In the first nine months of this year, the total sales value reached VND1.7 trillion (US$81.6 billion), up 17.3% over the same period last year.
The turnover of industrial goods in 2012 was VND1.3 trillion (US$63 billion), accounting for 77% of the total. This is a year-on-year rise of 16.5%.
The revenue from hotels and restaurants rose 19% from last year, making up 12% of this year’s figure.
Sales from other services totaled 10% of the value, representing a high growth rate of 40%.
Vu Manh Ha, an economist from the GSO said that a 2.2% surge of the consumer price index (CPI) this month - the highest this year - was a factor behind the decrease in purchasing power.
Notably, prices of health care services rose by 23% while education and training climbed 17%, Ha said.
He added that purchasing power is expected to increase again in the last months of the year providing there are no financial and monetary fluctuations affecting the CPI.
He said CPI was expected to remain stable in single digits for the whole year.
