At some pharmaceutical centres in downtown Hanoi, the prices of many kinds of medicine have risen by 5-10 percent against November and December 2008. The highest increases are recorded among imported antibiotics and medical specifics.

The Vietnam Pharmaceutical Companies Association predicts the prices of foreign medicine on the domestic market may rise by 4-10 percent due to the increase in the price of the US dollar and orders from hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

In an effort to stabilize medicine prices, the Drug Administration of Vietnam will step up inspections and strictly deal with price violations to ensure sufficient supplies of medicine during the coming Lunar New Year festival (Tet).