Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc speaks at the Government’s regular meeting in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said the national socio-economic situation experienced positive changes in July. 
Addressing the Government’s regular meeting in Hà Nội on Thursday, the leader said the consumer price index (CPI) in the month increased 0.18 per cent as compared with June. 
During the January-July period, the index went up 2.61 per cent year-on-year, the lowest seventh-month rise over the past three years, he noted. 
PM Phúc also highlighted the progress in State budget collection, agriculture, social welfare, employment, poverty reduction, healthcare, education and tourism, adding that foreign tourists to Việt Nam expanded nearly 8 per cent in July. 
Việt Nam’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) climbed from 52.5 points in June to 52.6 points last month, making the country second in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the rankings, after Myanmar with 52.9 points, he said. 
Despite global economic difficulties, international organisations like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) still have an upbeat outlook on the country's growth, the PM added. 
The leader pointed out difficulties facing the agricultural sector, including the approaching Typhoon Wipha, the prolonged drought in the central and Central Highlands regions, and the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). 
He asked Government members to focus their attention on these issues in order to work out countermeasures at an early date. 
The PM stressed the need to deal with the slow progress of some key industrial, energy and transport projects by the end of this year, as well as shortcomings in the disbursement of capital investment sourced from the State budget, and production and business activities, especially those facing small- and medium-sized enterprises. 
During the meeting, the Government members will also look into bottlenecks in the investment of businesses under the wing of the Committee for Management of State Capital at Enterprises and the master plan on socio-economic development at mountainous, ethnic minority-inhabited and disadvantaged areas for 2021-25, and other issues. — VNS