Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.23% in March from the previous month, driven by surging global fuel prices and higher construction material costs, according to the National Statistics Office.
The March CPI increased 2.44% compared to December 2025 and jumped 4.65% year-on-year, marking the highest March reading in five years.
Prices rose in nine of 11 major categories, with transport leading the increase. The sector surged 12.85%, contributing 1.28 percentage points to overall inflation, as petrol prices exploded 29.72%, diesel jumped 57.03% amid the Middle East conflict-triggered supply disruptions. Air fares also rose sharply 23.19% while rail transport jumped nearly 14%. Higher input and import costs pushed spare parts prices up 0.65%.
Housing, utilities, fuel and construction materials rose 0.77%, adding 0.17 percentage points to CPI. Kerosene prices jumped more than 62.3%, while gas increased 5.56%. Repair and construction services also edged up, although electricity and water costs eased slightly due to lower consumption.
For the first quarter as a whole, the CPI increased 3.51%.
Core inflation, which excludes fresh food, energy and state-managed services such as healthcare and education, increased 0.47% month-on-month and 3.96% year-on-year in March. It rose 3.63% in the first quarter, slightly above headline inflation, as declining food prices helped moderate overall pressures.
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