Retail and consumer services rise 11.3% in first nine months

The total value of retail sales and consumer services was estimated at VND3,235 trillion (roughly US$138.2 billion) in the first nine months of 2018, a year-on-year increase of 11.3%, according to the General Statistics Office.

The total value of retail sales and consumer services was estimated at VND3,235 trillion. (Image for illustration)
The total value of retail sales and consumer services was estimated at VND3,235 trillion. (Image for illustration)

If the inflation factor was excluded the growth would be at 8.8%, a little bit higher than the same period last year (8.76%).

The retail sales of goods reached VND2,4 trillion (US$10.2 billion) in the first nine months of this year, occupying 75.2% of the total sales and up 12% over the same period last year.

The accommodation and food services, which accounted for 12.3% of total sales, recorded a value of VND396 trillion (US$16.9 billion) during the period, a year-on-year rise of 8.4%.

The travel services brought in VND30.3 trillion (nearly US$1.3 billion), making up 0.9% of the total value and is up 16.9% over the corresponding period last year.

The sales of other services during the first nine months reached VND375.7 trillion (over US$16.05 billion), a hike of 9.7% in comparison to the same period last year, contributing 11.6% to the total value.

In September alone, the total value of retail sales and consumer services was estimated at VND374.8 trillion (US$16.01 billion), up 1.3% from the previous month and a year-on-year increase of 12.5%.