Fueled by higher energy costs, Vietnam’s consumer price index averaged 4.57% above its level a year earlier in the first 10 months of 2026, the National Statistics Office said Tuesday.
The index rose 5.09% in October from a year earlier, exceeding the January-October average. It increased 0.2% from September and stood 4.41% above its December 2025 level. The office identified higher domestic fuel prices, which followed increases in global prices, as the main driver of the monthly rise.
Prices rose from September to October in seven of Vietnam’s 11 broad consumer categories and fell in the other four, the Vietnam News Agency reported, citing the office.
For January through October, food and catering services prices averaged 4.61% above the same period of 2025, adding 1.65 percentage points to average consumer price inflation, according to the agency report. The average increase for housing, electricity, water, fuel and construction materials was 6.66%, contributing another 1.51 percentage points.
Transport prices averaged 6.98% higher over the 10 months. Fuel prices within that category rose 13.09% on the same basis, the report said.
Core inflation averaged 4.24% from January through October. In October alone, the core measure rose 4.04% from a year earlier but slipped 0.05% from September. It excludes fuel, gas, food, fresh produce and health care services.
The year-over-year inflation rate reached its highest point in May, slowed in June and July, then gained pace from August through October, according to the agency report.
