CPI rise in Hanoi, HCMC lowest in decade   Customers are pictured at the Co.Op Hoa Binh in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City April 24, 2013. Tuoi Tre During February, the month of the traditional New Year festival, the Ho Chi Minh City’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.24 percent, the lowest increase over the past ten years, according to a report issued by HCMC’s Statistical Office. Among 11 groups of products and services in the CPI basket, the group of restaurant and catering services rose by 0.76 percent in comparison to last month’s figure as food prices increased during the traditional lunar New Year festival. Nine out of 11 groups of products and services had its prices increased. The group of travelling and post offices went up by 0.69 percent while the prices of beverage and cigarettes also rose by 0.33 percent. The prices of both household appliances and garment and textile-headwear-footwear groups increased slightly 0.1 and 0.02 percent, respectively while the prices of telecommunications and educational services remained stable. Prices of medicine-healthcare and housing-electricity-fuel-construction materials decreased by 0.01 and 1.49 percent, respectively. In other news, a report recently released by Hanoi’s Statistical Office also shows that the Hanoi’s CPI rose 0.49 percent in February compared to last month - also a decade-low rate, and rose 5.93 percent year on year. The group of restaurant and catering services saw an increase of 1.06 percent in its price while the price of medicine-healthcare; educational services and telecommunications remained stable. Prices of housing-electricity-fuel-construction materials went down 0.5 percent. In HCMC, the gold price in February rose by 0.31 percent, while the US dollar price went down slightly by 0.07 percent. In Hanoi, gold prices increased 2.64 percent, while the US dollar price decreased slightly by 0.01 percent against January. TUOITRENEWS