The group made the forecast following positive signs from the market in April, though May is another difficult month for Vietnam as the country begins to cope with heat waves, droughts and storms.

According to the group, the total revenue from retails and social services reached more than VND73.6 billion in April, an increase of 18 percent over March. This brought total revenues from retails and services in the past four months to VND292 billion, a year-on-year increase of 29.5 percent.

Despite preventative measures, bird flu, foot-and-mouth and blue-ear pig disease badly affected the livestock breeding industry and the supply of food for local consumption.

The group says that the stable exchange rate and the lower interest rates in April made it easier for businesses to access bank loans. However, the soaring prices of input materials have caused numerous difficulties for them. In addition, frequent power cuts have also affected business production and people’s daily lives.

Under the Government’s instructions, the relevant ministries, all sectors, craft associations, localities and businesses are working together to curb high inflation. They agreed to keep the prices of essential commodities such as electricity, coal, petrol and oil, cement and steel unchanged.