According to preliminary data, Vietnam’s trade surplus slightly decreased to USD 3.82 bln in August from $3.86 billion a year earlier. Both exports and imports declined, with exports falling by 7.6% YoY amid weakening global demand and imports falling by 8.3%. Meanwhile, the country’s inflation increased to 2.98% YoY in August from 2.06% in the prior month, the highest since March, and consumer prices rose by 0.88% MoM, faster than the 0.45% increase in July.