The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Ho Chi Minh City increased by 0.5 percent on a monthly basis in February.

The HCMC’s Statistics Office said on February 28 that compared to the same period last year, the February CPI has grown 5.79 percent. Among 11 categories in the commodity basket, nine saw price increases from January. The biggest increase (0.97 percent) was seen in the group of cultural, entertainment and tourism products. Meanwhile, post and telecom prices were down by 0.16 percent, and education goods stayed stable in the month. In the same period, gold prices in the city gained 1.42 percent, and that of US dollar dropped by 0.54 percent from January. The national CPI in February also went up 0.23 percent month-on-month and 5.02 percent year-on-year./.