In the January-May period, the retail sales of goods were reported at VND1,518 trillion, a 12.7% year-on-year increase which accounted for 76.5% of the total retail sales of goods and services.
During the five-month period, retail sales of food and foodstuff went up by 13.3%, household appliances and equipment rose by 12.8%, apparels increased by 11.4%, transportation soared by 11.2%, and cultural and education products advanced by 10.6%.
Several localities saw significant increases in retail salesin the first five months including Binh Duong (up 19.7%), Quang Ninh (up 18.8%), Quang Nam (up 17.7%), and Thanh Hoa (up 15.9%).
Meanwhile, sales of accommodation and restaurant services reached VND236 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 9.2% and sales of travel and tourism services were posted at VND18.4 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 12.4%.
The GSO said that the increases of retail sales of goods and services in the first 5 months of this year were attributed to an abundant of goods supply in addition to long holidays associated with increasing demand for entertainment and catering activities.