VIETNAM’S IMPORT AND EXPORT VALUE TOTALED US$53.5 BLN IN SEPT

Vietnam’s total merchandise import and export value was estimated at US$53.5 billion in September, down 2% from the previous month, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Of the sum, the export value was US$27 billion, down 0.8% and the total import value was US$26.5 billion, down 3.1%.

This brought the nine-month value to US$483.2 billion, a sharp increase of 24.4% over the same period in 2020, of which total export value was US$240.52 billion, up 18.8% and the total import value was US$242.65 billion, up 30.5%.

Vietnam's merchandise trade balance in September 2021 was estimated to have a surplus of US$500 million, thus narrowing the deficit to US$2.13 billion in the first nine months of 2021.

Main exports included crude oil, clinker and cement, wood products, raw materials for textile-garment and leather-footwear industries.

In September, the country's export of textile-garment and leather-footwear raw materials was US$150 million, up 1.9% over the previous month, totaling US$1.458 billion in the first nine months of 2021, up 22.2% year on year.

Key imports in September 2021 consisted of petroleum, down approximately 30% in volume and value from the previous month, and steel, up more than 17%.

The import of computers, electronic products and components; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts dipped slightly. Automobile imports dropped particularly sharply by more than 38%.

Source: VCCI