VIETNAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Liên Đoàn Thương Mại Và Công Nghiệp Việt Nam
Mon, Aug 31, 2020, 09:23:00
Vietnam achieved a record trade surplus of $11.9 billion in the first eight months as imports declined due to the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Imports fell by 2.2 percent to $162.2 billion year-on-year while exports rose by 1.6 percent to $174.1 billion, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Exports of five items exceeded $10 billion each: smartphones, electronics-computers, textile-garments, machinery-equipment, and footwear.
The U.S. was the largest market, buying $46.7 billion worth of exports, up 19 percent, followed by China and the E.U.
Imports to serve manufacturing fell by 1.7 percent to $152 billion, while those of consumer goods were down 9.2 percent to $10 billion.
China was the largest exporter to Vietnam ($49.3 billion), followed by South Korea, ASEAN and Japan.
"The Covid-19 pandemic continues to have negative impacts on Vietnam’s trade activities," the GSO said in a statement.
Last year the trade surplus had risen 21 percent to $3.4 billion.
