The office attributed the increase to production gaining speed for the year-end holiday season in such industries as confectionery, beer, ceramic bathroom fixtures and wood furniture.

Total retail and services revenues in the month were estimated at 52 trillion VND (2.28 billion USD), up 2.1 percent on October’s figure.

Export activities by Hanoi-based enterprises earned 1 billion USD in November, up 2.9 percent on month. Meanwhile, imports surpassed 2.4 billion USD, increasing 7.6 percent from October but dropping 2.9 percent from one year ago.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November in Hanoi was equal to just 99.83 percent of the previous month’s figure, with prices for food catering services, food and grains dropping slightly.

During the month, the capital city welcomed 390,000 foreign visitors, an 11.4 percent increase from October and up 40.1 percent from the same period last year. Domestic visitors to the city numbered 867,000. In all, the tourism sector reported revenues of 5.7 trillion VND (250 million USD).