HCM City (VNA) –Ho Chi Minh City’s consumer price index (🎀CPI) in September increased 0.43 percent from the previous month, and 2.71 percent from the same month last year, the municipal Statistics Office reported on S🤡eptember 24.

A price hike was seen in seven out of 11 major goods and services groups with the highest rise spotted in education at 4.06 percent due increasing demands for learning equipment for the new school year. Other groups saw an upturn in the months were transportation with 0.61 percent; home appliances, 0.18 percent; housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials, 0.18 percent; food and catering services, 0.14 percent; beverage and cigarette, 0.06 percent; and apparel, headwear and footwear, 0.02 percent. Especially, in the restaurant and catering service group, foodstuff rose 1.72 percent, food increased 1.17 percent, and dine-out climbed 0.45 percent. Some commodities also experienced a drop in their prices, including culture, entertainment with 0.3 percent, telecommunication 0.2 percent, other goods and services 0.02 percent, and pharmaceutical and health services 0.01 percent. The price of US dollar in HCM City rose 0.01 percent while the gold price fell 0.57 percent month-on-month. Meanwhile, the country’s CPI in September increased 0.54 percent from the previous month and 3.14 percent from last December, said the General Statistics Office.-VNA