Vietnam's CPI growth in Q1 lowest in 3 years

HANOI, march 28 (Xinhua) -- The consumer price index (CPI) in march fell 0.21 percent on-year, helping the average CPI in the first quarter stay at a three-year low of 2.63 percent on-year, according to the country's Steering Committee on Price Management on Thursday.

As such, the CPI in march rose by only 0.69 percent from last December, Vietnam News Agency quoted the committee as reporting.

Meanwhile, the core inflation, which is the CPI excluding food items, energy products, and state-managed commodities such as healthcare and educational services, dropped 0.06 percent in march against last month. It increased 1.84 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period of 2018.

At the committee's meeting on Thursday, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said the target of keeping this year's inflation between 3.3-3.9 percent is within reach.