HANOI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's consumer price index (CPI) in the first quarter went up by 3.77 percent year on year, the General Statistics Office announced on Friday.
The index in March declined by 0.23 percent compared to the previous month but increased 3.97 percent year on year.
In the three-month period, items posting the most significant price hikes include education with a 9.02 percent rise, medicine and healthcare services with a 6.51 percent increase, housing and construction materials with a 5.4 percent increase.
The CPI increase in the first quarter was fueled by factors such as the increasing cost of education, prices hike of rice and electricity.
GSO's Director General Nguyen Thi Huong said that during and after the Lunar New Year holiday, relevant authorities had taken various measures to promote growth, maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation, and ensure major basic balances, ensuring that there was no shortage of commodities. ■