This information was released by the GSO at a press conference held on June 29 in Hanoi to review the economic situation from the first half of the year.
This figure has helped GDP in the reviewed period to grow by 6.42%, reaching the highest figure in three years, higher than the growth rate of 2.04% from the same period of 2020 and a 5.74% rise in the first half of last year.
The agricultural-forestry-fishery sector rose by 2.78%, with the industry and construction sector growing by 7.7% and the service sector increasing by 6.6%.
Furthermore, the processing and manufacturing industry remains the driving force for the entire economy with a growth rate of approximately 9.7%.
The index of industrial production (IIP) of some key industries increased sharply, with the clothing manufacturing rising by 23%, electrical equipment by 22%, medicine and pharmaceutical chemistry by 17.5%, and leather production by 13%.
A total of 61 localities recorded a rise in the IIP, although Ha Tinh and Tra Vinh experienced a decline due to a fall in the electricity production industry.
With regard to import and export activities, the export turnover of goods during the first half of the year stood at an estimated US$186 billion, a rise of 17.3% against the same period from last year, while import turnover edged up 15.5% to reach more than US$185 billion.
Total retail sales of consumer goods and services during the second quarter inched up 5.5% to nearly VND1.4 million billion compared to the previous quarter, a rise of 19.5% against the same period last year, duly bringing the six-month retail sales of goods and services to reach over VND2.7 million billion, representing an annual climb of approximately 12%.
Moreover, the consumer price index (CPI) in June picked up 0.69% over the previous month and by 3.37% over the same period from last year, bringing the six-month CPI to rise by 2.44% on-year, with core inflation rising by 1.25%.
Meanwhile, international arrivals to the nation in the first half of the year reached 602,000, witnessing a seven-fold increase compared to the same period from last year.