HANOI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's manufacturing sector remained in growth territory in September, although growth in output and new orders slowed from August, according to a report from S&P Global Market Intelligence on Thursday.
The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dropped to 51.9 in September from 53.3 in August, signaling a slower improvement in the health of the sector at the end of the third quarter.
Manufacturing production continued to rise markedly, while new business increased at the slowest pace in the current five-month period of growth, the report said.
New export orders fell for the second consecutive month, declining solidly and at the fastest pace since April amid weakness in international demand.
Meanwhile, input costs continued to rise markedly, partly due to higher fuel, oil and transportation costs, while the pace of output price inflation eased for the fifth consecutive month.
Andrew Harker, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the international environment limited the pace of expansion in September, but production continued to rise markedly and firms became more optimistic about the year-ahead outlook. ■