Vietnam records USD 19.56 billion trade surplus in first ten months. (Illustrative photo: VNA).
The country posted a trade surplus of USD 19.56 billion, compared with USD 23.18 billion in the same period last year. The domestic sector reported a trade deficit of USD 22.83 billion, while the foreign-invested sector (including crude oil) maintained a surplus of USD 42.39 billion.
In October alone, exports were estimated at USD 42.05 billion, down 1.5 per cent from September but up 17.5 per cent year-on-year. Cumulatively, exports during the January-October period hit USD 391 billion, a 16.2 per cent increase year-on-year. Of this, the domestic sector contributed USD 94.17 billion (24.1 per cent of the total), while the foreign-invested one (including crude oil) reached USD 296.83 billion (75.9 per cent), up 22.5 per cent.
NSO data showed that 36 commodities recorded an export turnover exceeding USD 1 billion, accounting for 94.1 per cent of total overseas shipments. Seven of these surpassed USD 10 billion each, making up 67.9 per cent.
By category, processed and manufactured goods dominated with USD 346.73 billion (88.7 per cent), followed by agricultural and forestry products with USD 32.62 billion (8.3 per cent), aquatic products with USD 9.33 billion (2.4 per cent), and fuels and minerals with USD 2.32 billion (0.6 per cent).
On the import side, turnover in October was estimated at USD 39.45 billion, down 1 per cent from the previous month but up 16.8 per cent compared to a year earlier. Total imports for the first ten months amounted to USD 371.44 billion, an 18.6 per cent year-on-year rise. The domestic sector made up USD 117 billion, up 2.8 per cent, while the foreign-invested sector reached USD 254.44 billion, up 27.6 per cent.
China remained the largest supplier of goods for Vietnam with a total value of USD 150.9 billion. Forty-seven imported items were worth over USD 1 billion each, representing 93.9 per cent of total import turnover, including four items exceeding USD 10 billion each (52.7 per cent).
Regarding import structure, capital goods were valued at USD 348.23 billion, accounting for 93.8 per cent of the total, with machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts making up 52.6 per cent, and raw materials and fuels 41.2 per cent. Consumer goods were worth USD 23.21 billion, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of total imports, the NSO noted.
