HCMC INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT HITS FOUR-YEAR HIGH IN JAN-APR

Workers operate machinery at a mechanical factory in HCMC - PHOTO: LE HOANG

HCMC — HCMC’s industrial production grew 7.9% year-on-year in the first four months of 2025, the highest growth rate since 2021, official data showed.

According to the HCMC Statistics Office, the four-month growth was driven by businesses accelerating production schedules by up to 90 days to mitigate risks and tariff impacts, local media reported.

Key sectors posted mixed performance. Electronics manufacturing rose 19.6% and pharmaceuticals increased 14.6%, while machinery and food processing expanded by 1.5% and 1.2%, respectively. Combined, these four priority sectors grew 7.7%, slightly below the citywide average.

In April, the city’s index of industrial production rose 6.6% from March and 10.8% compared to the same month last year.

Employment in industrial firms increased 0.5% in April from the previous month and 3.2% from a year earlier. The cumulative rise in the first four months was 2.2%.

Retail and service revenues surged during the period. April sales reached VND128.89 trillion, up 17.9% month-on-month and 37.6% year-on-year, boosted by the holiday for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the south and national unification. In the January–April period, total revenue hit VND444.89 trillion, up 20% from a year earlier.

Hospitality and catering services rose 42.2%, while travel services increased 38.2%. The city’s consumer price index in April edged up 0.32% from the previous month and 4.32% year-on-year. The four-month average increase was 4.21%. Rising prices were seen in housing, food services, and utilities, while transport costs posted the steepest decline.

Source: The Saigon Times