Vietnam's inflation eased in the first seven months of the year but remained above nine percent, official data showed Friday. Consumer prices rose 9.25 percent in the January to July period, driven mainly by food, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said. The preliminary figure is down from more than 21 percent in the same period last year when prices soared before the government took measures to address an overheating economy, and the global economic and financial crisis took hold. For July alone, prices rose 3.31 percent year on year, compared with 3.94 percent in June and 5.58 percent in May. The GSO said food prices were up by 12.94 percent in the first seven months. In an earlier report on first-half economic performance the GSO said prices remain elevated and warned high inflation could return. The World Bank has issued a similar caution. Legislators have said they hoped inflation could be maintained below 10 percent this year as the government aims for economic growth of around five percent. 