Illustrative image (Source: internet) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam’s textile and garment exports to the US reached approximately 3.14 billion USD in the first quarter of this year, marking a year on year increase of 13.2 percent – the highest pace in the last three years, according to statistics from the General Department of Customs.
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) attributed this positive export growth to the rebound of the US economy, which has fuelled its textile and garment imports. During the period, the US imported an estimated 25.29 billion USD worth of textile and garment products from foreign markets, up 4.2 percent year-on-year.
According to Vitas, the US trade tension with China beginning in March was one of the main factors affecting the global textile picture in 2018. If the US extended curbs on Chinese garments and textiles, Vietnam could export more to the world’s largest economy, the association said.
Vitas forecast that Vietnamese apparel exports to the US would likely hit nearly 13.84 billion USD in 2018, 11 percent higher than 2017.
Vietnam earned a total turnover of 7.83 billion USD from textile and garment exports from January to March, surging 15.4 percent over the same period last year, mainly thanks to the country’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and its efforts to speed up exports to China.
Besides the US, Vietnamese shipments of textile and garment products to the three major markets of Japan, the Republic of Korea and China also experienced encouraging respective growths of over 27 percent, 22.3 percent and 26 percent, reaching 958 million USD, 896 million USD and 832 million USD.
Meanwhile, exports of these items to the EU – another important outlet – saw a modest yearly rise of 1 percent to 1.13 billion USD, according to the department’s statistics.
With a positive performance in the first quarter, Vietnam’s textile and garment industry is striving for a year-on-year increase of 10 percent in export value, to 34.3 billion USD for the whole of 2018, Vitas said.-VNA
VNA
