HANOI, May 3 — Vietnam's consumer prices rose 5.46 per cent in April from the ‌same month last year, government data showed today, accelerating from 4.65 per cent in March, fuelled by higher energy costs due ‌to the Iran war.

The quickening of inflation was "due to higher domestic gas prices in accordance with global fuel prices," the National Statistics Office said in a report, adding rising material and transport costs also pushed up prices for services and construction.

April industrial production rose 9.9 per cent from a year earlier, higher than March's 4.6 per cent year-on-year expansion.

April exports ‌rose 21 per cent on year to US$45.52 billion, while imports ⁠rose 32.5 per cent to US$48.8 billion, ⁠the stats office said.

April's ⁠trade deficit widened to US$3.28 billion ⁠from US$677 million in ⁠March.

For the first four months of the year, exports rose 19.7 per cent to US$168.5 billion while imports ⁠increased 28.7 per cent to US$175.64 billion, creating a trade deficit of US$7.1 billion.

Foreign investment inflows in the first four months of this year rose 9.8 per cent to US$7.4 billion.

Public investment disbursement in the four-month period rose 16.4 per cent ⁠year-on-year to US$5.8 billion, accounting for 13.7 per cent of the government's full-year plan.

For the four months, Vietnam's ⁠trade surplus with the U.S. rose 24.4 per cent on year to US$46.9 ⁠billion, ⁠while the deficit with China expanded 33.4 per cent to US$46.4 billion.

Vietnam's Finance Ministry forecast inflation could reach 5.5 per cent this year, ‌above the government's 4.5 per cent target, driven mostly by the impact of the Iran war. — Reuters