Vietnam’s annual inflation edged up in October, even as the pace of price increases from one month to the next slowed. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 5.09% higher than a year earlier—the highest reading since May—while its monthly increase eased to 0.20%.
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The distinction matters: the annual figure compares prices with October 2025, while the monthly figure compares them with September 2026. A slower monthly rise does not mean prices have fallen. By October, the CPI was still 4.41% above its December 2025 level.
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Annual inflation nudges higher as monthly growth cools
October’s annual rate was a slight increase from 5.08% in September. By contrast, monthly CPI growth slowed from 0.62% in September to 0.20% in October. The National Statistics Office said higher domestic fuel prices, in line with increases in global fuel prices, were the main reason for October’s rise from the previous month.
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Across the first 10 months of 2026, average CPI inflation was 4.57%, while average core inflation was 4.24%. The 4.57% figure is slightly above the government’s roughly 4.5% target cited in SSI Asset Management’s October market report.
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Prices rose from September in seven of the 11 main groups of consumer goods and services; four groups recorded declines.
32 On a year-on-year basis, transport prices were up 15.57% and housing and utilities 6.50% in October. These are annual comparisons, not increases within October alone.
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November energy cuts may ease pressure, but the outlook remains open
From November 1, average retail electricity prices were cut by 2% and the special consumption tax on petrol was reduced to zero. The measures were intended to ease costs for households and businesses and help limit price pressures.
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Following the tax change, retail petrol prices fell by more than VND 1,800 per litre, according to Vietnam Pictorial; the reduction varied by petrol grade.
9 Cheaper energy can lower household bills directly and reduce business operating costs, but the available figures do not establish the eventual effect on full-year CPI.
The key point is that average inflation for the first 10 months already stood at 4.57%, above the roughly 4.5% target cited in the market report. One month of slower monthly CPI growth—and energy measures introduced in November—does not by itself show that inflation for the full year will stay within target. For now, the cuts are best understood as a source of relief, not a guarantee.
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