Exports rose 17.8 percent year-on-year to $73.35 billion in eight months, while imports reached $73.41 billion, up 6.7 percent, according to the General Statistics Office.
In August alone, Vietnam earned $ 9.8 billion from exports, down 3.8 perecnt from the July figure, and slipping into a deficit of $150 million.
The downward trend in exports reversed gains in the previous two months when Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus in June and July.
The GSO said that Ho Chi Minh City’s export turnover reached $19.26 billion in the past eight months, representing a trade surplus of $1.58 billion.
In the reviewed period, Hanoi reaped $6.65 billion from exports while the capital city’s imports hit $15.48 billion.