Total retail sales of consumer goods and services in October was estimated at over VND536 trillion ($21.8 billion), or 1.5-fold higher than in September and up 7 per cent year-on-year, the General Statistics Office of Vietnam has reported.

In the first ten months of the year, total retail sales of consumer goods and services reached over VND5.1 quadrillion ($208 billion), a 9.4 per cent rise against the same period last year.

Revenue from accommodation and catering services increased 5 per cent during the period while tourism and travel services jumped 47.6 per cent.

The total retail sales of goods in the January-October period was estimated at over VND3,988 trillion ($162.3 billion), accounting for 78.1 per cent of the total sales of goods and services and up 8.3 per cent year-on-year.

Localities that posted year-on-year increases in the retail sales of goods included northern Quang Ninh province (12 per cent), southern Binh Duong province (10.2 per cent), south-central Khanh Hoa province (9.9 per cent), southern Dong Nai province (9.8 per cent), the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city (9.4 per cent), northern Hai Phong city (9.3 per cent), central Da Nang city (7 per cent), Ho Chi Minh City (5.9 per cent), and Hanoi (5.4 per cent).

Meanwhile, localities reporting year-on-year increases in accommodation and catering services included Da Nang (36.8 per cent), Can Tho (32.7 per cent), Ho Chi Minh City (30.6 per cent), Hai Phong (13.5 per cent), and Hanoi (10.7 per cent).