Without taking inflation into account, the retail sales rose 5.8%, the General Statistics Office (GSO) has reported. Consumers splurged on cultural and educational items, household appliances, catering services and travel the most in the run-up to Tet holiday. Retail sales of goods totaled 16.7 billion USD, increasing 7.3% from the same time last year. Meanwhile, revenue from accommodation and catering services rose by 10.2% to 2.4 billion USD. Economists said the Tet shopping season is the golden time for enterprises and retailers to promote domestic consumption stimulus and increase sales right from the outset of the year. They also advised enterprises to outline rational market and business strategies, making them fit the new consumption trend in the domestic and foreign markets./.