HANOI, May 29 (Reuters) – Vietnam's Finance Ministry has asked gasoline importers and distributors to cut retail prices by 500 dong, or nearly 3 percent, to help tame inflation though other product prices would remain at current levels.

The price cut was also aimed at boosting economic activity to help meet a government GDP growth target of 6.5 percent for the year, the ministry said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

Petrolimex, Vietnam's largest oil product importer and distributor, started selling popular 92-octane gasoline at 16,490 dong ($0.87) per liter from 9 pm on Thursday, after receiving the request from the Finance Ministry, its deputy director Vuong Thai Dung told Reuters.

It was also selling 95-octane gasoline at 16,990 dong ($0.89), a 500 dong discount, he said.

Prices of diesel with 0.05 percent sulphur and fuel oil, 14,600 dong and 15,000 dong per liter respectively, were kept unchanged, the ministry said.

The ministry has also lowered the amount of funds that gasoline importers and distributors may use from the gasoline price management fund to 300 dong from 500 dong per litre, it said.