HANOI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The consumer price index (CPI) of Vietnam rose 2.82 percent on-year in the first three months of 2018, the country's General Statistics Office announced on Thursday.

In March alone, the index increased 0.97 percent against December 2017, and rose 2.66 percent against March 2017.

The higher CPI in the first quarter of this year was mainly caused by higher tuition and hospital fees, higher demand for tourism and trade during the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls in mid-February, and higher global prices of oil and petrol products, local experts said.

Meanwhile, prices of foodstuffs, including pork, dropped 1.47 percent against the same period last year, mainly due to better price stabilization programs implemented by various sectors and localities, and more effective monetary policies adopted by Vietnam's central bank.

In 2017, Vietnam's CPI rose 3.53 percent compared to 2016, far below the 4-percent target set by the country, said the office.