- Agriculture, forestry and fishery
a) Agriculture
Agricultural production in the month focused on paddy farming, tending summer-autumn and harvesting early summer-autumn paddy. As of July 15, the country cultivated 1,000.5 thousand hectares of winter paddy, an equal to 94.7% compared with the same period last year, of which localities in the North cultivated 838 thousand hectares, equaled to 93.4%; Southern provinces cultivated 162.5 thousand hectares, equaled to 102.1%. The progress of cultivated winter paddy in Northern provinces this year was slower than the same period last year mainly due to the impact of the long-term winter-spring paddy production crop calendar. Currently, northern localities were urgently completed the cultivation. In the month, heavy rain occurred on a large scale, caused flood in many paddy areas, localities needed to keep track closely to the weather changes, strengthen the inspection and prevention of pests and diseases, and guided people to tend paddy with right techniques for high yield.
As of middle of July, the country cultivated 2,050.1 thousand hectares of summer-autumn paddy, equaled to 99.7% compared with the same period last year, of which Northern provinces reached 174.4 thousand hectares, equaled to 100.6%; in southern provinces, 1,875.7 thousand hectares, equaled to 99.6%, particularly Mekong River Delta reached 1,602.5 thousand hectares, equaled to 99.6%. At present, early summer-autumn paddy was harvested with an area of 462.4 thousand hectares, equaled to 79.6% compared with the same period last year, of which Mekong River Delta reached 450.6 thousand hectares, equaled to 79.3 %. Harvested area of early summer-autumn paddy this year decreased compared with the same period in 2017 due to heavy rain on large-scale that affected to the harvested progress.
At the same time, the Mekong River Delta cultivated 251.1 thousand hectares of autumn-winter paddy, an equal to 72.2% compared with the same period last year. Due to the slow drain flood, and to avoid disease for trees and complied with the crop calendar of the agricultural sector, this autumn and winter paddy was sown slower than that the same period. Currently, autumn-winter paddy in the Mekong River Delta was growing and developing well.
As of mid-July, localities in the country cultivated 833.7 thousand hectares maize, an equal to 97% compared with the same period last year; 93.2 thousand hectares of sweet potatoes, an equal to 92.3%; 155.6 thousand hectares of groundnut, an equal to 90.2%; 33.6 thousand hectares of soybean, an equal to 61.2%; 833 thousand hectares of vegetables and beans, an equal to 98%.
Buffaloes, cattle and poultry husbandary generally witnessed stability, disease was controlled. Pig farming in the first months of the year faced difficulties in consumption, but since April the price of pig living weight rose again and currently which was at VND 46,000/kg – VND 50,000/kg, at this price the producer made profit. As of July, the buffalo population in the country decreased by 1.2%; cattle increased by 2.3%; poultry populaton increased by 5.4%; pigs decreased by 2.8%. As of July 25, 2018, there was no longer diseases on cattle and poultry.
b) Forestry
In July, concentrated forest area was estimated at 14.2 thousand hectares, decreased by 4.7% compared with the same period last year; number of scattered planted trees reached 6.2 million, fell 0.3%; production of exploited wood reached 1,042 thousand m3, grew up 5.4%; production of exploited firewood reached 1.7 million ste, fell 0.6%. Some localities gained high volume of exploited wood in the month compared with the same period last year: Nghe An increased by 24.9%; Quang Ngai increased by 16%; Quang Tri increased by 14.6%; Phu Tho increased by 11%; Bac Giang increased by 8.7%. Generally, in 7 months, concentrated forest area was estimated at 115.8 thousand ha, grew up 1.5% compared with the same period last year; number of scattered trees reached 42.8 million, an increase of 0.1%; wood cut production reached 6,486 thousand m3, grew up 8.5%; production of exploited firewood reached 14.8 million ste, fell 1.6%.
In 7 months 2018, area of damaged forest was 720.3 hectares, fell 25.6% compared with the same period last year, of which area of forest fire was 279.3 hectares, fell 27.9%; area of deforested forest was 414 ha, fell 24.1%.
c) Fishery
In July, production of fishery in the country was estimated at 713.1 thousand tons, grew up 6% compared with the same period last year, included fish reached 500.5 thousand tons, grew up 5.9%; shrimp reached 104.2 thousand tons, grew up 10.6%; other fisheries reached 108.4 thousand tons, grew up 2.5%.
Aquaculture production in the month was estimated at 376.7 thousand tons, rose by 7% compared with the same period last year, of which fish reached 243 thousand tons, rose by 6.2%; shrimp reached 89.6 thousand tons, rose by 12%. Pangasius farming continued to witness well. Pangasius production in July was estimated at 115 thousand tons, increased by 9.2% compared with the same period last year, of which Dong Thap reached 40.4 thousand tons, increased by 5%; An Giang 35.1 thousand tons, increased by 54%; Can Tho 14.7 thousand tons, rose by 1%. Brackish shrimp farming was quite good, white shrimp prices tended to increase again. Production of tiger shrimp reached 31.9 thousand tons, grew up 6% compared with the same period last year; White leg shrimp reached 53 thousand tons, grew up 16%.
Fishery catched in July 2018 were estimated at 336.4 thousand tons, grew up 5% compared with the same period last year, of which fish reached 257.5 thousand tons, grew up 5.6%; shrimp reached 14.6 thousand tons, grew up 2.8%. The weather in early July was relatively favorable for marine catching, but in middle of July, the tropical depression in the East Sea affected the catching production. Marine catching in July was estimated at 317 thousand tons, grew up 5.2%.
Generally in 7 months 2018, production of fishery was estimated at 4,274.2 thousand tons, grew up 5.7% compared with the same period last year, of which production of aquaculture reached 2,170.2 thousand tons, grew up 6, 5%; production of fishery catching reached 2,104 thousand tons, an increase of 5% (production of marine catching reached 2,001.7 thousand tons, an increase of 5.2%).
- Industrial production
Industrial production in the month achieved a positive growth. The overall index of industrial production in July was estimated to increase by 14.3% over the same period last year, of which the mining and quarrying activities increased by 2.8%; the manufacturing activities rose 16.6%; the production and distribution of electricity went up 12.2%; the water supply, waste and sewerage remediation activities increased by 7.6%.
In general for 7 months of 2018, the overall index of industrial production increased by 10.9% over the same period last year, higher than an increase of 7.1% in the same period in 2017[1]. In particular, the manufacturing activities maintained a high growth rate of 13.1%, contributing 9.9 percentage points to the overall growth; the production and distribution of electricity increased by 10.7%, contributing 1 percentage point; the water supply, waste and sewerage remediation activities expanded 6.6%, contributing 0.1 percentage points; the mining and quarrying activities decreased by 0.5%, causing a decrease of 0.1 percentage point of the overall growth.
In the 2-digit industrial activities, some the index of industrial production in some activities in 7 months remarkably increased over the same period last year: the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products increased by 64.1%[2]; the mining and quarrying supporting services increased by 25.2%; the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products spread 20.1%; the manufacture of metal increased by 19.2%; the manufacture of fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) increased by 17.2%; the manufacture of electronic, computer and optical products rose 16.4%. Some industrial activities experienced a moderate increase or decrease, specifically: the manufacture of rubber and plastic products increased by 4.9%; the repair, maintenance and installation machinery and equipment went up 4.5%; the manufacture of tobacco expanded 4%; the manufacture of wood and of products of wooden, bamboo and rattan gained 2.8%; the extraction of crude oil and natural gas decreased by 4.3% (extraction of crude oil decreased by 11.3%; extraction of natural gas increased by 3.2%); other mining and quarrying (stone, sand, gravel, etc.) dropped 2.4%.
Some main industrial products in 7 months of this year reached a sharp increase year-on-year, as follows: iron and crude steel surged 41.1%; passenger cars increased by 32.9%; liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) increased by 32.7%; fabric from polyester and artificial yarn went up 19.1%; refined sugar increased by 18.9%; aquatic feed increased by 18.5%; TV increased by 14%. Some industrial products moderately rose or dropped: domestic animal feed increased by 1.8%; sodium glutamate increased by 1%; terracotta bricks decreased by 0.3%; fresh milk decreased by 0.5%; mobile phones fell 0.9%; shampoo, conditioner went down 2%; shower gel, facial cleanser dropped 2.8%; urea fertilizer decreased by 3.5%; extracted crude oil fell 1.3%.
The index of industrial production in 7 months of 2018 in 63 provinces and cities directly under the Central Government increased compared to the same period last year, of which Ha Tinh possessed the highest rise of 149.3%, mainly due to the contribution of Fomosa Corporation; followed by Thanh Hoa with an increase of 28% due to Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Co., Ltd. has started operation; Tra Vinh has the lowest growth rate, with 1% because Duyen Hai Thermal Power Company (under Viet Nam Electricity) reduced electricity production in June and July due to full capacity of hydropower. The index of industrial production index in 7 months of 2018 compared with the same period last year in some provinces with large industry size was as follows: Hai Phong increased by 24.2%; Bac Ninh increased by 19.5%; Vinh Phuc increased by 12.4%; Thai Nguyen increased by 12.1%; Hai Duong increased by 10.2%; Quang Ninh increased by 10.1%; Binh Duong increased 9.1%; Dong Nai increased by 8.4%; Can Tho increased by 8%; Da Nang increased by 7.9%; Ha Noi increased by 7.6%; Quang Nam increased by 7.5%; Ho Chi Minh City increased by 7.3%; Ba Ria – Vung Tau increased by 3.2%.
The number of employees working in industrial enterprises as of 1st July, 2018 increased by 3% compared to the same period last year, of which the number of employees in State owned enterprises increased by 0.3%; non State enterprises increased by 3.6%; FDI enterprises increased by 3.1%. At this time point, the number of employees working in the mining and quarrying activities increased by 2% compared to the same period last year; in the manufacturing activities increased by 3.1%; in the production and distribution of electricity activities decreased by 0.2%; in the water supply, waste and sewerage remediation activities increased by 1.3%.
The number of employees in enterprises as of 1st July, 2018 compared with the same period last year in some large-sized industrial provinces was as follows: Can Tho increased by 23.5%; Hai Phong increased by 8.9%; Quang Ninh increased by 6.6%; Ha Noi increased 5.4%; Dong Nai increased by 4.6%; Binh Duong increased by 3.6%; Ba Ria – Vung Tau increased by 3.1%; Hai Duong increased by 2.9%; Quang Nam increased by 2.7%; Vinh Phuc increased by 1.1%; Ho Chi Minh City increased by 0.3%; Thai Nguyen decreased by 0.3%; Bac Ninh decreased by 3.2%; Da Nang reduced 6.8%[3].
- Enterprises registration status[4]
In July, there were 11,262 newly established enterprises in the whole country with a registered capital of 122.1 trillion VND, down 7.8% in the number of enterprises and 7.6% in the registered capital compared with the previous month[5]; the average registered capital of an enterprise reached 10.8 billion VND, an increase of 0.2%; the total registered employees of the newly established enterprises were 115 thousand employees, a rise of 19.9%. In the month, there were 2,970 re-operated enterprises, increased by 9% over the previous month; there were 7,972 temporarily ceased enterprises (including: 2,442 enterprises registered to cease for a certain period of time and 5,530 enterprises temporarily ceased without registration or awaited dissolution), reduced 9%; 1,085 enterprises completed dissolution procedures, declining by 1%.
Generally for 7 months, there were 75,793 newly registered enterprises in the whole country with a total registered capital of 771.1 trillion VND, an increase of 3.9% in number of enterprises and 11.6% in registered capital with the same period in 2017[6]; the average registered capital of a newly established enterprise reached 10.2 billion VND, up 7.4%. If including 1,460.4 trillion VND of additional registered capital of enterprises that recorded upward adjustment of capital, in 7 months of 2018 the total additional registered capital in the economy was 2,231.5 trillion VND. Besides, there were 18,696 enterprises re-operated operation, rising by 6.5% compared to the same period last year, bringing the total number of newly registered enterprises and re-operated enterprises in 7 months of this year to nearly 94.5 thousand enterprises. In 7 months of 2018, the total number of registered employees of newly established enterprises was 623.5 thousand employees, down 13.5% compared to the same period last year.
By economic activities, in 7 months of this year, there were 25.7 thousand newly established enterprises in the wholesale and retail, repair of automobiles and motorbikes (accounting for 33.9% of the total number of newly established enterprises), decreased by 0.8% compared to the same period last year; 10.1 thousand construction enterprises (accounting for 13.3%), up 5.2%; 9.4 thousand manufacturing enterprises (accounting for 12.4%), reduced 0.9%; 5.7 thousand enterprises in the science, technology, consultion service, designing, advertisement and others (accounting for 7.6%), rose by 3.9%; 4.4 thousand enterprises in the employment services, travel, renting and leasing machinery, equipment and other supporting services (accounting for 5.8%), a rise of 15.4%; 3.9 thousand enterprises in accommodation and catering services (accounting for 5.2%), went up 12.7%; 3.9 thousand real estate enterprises (accounting for 5.1%), grow 43.9%; 3.3 thousand transport and storage enterprises (accounting for 4.4%), a fall of 6.3% …
In the first 7 months of this year, the number of newly established enterprises in some regions of the whole country grew in comparison to the same period last year: The Red River Delta had 22.6 thousand enterprises, rose up 1.2% (the registered capital reached 225.1 trillion VND, making up 34.7%); Northern Midlands and Mountains areas were 3.2 thousand enterprises, went up 2.8% (registered capital of 28.7 trillion VND, down 13.4%); North Central and Central Coast areas were 10.7 thousand enterprises, up 7.4% (registered capital of 98.3 trillion VND, a rise of 11.6%); Central Highlands had 1.8 thousand enterprises, declining by 1.2% (registered capital of 12 trillion VND, downturn 18.1%); Southeast was 32.1 thousand enterprises, an increase of 5% (registered capital of 356.6 trillion VND, increased by 2.1%); Mekong River Delta was 5.4 thousand enterprises, a growth of 4.4% (registered capital of 50.4 trillion VND, up 31.1%).
The number of temprorarily ceased enterprises in 7 months of 2018 was 59,910 enterprises, up 38.4% compared to the same period last year, including 19,994 enterprises registered to ceased for a certain period of time, rose by 26% and 39,916 enterprises temprorarily ceased without registration or awaited dissolution, going up by 45.6%[7]. By economic activities, the number of enterprises registered to cease for a certain period of time increased in the most economic activities compared to the same period last year, particularly: the wholesale and retail, repair of automobile and motorbike had 7.8 thousand enterprises (accounting for 39.2%), rose by 24.9%; 3 thousand construction enterprises (accounting for 15.1%), an increase of 26.5%; 2.5 thousand manufacturing enterprises (accounting for 12.5%), went up 21%; 1.1 thousand enterprises in the accommodation and catering services (accounting for 5.4%), up 32.4% … For enterprises temporarily ceased without registration or awaited dissolution, the wholesale and retail, repair of automobiles and motorbikes had 14 thousand enterprises (accounting for 35.1%), a rise of 21.5% over the same period last year; 6.1 thousand construction enterprises (accounting for 15.2%), an upturn of 63.3%; 5.1 thousand manufacturing enterprises (accounting for 12.8%), rising by 65.2%; 2.4 thousand enterprises in the employment services, travel, renting and leasing machinery, equipment and other supporting services (accounting for 6.1%), jumped up 81.3%; 2.2 thousand enterprises of accommodation and catering services (accounting for 5.5%), climbed up 70.3%
In 7 months of 2018, the number of enterprises completed dissolution procedures was 7,714 enterprises, increasing by 16.7% compared to the same period last year, of which 7,043 enterprises with capital size of less than 10 billion VND, accounting for 91.3% and going up by 15.4%. Enterprises completed dissolution procedures mainly concentrated in the economic activities: Wholesale and retail, repair of automobile and motorbike with 3 thousand enterprises, a growth of 19.8% over the same period last year; the manufacturing had 1.1 thousand enterprises, up 26.2%; the construction had 792 enterprises, made up 6.9%.
- Investment
In July, the realized investment of the State budget was estimated at 29.2 trillion VND, including: The central capital was 5.4 trillion VND; local capital was 23.8 trillion VND. Generally for 7 months of this year, the realized investment of the State budget reached 153.7 trillion VND, equaling 44.5% of the yearly plan and up 10.6% over the same period last year (the rates in the same period in 2017 were 45.2% and 6.4%, respectively), including:
– The capital under central management reached 28.2 trillion VND, equaling 42.8% of the yearly plan and decreased by 8.1% over the same period last year, of which, the realized investment under the Ministry of Transportation reached 9.685 billion VND, equaling 52.6% and down 42.9%; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: 3,024 billion VND, equaling 37.5% and increasing by 17.9%; Ministry of Health: 1,092 billion VND, equaling 33% and decreasing by 45.1%; Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment: 581 billion VND, equaling 39.2% and increasing by 53.6%; Ministry of Education and Training: 471 billion VND, equaling 34.7% and up 29.8%; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: 290 billion VND, equaling 38.7% and increasing 8.2%; Ministry of Construction: 123 billion VND, equaling 45.1% and decreasing by 55.2%; Ministry of Industry and Trade: 99 billion VND, equaling 44.8% and reducing 18%; Ministry of Science and Technology: 94 billion VND, equaling 38.9% and going up 59.3%; Ministry of Information and Communications: 54 billion VND, equaling to 40.3% and increasing by 17.3%.
– Local capital under local management reached 125.5 trillion VND, equaling 44.9% of the yearly plan and increasing by 15.9% compared to the same period of 2017, of which: State budget capital at provincial level reached 87.4 trillion VND, equaling 42.1% and increasing by 16.4%; State budget capital at district level reached 31.9 trillion VND, equaling 51.2% and increasing by 15%; State budget capital at commune level reached 6.2 trillion VND, equaling 63.9% and rising by 12.3%. The realized investment from the state budget of some provinces and cities directly under the Central Government in 7 months in 2018 was as follows: Hanoi reached 18 trillion VND, equaling 47.2% of the yearly plan and going up 5% compared to the same period last year; Ho Chi Minh City: 10.5 trillion VND, equaling 25.4% and rising by 9.6%; Quang Ninh: 4,857 billion VND, equaling 50.1% and increasing by 50.7%; Hai Phong: 3,997 billion VND, equaling 43.9% and increasing by 68.9%; Thanh Hoa: 3,481 billion VND, equaling 55.3% and up 31.8%; Binh Duong: 3,362 billion VND, equaling 42.2% and increasing by 8.2%; Nghe An: 3,151 billion VND, equaling 53.8% and up 3.8%; Ba Ria – Vung Tau: 3,151 billion VND, equaling 48.4% and up 27.3%.
The realized investment of the State budget in July was higher than the previous month and the same period last year, but in general, disbursement and implementation of investment from the State budget in the first 7 months of this year were still slow. Line Ministries and provinces should continue to focus on performing solutions to overcome difficulties, speeding up the disbursement progress, ensuring the plan.
Foreign direct investment from the beginning of the year to 20th July, 2018 attracted 1,656 newly licensed projects with a registered capital of 13,205.4 million USD, an increase of 20.2% in number of projects and an increase of 2.2% of registered capital compared to the same period in 2017. Besides, 627 projects which were licensed in the previous years registered to adjust investment capital with an additional capital of 4,947.2 million USD, a reduction of 15.8% compared to the same period last year. Thus, the total newly registered and additional registered capital in 7 months was 18,152.6 million USD, a fall of 3.5% compared to the same period in 2017. The realized foreign direct investment in the first 7 months was estimated to reach 9.85 billion USD, up 8.8% compared to the same period in 2017. In 7 months, there were 3,311 turns of capital contribution and share purchase of foreign investors with the total value of 4.79 billion USD, an increase of 53.3% over the same period in 2017, of which: 475 turns of capital contribution and shares purchase increased the charter capital of the enterprise with the capital contribution of 1.64 billion USD and 2,836 turns of foreign investors repurchased domestic shares without increasing the charter capital with the value of 3.15 billion USD.
In 7 months, the manufacturing activity attracted the most foreign direct investment with capital of newly licensed projects reaching only 5,205.2 million USD, accounted for 39.4% of the total newly registered capital; real estate activities reached 5,003.1 million USD, accounted for 37.9%; the other sectors reached reached 2,997.1 million USD, accounted for 22.7%. If including additional registered capital of licensed projects from previous years, foreign direct investment in manufacturing acitivity in the frist 7 months of this year reached 8,428.1 million USD, accounted for 46.4% of the total registered capital; real estate activities reached 5,205.2 million USD, accounted for 28.7%; the other sectors reached 4,519.3 million USD, accounted for 24.9%. For capital contribution, buying shares of foreign investors, capital invested in manufacturing activity reached 1,196.9 million USD, accounted for 25% of the total capital contribution; the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles reached 1,062.1 million USD, accounted for 22.2%; the other sectors reached 2,533.2 million USD, accounted for 52.8%.
In the whole country, there were 51 provinces and centrally-run directly under the Central Government having newly foreign direct investment projects licensed in the first 7 months of the year, in which Ha Noi had the largest registered capital with 5,670 million USD, accounted for 42.9% of total newly registered capital; followed by Ba Ria – Vung Tau with 1,769.3 million USD, accounted for 13.1%; Binh Duong with 566 million USD, accounted for 4.3%; Ho Chi Minh City: 528.1 million USD, accounted for 4%; Dong Nai with 499.6 million USD, accounted for 3.8%; Ninh Thuan 385.1 million USD, presented for 2.9%; Bac Lieu 365.8 million USD, accounted for 2.8%; Kien Giang is 353.5 million USD, accounted for 2.7%; Hai Phong 346.2 million USD, made up 2.6%.
Among 63 countries and territories with newly licensed investment projects in Vietnam in the first 7 months of this year, Japan ranked the top with 5.815.5 million USD, accounted for 44% of total newly registered capital; followed by South Korea with 3,326.1 million USD, accounted for 25.2%; Thailand 664.4 million USD, accounted for 5%; Singapore 611.3 million USD, accounted for 4.6%; France 485.7 million USD, accounted for 3.7%; Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) with 466.5 million USD, accounted for 3.5%; China 461.1 million USD, accounted for 3.5%.
Vietnam’s outward foreign direct investment in 7 months of this year, haf 81 projects granted investment certificates with a total capital of 238.3 million USD; 21 projects adjusted capital with an supplementary capital of 41.3 million USD. In general, the total outward foreign direct investment of Vietnam (newly licensed and supplementary capital) in 7 months of 2018 reached 279.6 million USD, of which financial and banking activities reached 105.8 million USD, accounted for 37.8% of total investmen; agriculture, forestry and fishery recorded at 63.8 million USD, presented for 22.8%; manufacturing activity reached 45.5 million USD, made up 16.3%. In 7 months, Vietnam’s outward invested in 32 countries and territories, of which Laos People’s Democratic Republic was the leading country with 84 million USD, accounted for 30% of total investment; Italy 37.1 million USD, accounted for 13.3%; Slovakia 35.9 million USD, accounted for 12.9%.
- State budget revenue and expenditure
The total state budget revenue from the beginning of the year to July 15, 2018 was estimated at 681.6 trillion VND, equal to 51.7% of the yearly estimate, of which domestic revenues reached 540.1 trillion VND, equal to 49.1%; revenue from crude oil reached 31.7 trillion VND, equaling 88.2%; budget balancing revenue from import and export activities reached 107.8 trillion VND, equaling 60.2%. In domestic revenues, state-owned enterprises reached 74 trillion VND, equaling 44.5% of the yearly estimate; FDI enterprises (excluding crude oil) achieved 87.7 trillion VND, equaling 39.4%; non-state taxes was 107.1 trillion VND, equaling 49.1%; personal income tax revenue was 53.2 trillion VND, equaling 54.9%; environmental protection tax was 22.9 trillion VND, equaling 46.9%; revenues from land use recorded 67.5 trillion VND, equaling 78.5%.
The total state budget expenditure from the beginning of the year to July 15, 2018 was estimated at 717.5 trillion VND, equaling 47.1% of the yearly estimate, of which recurrent expenditure reached 494.2 trillion VND, equal to 52.5%; development investment expenditure reached 150 trillion VND, equaling 37.5%; interest repayment was 67.2 trillion VND, equaling 59.7%.
- Trade, prices, transportation and tourism
a) Gross retail sales of goods and services
Trade and service activities in the first 7 months of this year continued the upward trend, consumer purchasing power increased significantly. Gross retail sales of consumer goods and services in July were estimated at 371.5 trillion VND, up 1.6% over the previous month and 13.3% over the same period last year, of which: Retail sales of goods reached 277.1 trillion VND, up 1.6% and up 14%, respectively; revenue from accommodation and catering services reached 45.9 trillion VND, up 2.1% and up 6.4%; revenue of traveling services reached 3.5 trillion VND, up 2.3% and up 9.2%; turnover of other services was 45 trillion VND, an increase of 1% and a rise of 17.4%. Generally for 7 months, gross retail sales of goods and services were estimated at 2,493.4 trillion VND, up 11.1% over the same period last year, if excluding price factor, increased by 8.4% (same period in 2017 rose by 7.98%).
By economic activities, gross retail sales of goods in 7 months were estimated at 1.875 trillion VND, accounting for 75.2% of the total and increasing by 11.7% over the same period last year. Particularly, the food and foodstuffs increased by 12.6%; garments climbed by 12.4%; household appliances, tools and equipment jumped up by 12.3%; cultural and educational items by 10.3%; vehicles increased by 10.4%. Some localities gained a good growth: Thai Nguyen by 13.3%; Ho Chi Minh City by 12.8%; Thanh Hoa by 12.8%; Lam Dong by 12.7%; Binh Dinh by 12.4%; Bac Giang by 12.3%; Ha Noi by 12.2%; and Nam Dinh by 12.2%.
The revenue of accommodation and catering services in 7 months was estimated at 306.7 trillion VND, accounting for 12.3% of the total and increasing by 9.1% over the same period last year, of which Lam Dong increased by 13.3%; Binh Dinh climbed by 13.3%; Phu Yen jumped by 12.9%; Quang Binh rose by 11%; Lao Cai went up by 10.8%; Ho Chi Minh City increased by 9.5%; and Ha Noi accelerated by 6.4%.
The revenue of traveling services in 7 months was estimated at 23.1 trillion VND, accounting for 0.9% of the total and increasing by 17.7% over the same period last year. Some localities saw a good increase: Ba Ria – Vung Tau up by 27.1%; Ho Chi Minh City by 21.9%; Quang Nam by 16.3%; Quang Ninh by 15.9%; and Hanoi expanded by 12.6%.
The turnover of other services in 7 months was estimated at 288.6 trillion VND, accounting for 11.6% of the total and increasing by 9% over the same period in 2017, in which revenue of Binh Thuan increased by 13.3%; Khanh Hoa expanded by 12.3%; Ho Chi Minh City went up by 10.2%; Da Nang rose by 10%; and Ha Noi climbed up 5.8%.
b) Import and export of goods
Export turnover of goods in June 2018 reached 19,845 million USD, 245 million USD higher than the estimated figure, of which: textiles and garments were 245 million USD higher; phones and their parts were 120 million USD higher; machinery, instrument and accessory were 58 million USD higher; iron and steel were 45 million USD higher; petroleum was 27 million USD higher; fishery products were 14 million USD higher; electronic goods, computers and their parts were 13 million USD lower; vegetables and cashew nuts were 24 million USD lower; means of transport and spare parts were 37 million USD lower; rice was 59 million USD lower; footwear was 95 million USD lower than estimated.
Export turnover in July 2018 was estimated at 19.50 billion USD, going down by 1.7% over the previous month, of which: the domestic economic sector reached 5.85 billion USD, going down by 2.9%; FDI sector (including crude oil) reached 13.65 billion USD, falling by 1.2%. Some exported products in July had reduced turnover: electronic goods, computer and their parts decreased by 7.5%; iron and steel went down by 8.7%; chemicals decreased by 9.2%; petroleum dropped 14.4%; rice decreased by 18.1%; machinery, instrument and accessory decreased by 19%. Some exported goods had increased turnover: Coal increased by 59.4%; crude oil increased by 40.9%; textiles and garments rose by 5.6%; phones and their parts increased by 5.4%. Compared to the same period last year, export turnover in July increased by 10.2%, of which: the domestic economic sector increased by 10%; FDI sector (including crude oil) increased by 10.3%. Some products had increased export turnover over the same period last year: Textiles and garments increased by 18.3%; phones and their parts rose by 14%; electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 10.2%.
Generally for 7 months in 2018, export turnover was estimated at 133.69 billion USD, going up by 15.3% compared to the same period in 2017, of which: domestic economic sector was 39.03 billion USD, rising by 18.7%; FDI sector (including crude oil) reached 94.66 billion USD (accounting for 70.8% of total export turnover), jumping up by 14%. Export turnover of some main products continued to increase over the same period last year: Phones and their parts reached 26.1 billion USD, climbing up by 15.8%; textiles and garments reached 16.5 billion USD, edging up by 16.2%; electronic goods, computers and their parts gained 15.7 billion USD, going up by 14.8%; footwear attained 9.1 billion USD, increasing by 8.9%; machinery, instrument and accessory reached 9 billion USD, growing by 27.1%; wood and wooden products reached 4.8 billion USD, edging up by 13.4%; means of transport and spare parts reached 4.6 billion USD, rising by 15.2%. Besides that, a number of agricultural and fishery products also increased significantly: Fishery products reached 4.7 billion USD, growing by 8.1%; vegetables and fruits gained 2.3 billion USD, jumping up by 14.6%; rice reached 2 billion USD, increased by 31.5% (volume increased by 14.2%); cashew nuts reached 2 billion USD, climbing up by 6.5% (an increase of 9.4%). Some agricultural products had increased export volume, but their turnover continued to decrease compared to the same period last year due to a reduction of export prices: Coffee reached 2.2 billion USD, down 4.5% (an increase in volume of 12.2%); rubber gained 1 billion USD, down by 9.7% (volume increased by 11.3%); pepper attained 520 million USD, decreased by 35.7% (volume increased 4.5%). Crude oil in 7 months continued to decline sharply in both volume and export turnover over the same period last year: export turnover of crude oil attained 1.3 billion USD, down 25.3% (volume reduced by 46.4%).
Regarding the exported goods market in 7 months, the United States was Vietnam’s largest export market with a turnover of 25.5 billion USD, an increase of 8.9% compared to the same period last year, of which: phones and their parts increased by 18.4%; textiles and garments increased by 11.5%. The following was EU with 24.2 billion USD, rising by 12.9%, of which: electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 20.1%; phones and their parts grew by 19.8%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 18.8%. China gained 19.5 billion USD, jumping up by 24.7%, of which: phones and their parts soared by 193.6%; electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 26.7%; vegetables rose by 10.8%. ASEAN market attained 14.2 billion USD, edging up by 16.2%, of which: rice surged up by 199.2%; iron and steel increased by 51.9%; textiles and garments jumped up by 34.6%. Japan reached 10.4 billion USD, climbing up by 10.2%, of which: textiles and garments increased by 22.8%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 3.4%. South Korea reached 10.2 billion USD, growing by 31.9%, of which: electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 59.2%; phones and their parts increased by 28%; textiles and garments rose by 21.8%.
The import turnover of goods in June 2018 reached 19,046 million USD, 654 million USD lower than the estimated figure, of which: vegetables and fruits were 21 million USD lower; textile fibers were 28 million USD lower; chemicals were 33 million USD lower; plastic was 35 million USD lower; metals were 40 million USD lower; plastic products were 45 million USD lower; iron and steel were 77 million USD lower; materials for textile, garment and footwear were 88 million USD lower; fabric was 162 million USD lower; machinery, instrument and accessory were 197 million USD lower; cars were 102 million USD higher; electronic goods, computers and their parts were 66 million USD higher; phones and their parts were 26 million USD higher than estimated.
Import turnover in July was estimated at 19.8 billion USD, rising by 4% over the previous month, of which: the domestic economic sector reached 8.2 billion USD, edging up by 1.3%; FDI sector reached 11.6 billion USD, increasing by 5.9%. Import turnover of some products increased compared to the previous month: Metals soared by 67.3%; vegetables and fruits grew by 33.9%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 7%; iron and steel rose by 7%; chemicals went up by 5.4%; electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 4.2%. Compared to the same period last year, import turnover in July 2018 increased by 13.5%, of which: the domestic economic sector increased by 12.3%; FDI sector jumped up by 14.4%. Import turnover of some products increased compared to the same period last year: metals rose by 89.2%; iron and steel surged up by 50.1%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 9.1%.
Generally for 7 months, import turnover was estimated at 130.63 billion USD, rising by 10.2% compared to the same period last year, of which: the domestic economic sector reached 54.16 billion USD, up 12, 7%; FDI sector gained 76,47 billion USD, up 8.5%. Import turnover of some products increased over the same period last year: Electronic goods, computers and their parts reached 23.1 billion USD, up 13.5%; fabric gained 7.4 billion USD, up 14.9%; iron and steel attained 5.9 billion USD, up 11.6%; petroleum reached 5.4 billion USD, up 36.4%; plastics reached 5.1 billion USD, up 18.8%; metals reached 4.3 billion USD, up 26.4%; materials for textile, garment and footwear attained 3.3 billion USD, up 3.7%; chemicals gained 2.9 billion USD, up 27.1%.
Regarding the imported goods market for 7 months, China was still the largest imported market of Vietnam with a turnover of 35.8 billion USD, an increase of 13.1% compared to the same period in 2017, of which: import turnover of some products with large proportion: petroleum surged up by 101.4%; fabric increased by 18.8%; phones and their parts increased by 6.6%; machinery, instrument and accessory rose by 5.1%; iron and steel increased by 11.8% (volume decreased by 12.4%). The following was the South Korean market with import turnover of 26.5 billion USD, increasing by 0.2%, of which: iron and steel increased by 24.8%; electronic goods, computers and their parts rose by 17.9%; phones and their parts decreased by 15.9%; machinery, instrument and accessory decreased by 37%. ASEAN reached 18.1 billion USD, growing by 13.5%, of which: petroleum increased by 23.3%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 17.4%; electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 14.4%. Japan gained 10.4 billion USD, going up by 12.8%, of which: electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 27.2%; iron and steel climbed up by 19.6%; fabric increased by 18.1%. EU reached 7.5 billion USD, going up by 9.8%, of which: fabric rose by 27.1%; machinery, instrument and accessory grew by 16.2%; electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 7.6%. The United States attained 7 billion USD, edging up by 25.7%, of which: animal feed soared by 109.1%; cotton increased by 21.5%; electronic goods, computers and their parts rose by 8.2%.
The trade balance of goods in June saw a trade surplus of 799 million USD[8]. Trade deficit in July was estimated at 300 million USD. In general, trade balance in 7 months still maintained a trade surplus of 3.1 billion USD[9], of which: the domestic economic sector saw a trade deficit of 15.1 billion USD; FDI sector (including crude oil) witnessed a trade surplus of 18.2 billion USD. It was noted that the situation of US-China trade war became more and more intense, which will affected country’s import and export activities in the coming time. Therefore, Viet Nam needed to closely monitor the situation and take proactive measures to limit adverse impacts.
c) Consumer price index, gold price index and USD price index
Consumer price index (CPI) in July 2018 decreased by 0.09% compared to the previous month, of which the group of medicine and health care services had the highest reduction of 5.85% (health care service decreased by 7.58%) due to downward adjustment in health care service prices[10], making the overall CPI drop by 0.29%. The transportation group decreased by 0.52% mainly due to the effect of 2 downward adjustments in petroleum and oil prices as of 22nd June, 2018 and 23rd July, 2018, contributing to a drop of 0.05% in the overall CPI; the post and telecommunication group decreased by 0.05%. Price indexes of the remaining groups increased over the previous month: Food and catering services increased by 0.43%, of which food decreased by 0.92% due to rice prices fell 0.8%[11]; foodstuff increased by 0.87% mainly because pork prices increased by 3.02% (making the CPI increase by 0.13%). Housing and construction materials increased by 0.37% due to the hot weather so the demand for electricity and water highly increased[12]. Culture, entertainment and tourism increased by 0.26%; garment, hat, footwear rose 0.12%; household equipment and goods grew 0.11%; beverage and cigarette and education increased by 0.05%; other consumer goods and services increased by 0.56%.
Average CPI in 7 months of 2018 increased by 3.45% compared to the same period of 2017. CPI in July 2018 increased by 2.13% compared to December 2017 and increased by 4.46% compared to the same period last year.
Core inflation in July 2018 increased by 0.15% over the previous month and increased by 1.41% over the same period last year. Average core inflation in 7 months of this year increased by 1.36% compared to average of the same period in 2017.
Gold price index in July 2018 decreased 1.57% compared to the previous month; increased by 0.48% compared to December 2017 and increased by 2.88% compared to the same period last year. As the USD price fluctuated strongly in the world market, on 23rd July, 2018, the State Bank of Vietnam adjusted the selling price of USD from 23,050 VND/USD to 23,273 VND/USD to be more suitable with the domestic and international market situations. The USD price index in July 2018 increased by 0.84% over the previous month; increased by 1.3% compared to December 2017 and increased by 1.28% compared to the same period in 2017.
d) Passenger and freight transport
Passenger transport in July was estimated at 390.7 million persons, an increase of 0.7% over the previous month and 17.6 billion persons.km, a growth of 1.3%. Generally for 7 months of 2018, passenger transport reached 2,653.1 million persons, an increase of 10.1% over the same period last year and 117.8 billion persons.km, an increase of 10.5%, of which passenger transport by roadway reached 2.503.2 million persons, an uptrend of 10.3% and 81.7 billion persons.km, a rise of 10.6%; by inland waterways reached 111.2 million persons, an increase of 6.1% and 2.1 billion persons.km, an increase of 6.3%; by seaway reached 4.3 million persons, an increase of 6.3% and 253.2 million persons.km, an increase of 6.8%; by airway achieved quite good with 28.9 million persons, an expansion of 14.6% and 31.4 billion persons.km, a buildup of 11.9%; by railway reached 5.5 million persons, a decrease of 10.3% and 2.4 billion persons.km, a decline of 4.5%.
Freight transport in July was estimated at 137.4 million tons, an increase of 0.8% over the previous month and 25.6 billion tons.km, a rise of 1%. Generally for 7 months, freight transport reached 933.6 million tons, an upturn of 9.5% over the same period last year and 173.6 billion tons.km, an increase of 6.9%, of which domestic freight reached 913.9 million tons, an expansion of 9.7% and 93.7 billion tons.km, a buildup of 9.6%; overseas freight achieved 19.6 million tons, an increase of 2.4% and 79.8 billion tons.km, a growth of 3.9%. By type of transport, freight transport by roadway reached 720.4 million tons, a spread of 10.3% over the same period last year and 47.5 billion tons.km, a rise of 10.9%; by inland waterway reached 165.1 million tons, an increase of 7.5% and 34.8 billion tons.km, a growth of 7.2%; by seaway reached 44.5 million tons, a build-up of 4.7% and 88.5 billion tons.km, an uptrend of 4.5%; by railway reached 3.3 million tons, an upturn of 2.3% and 2.3 billion tons.km, an increase of 13.6%; by airway reached 205.7 thousand tons, an increase of 14.1% and 541.4 million tons.km, an expansion of 12.9%.
e) International visitors to Viet Nam
International visitors to Viet Nam in July were estimated at 1,188.8 thousand, increasing by 0.5% over the previous month, of which: arrivals by air rose by 0.2%; by road increased by 8.6%; arrivals by seaway fell sharply by 74.6% due to the influence of the storm No.3. Compared to the same period last year, international visitors in July increased by 14.7%, in which visitors from Asia increased by 17.4%; from Europe rose by 5.4%; from America climbed by 10.3%; from Australia increased by 1.1%; and from Africa soared by 17.5%.
Generally for 7 months, international visitors to Viet Nam were estimated at 9,080.3 thousand, increasing by 25.4% against same period last year, of which 7,357.9 thousand arrivals by airway, an increase of 20.2%; by road reached 1,544.6 thousand, increasing by 63.3%; by seaway reached 177.8 thousand persons, a slight decrease of 0.2%.
In 7 months, visitors from Asia reached 6,988.6 thousand, accounting for 77% of the total number of tourists to Viet Nam, up 30.4% over the same period last year, of which visitors from almost key markets increased: Visitors from China reached 2,973.4 thousand, an increase of 34.1%; South Korea: 1,966 thousand persons, up 56.1%; Japan: 464.4 thousand persons, up 6.2%; Taiwan: 405.2 thousand persons, an increase of 13.3%; Malaysia: 296.2 thousand persons, an increase of 12%; Thailand: 187.2 thousand persons, an increase of 9.9%; Singapore: 158.8 thousand persons, an increase of 4.7%. Particularly, visitors from Laos reached 76 thousand, down 8.4%.
Visitors from Europe were estimated at 1,230.1 thousand persons, an increase of 10.4% over the same period last year, of which: Guests from the Russian Federation 373.2 thousand persons, up 7.2%; United Kingdom 179.9 thousand persons, up 7.9%; Germany 125.5 thousand persons, up 9.4%; Netherlands 43.7 thousand persons, up 9.4%. Besides, some countries had a small number of visitors but achieved a relatively high increase over the same period (over 10%): France was 172.9 thousand persons, an increase of 12%; Italy: 36.6 thousand persons, up 16.6%; Sweden: 35.4 thousand persons, an increase of 14.8%; Denmark: 27.5 thousand persons, up 16.6%; Finland: 16.9 thousand persons, an increase of 35.2%.
Visitors from the Americas reached 570.8 thousand persons, an increase of 13% compared to the same period last year, of which visitors from the United States reached 433.5 thousand, an increase of 15%. Visitors from the Oceania reached 266.5 thousand, an increase of 8.4%, of which visitors from Australia reached 237.8 thousand, an increase of 9.1%. Visitors from Africa reached 24.3 thousand, increasing by 21.5% over the same period in 2017.
- Social issues
a) Food shortage among farmers
In July, the whole country witnessed 2.2 thousand households suffering from food shortage, a year on year decrease of 30.6%, equivalent to 9.7 thousand persons suffering from food shortage, dropped 22.9%. Generally, for 7 months of 2018, there were 96.2 thousand households suffering from food shortage, down 39.4% compared to the corresponding period of the preceding year, equivalent to 383.5 thousand persons suffering from food shortage, dropped 41.1%. In order to overcome food shortage, from the beginning of the year, all administrative levels, sectors and organizations from central to local level supported these households with more than 7.4 thousand tons of food and 500 million VND.
b) Epidemic diseases and food poisoning
In July, the whole country witnessed 4.8 thousand cases of hand, foot and mouth disease; 7.1 thousand cases of hemorrhagic fever (3 deaths); 47 cases of typhoid; 106 cases of viral encephalitis (2 deaths); 103 cases of whooping cough; 10 cases of human streptococcus suis infection and 166 cases of food poisoning (1 death). Generally, for 7 months of 2018, there were 21.6 thousand cases of hand, foot and mouth disease; 29.9 thousand cases of hemorrhagic fever (8 deaths); 338 cases of typhoid; 439 cases of viral encephalitis (7 deaths); 333 cases of whooping cough; 63 cases of human streptococcus suis infection (5 deaths); 36 cases of deaths from rabies and 1,373 cases of food poisoning (8 deaths).
As of 15 July 2018, the total number of alive HIV-infected persons over the country was 208.8 thousand persons and the number of cases turned to AIDS was 91.8 thousand persons, the number of persons died of HIV/AIDS nationwide was 98 thousand persons.
c) Traffic accidents
In the month (from 16 June to 15 July), there were 1,351 accidents occurred nationwide, including 685 traffic accidents from less serious to more and 666 traffic collisions, caused 613 deaths 393 injuries and 686 slight injuries. Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents in July 2018 decreased by 14.4% (number of traffic accidents from less serious to more reduced by 8.8% and number of traffic collisions decreased by 19.6%); the number of deaths declined by 2.2%; the number of injuries decreased by 5,1% and the number of slight injuries dropped 22.7%. Remarkably, there were some serious traffic accidents such as: the accident occurred on 1 July in Binh Phuoc causing 2 deaths and 1 injuries; the accident occurred on 6 July on Truong Son Dong road, section in Gia Lai province causing 1 death and 21 injuries; the accident between a container and 2 motorcycles occurred on 16 July in Long An causing 1 death and 5 injuries; the bus accident occurred on 20 July in Binh Thuan causing 2 deaths and 8 injuries; the bus accident occurred on 22 July in Cao Bang, causing 4 deaths and 11 injuries.
Generally, for 7 months of 2018, there were 10,350 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, including 5,329 traffic accidents from less serious to more and 5,021 traffic collisions, causing 4,716 deaths, 2,858 injuries and 5,248 slight injuries. Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents in 7 months of this year decreased by 7.4% (number of traffic accidents from less serious to more reduced by 3.9%; the number of traffic collisions decreased by 10.7%); the number of deaths decreased by 0.9%; the number of injuries increased by 2.1% and the number of slight injuries decreased by 18.5%. On average, 49 traffic accidents occurred a day in July 2018 nationwide, including 25 traffic accidents from less serious to more and 24 traffic collisions, causing 22 deaths, 14 injuries and 25 slight injuries.
d) Damages caused by natural disasters
According to preliminary reports, natural disasters in 7 months of this year caused 78 deaths and missing, 64 injuries; more than 740 houses collapsed and swept away; 18.1 thousand houses were flooded, hit by landslides, damaged and ripped-off; 12.6 thousand hectares of rice and arable crops were damaged. Total damage value was estimated at 1,468 billion VND.
Remarkably, the typhoon No. 3 caused many losses in both aspects of death toll and property damage. According to preliminary estimates, typhoon No. 3 caused 34 deaths and missing, 26 injuries; more than 7.2 thousand houses collapsed and flooded; 5.2 thousand houses were damaged and urgently evacuated; 96.4 thousand hectares of rice and arable crops were inundated; 6.5 thousand cattle and 115 thousand poultry killed and swept away; 6.2 thousand hectares of aquaculture area was affected; many national highways and provincial roads were eroded causing traffic congestion. In particular, Yen Bai province was the most heavily hit by the typhoon No. 3 with 17 deaths and missing, 18 injuries; 166 houses completely were collapsed, nearly 1,000 houses were damaged and urgently evacuated; 1.1 thousand hectares of rice and arable crops were inundated; nearly 4 thousand cattle and poultry killed and swept away; more than 350 hectares of aquaculture were affected.
e) Environment protection, fire and explosion prevention
In July, 1,239 cases of violating regulations of environment protection were found, of which 1,212 cases were addressed with total fine of 18.8 billion VND. Generally, for 7 months 8,930 cases of violating regulations of environment protection were found nationwide, of which 8,390 cases were addressed with total fine of 116.8 billion VND.
In July 2018, there were 369 cases of fire and explosion, causing 3 deaths and 17 injuries, with an estimated damage of nearly 214 billion VND. Generally, for 7 months, there were 2,460 cases of fire and explosion across the country, causing 70 deaths and 186 injuries, with an estimated damage of 1,414 billion VND./.
GENERAL STATISTICS OFFICE
[1] In 7 months of 2017, the mining and quarrying activities decreased by 7.5 % compared to the same period last year; the manufacturing activities increased by 10 %; the production and distribution of electricity rose 8.9 %; the water supply, waste and sewerage treatment activities expanded 5.8 %.
[2] Mainly because Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Co., Ltd (Thanh Hoa), a large-scale company, started operation in June this year and Binh Son Refinery and Petrochemical Limited Company (Quang Ngai) in the same period last year did not produce for periodic maintenance of machinery and equipment.
[3] Of which, an enterprise producing electronic components in Da Nang in June fired about 2,400 employees due to the difficulty of the production contract.
[4] Source: National business registration information system, Business Registration Management Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment.
[5] Compared to the same period last year, the number of enterprises decreased by 3.5%; registered capital increased by 29.1%.
[6] In 7 months of 2017, the number of newly registered enterprises increased by 13.8% over the same period last year; registered capital increased by 39%; The average registered capital of an enterprise increased by 22.2%.
[7] The number of enterprises temporarily ceased without registration or awaited dissolution grew up, because this time, the business registration offices in the whole country had been reviewing and standardizing data and eliminating the enterprises still inactive for a long time
[8] Trade deficit in June was estimated at 100 million USD.
[9] Of which, trade deficit in 7 months from South Korea reached 16.3 billion USD, going down by 13% compared to the same period last year; trade deficit from China was 16.3 billion USD, going up by 1.6%.
[10] According to Circular No. 15/2018/TT/BYT dated 30th May, 2018 of the Ministry of Health on regulations of unified prices of health care service provided by health insurance among hospitals nationwide.
[11] Northern provinces finished harvesting winter-spring crops, so that supply was abundant and rice prices declined compared to the previous month, while rice export prices decreased by 10-30 USD per ton.
[12] Retail electricity price index increased by 0.89%, retail water price index increased by 0.35%.