Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam recordeda trade surplus of 2.8 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2017, mainlycontributed by the foreign-invested sector, according to a General Departmentof Vietnam Customs report.
In the reviewed period, the countryexported goods worth 193.8 billion USD, surging 21.1 percent year-on-year. Ofthe sum, 140.7 billion USD came from the foreign-invested sector, up 22.8 percent,while export turnover of the domestic sector witnessed a yearly rise of 16.8 percentto reach only 53.1 billion USD.
Phones and various devices continued totake the lead among the key export commodities with a value of 41.3 billion USDin the first 11 months, 30.6 percent higher than last year’s correspondingperiod. It was followed by computers and electronics and components with 23.6billion USD, up 38.1 percent, and footwear with 13 billion USD, up 11.6 percent.
Other staples with positive export turnoverincluded machinery, equipment and parts with 11.5 billion USD, up 27 percent;seafood with 7.6 billion USD, up 18.7 percent; wood and wooden goods with 6.9billion USD, up 10.5 percent; and fruits and vegetables with 3.2 billion USD,up 43.1 percent.
According to the department, the USretained its position as the leading consumer of Vietnamese goods with a valueof 38.1 billion USD. The EU came next with 35 billion USD, while China andASEAN countries ranked third and fourth with 30.3 billion USD and 19.8 billionUSD, respectively. Japan and the Republic of Korea were also among the largestexport markets for Vietnam with values of 15.2 billion USD and 13.6 billion USD,respectively.
Meanwhile, the nation spent 191 billion USDon imports in 11 months, up 21 percent year-on-year, with 114.5 billion USD contributedby the foreign-invested sector, up 23.2 percent, and the remainder of 76.5billion USD coming from the domestic sector, up 17.9 percent.
Among major import products, computers andelectronic devices and components posted the largest import turnover of 34billion USD, 34 percent higher than the same period last year. Machinery,equipment and parts came second at 30.7 billion USD, up 20.7 percent, whilephones and various devices, and cloth were the runners-up with 14.4 billion USD,up 50.2 percent, and $10.3 billion, up 8 percent, respectively.
Other items were steel and iron with avalue of 8.3 billion USD, surging 14.3 percent year-on-year; petroleum (6.3billion USD, up 39.3 percent); chemical (3.7 billion USD, up 27 percent); andcotton (2.2 billion USD, up 44.6 percent).
From January to November, China remainedthe largest goods supplier of Vietnam with its exports worth 52.1 billion USD,following by the Republic of Korea, ASEAN, Japan, the EU and the US. GSOstatisticians, however, said the Republic of Korea overshot China to become thecountry with which Vietnam recorded the highest trade deficit in the 11-monthperiod with the Republic of Korea’s exports at 28.8 billion USD, marking ayearly rise of 54.8 percent. Trade deficit with China slumped 14.3 percentyear-on-year to 21.8 billion USD. - VNA
VNA