Automobile and motorbike imports decreased by 24 percent in the first half of this month after experiencing a surge last month.
Statistics released from the General Customs Department (GCD) showed that in the first half of this month, 2,180 vehicles were imported, which was a seven percent decrease from the same period last year.
Import turnover decreased by 3 percent against the corresponding period last year.
However, the department said the figures were 30 and 60 percent higher than numbers from March and April with respects to turnover.
The GCD forecasted that vehicle imports would increase during the second half of this month, which would fluctuate between 4,500 and 5,000 units.
This probable amount of imported units would be a strong decrease when compared to the record amount of units that were imported last month.
The total amount of automobiles imported during the first six months of the year would likely reach 23,000 units, which is similar to the amount of imported units from the same period last year.
The BMW Euro Auto's marketing director, Nguyen Dang Thao, said policies that aim to control the amount of vehicles that can be imported have affected smaller importers in some localities.
He added that the amount of imported vehicles would continue to decrease because smaller importers are unable to function in this current environment. This result would likely benefit larger importing businesses.
Big importers such as BMW and Audi have experienced strong growth despite the overall decrease of imports. In the first five months of the year, BMW in Vietnam imports increased by more than 40 percent when compared to the same period last year.
The big importers have been offering favourable conditions for customers including price reductions, preferential interest rates on loans and other promotional programmes to increase their sales.
The Chairman of Vietnam's Automobile Manufacturers' Association, Pham Anh Tuan, said the demand for automobiles would increase in the coming time and importers should prepare for the sector's recovery.
Motorbike imports also decreased this month.
The GDS estimates that 6,000 units of motorbikes would be imported this month, which would earn a turnover of 7 million USD.
The department said 45,000 motorbikes were imported during the last six months, which is 24 and 25 percent lower than the amount of imports from last year in terms of quantity and value, respectively./.
