Ho Chi Minh City consumers resume buying

Demand for goods and services returned to normal in March after falling in February due to an upsurge in prices, according to the Ho chi Minh City Bureau of Statistics.

Consumer sales has risen 7.2 percent from February to VND105.3 trillion (US$5 billion), it reported.

Together with major promotions at shopping malls and supermarkets, a government program to stabilize the prices of many essential goods has contributed to reducing the pressure of prices.

Earlier, following the Lunar New Year in early February, prices shot up, forcing people to cut inessential spending, the Bureau said.

It announced that prices increased 2.2 percent in March, the highest rate in the first quarter.

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