Trade surplus swells to record high in 11 months amidst COVID-19

Vietnam posted a trade surplus of 20.1 billion USD in the first 11 months of this year, the highest on record, despite the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Trade surplus swells to record high in 11 months amidst COVID-19 ảnh 1Vietnam posts a trade surplus of 20.1 billion USD in the first 11 months of this year, the highest on record. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) –
Vietnam posted a tradesurplus of 20.1 billion USD in the first 11 months of this year, the highest onrecord, despite the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the globaleconomy, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In a report announced on November 29, the office saidthe country’s total export-import revenue in the reviewed period was estimated at 489.1billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 3.5 percent, of which export value reached254.6 billion USD, up 5.3 percent, and import, 234.5 billion USD, up 1.5percent.

In November alone, export turnover stood at 24.8billion USD, a drop of 9 percent from the previous month, but up 8.8 percent ascompared with the same period last year.

Between January and November, the domestic economicsector generated some 73 billion USD in export revenue, up 1.6 percent, makingup 28.7 percent of the total. Meanwhile, the foreign-invested sector, includingcrude oil, recorded 181.6 billion USD, up 6.9 percent, accounting for 71.3percent of the total.

Up to 31 groups of commodities joined the overone-billion-USD export club, making up 92 percent of the accumulative exportvalue, with 10 groups posting more than 10 billion USD.

Heavy industry and mining raked in 138 billion USD, up9.2 percent year-on-year. Light industry and handicrafts, meanwhile, reportedrevenue of 90.2 billion USD, up 1.5 percent; agro-forestry 18.7 billion USD,down 0.1 percent; and fisheries 7.7 billion USD, down 0.9 percent.

The US remained the largest importer of Vietnamesegoods in the 11 months, with turnover of 69.9 billion USD, up 25.7 percentyear-on-year.

It was followed by China, with 43.1 billion USD, up 16 percent;the EU, 32.2 billion USD, down 2.4 percent; ASEAN, 20.9 billion USD, down 10.6percent; the Republic of Korea (RoK), 17.7 billion USD, down 2.7 percent; andJapan 17.3 billion USD, down 6.5 percent.

Total imports in November were estimated at 24.2billion USD, down 0.5 percent month-on-month but up 13.4 percent year-on-year.

As many as 34 types of goods saw import turnoverexceeding 1 billion USD, accounting for 89.4 percent of the total.

China remained Vietnam’s largest import source, withrevenue standing at 73.9 billion USD, an increase of 7.9 percent against thesame period last year.
It was followed by the RoK, with 42 billion USD, down2.9 percent; ASEAN, 27.3 billion USD, down 6.9 percent; Japan, 18.6 billion USD,up 4.8 percent; the EU, 13.2 billion USD, up 4.3 percent; and the US, 12.6billion USD, down 3.6 percent./.
VNA

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