Hanoi (VNA) 𒁏- Hanoi’s consumer price index (CPI) in the first four months of 2025 increased by 2.89% compared to the same period last year, according to the municipal Statistics Office.

In April alone, the city’s CPI rose by 0.15% from the previous month and by 3.32% year-on-year. Prices increased in eight out of 11 categories of goods and services in the month. The housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials group saw the highest increase at 1.01%, contributing 0.21 percentage point to the overall CPI. Within this group, rental prices rose by 0.93%, and housing maintenance materials increased by 1.1%. Other groups with rising prices included beverages and tobacco (0.17%); apparel, hats, and footwear (0.1%); food and catering services (0.09%); household equipment and appliances (0.08%); culture, entertainment, and tourism (0.07%) and education (0.01%). Prices declined in three categories, namely transport (1.05%), postal and telecommunications and medicine and healthcare services both down 0.02%. During the January–April period, eight categories saw CPI increases. Notably, medicine and healthcare services surged by 17.92%, contributing 0.91 percentage point to the overall CPI rise. This spike was driven by a resolution issued by the Hanoi People’s Council, which adjusted prices for medical services at public healthcare facilities from December 10, 2024. Meanwhile, three groups saw price declines over the four-month period, namely education (5.15%), transport (3.21%) and post and telecommunications (0.84%). Additionally, the gold price index in April soared by 12.07% compared to the previous month, reflecting increases of 26.67% since the end of 2024 and 46.35% year-on-year. On average, gold prices rose 40.23% in the first four months. The US dollar price index in April also increased by 1.13% month-on-month and 3.59% year-on-year. In response to these trends, economic experts have recommended Hanoi to implement a range of measures to manage inflation in the coming months. They emphasised the need to strengthen price monitoring of essential goods, particularly food, fuel, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare services. They also highlighted the importance of balancing supply and demand, especially during peak periods such as summer, the back-to-school season, and holidays. Hanoi is encouraged to boost domestic production and increase commodity reserves to mitigate the impact of imports and exchange rate fluctuations. Furthermore, experts urged the continued implementation of flexible fiscal and monetary policies, with close coordination among relevant sectors to stabilise prices. These timely and comprehensive measures are expected to help keep inflation under control, support macroeconomic stability, and ensure social welfare./.