 1.4% from the previous year.