The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in January surged 0.98% compared to the preceding month and 3.63% year-on-year, according to data revealed by the General Statistics Office (GSO) on February 6.

The CPI increase was mainly driven by adjusted healthcare fees, and higher transportation costs and food prices as a result of increased demand during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Nine out of the 11 categories of goods and services saw price hikes, with health care up 9.47%, transportation 0.95%, and food and catering services 0.74%.

The cultural, entertainment, and tourism group rose by 0.27% due to increased travel demand and higher service costs.

In contrast, household electricity costs decreased by 0.51%, water prices fell by 0.29%, and gas prices dropped by 1.26%.

Core inflation soared 0.42% against the previous month and 3.07% year-on-year, lower than the overall CPI rise mainly due to the exclusion of food, electricity, and healthcare services in the calculations.