FDI sector in Vietnam records trade surplus of $6.5 bln in Jan-Feb

By Tri Duc
Wed, March 1, 2023 | 2:29 pm GMT+7

Foreign-invested companies in Vietnam doubled their trade surplus, including crude oil, to $6.51 billion in the first two months of this year, versus $3.02 billion in the same period of 2022.

The FDI sector recorded an export revenue of $37.92 billion, down 6.6% year-on-year and accounting for 76.7% of the total; and an import expenditure of $31.41 billion, down 15.3% year-on-year, or 67.37% of the total, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Lach Huyen seaport in Hai Phong city, northern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the Vietnam News Agency.

Lach Huyen seaport in Hai Phong city, northern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the Vietnam News Agency.

In January-February, Vietnam reported a trade surplus of $2.82 billion, versus a trade deficit of $300 million in the same period of 2022. Export revenue in January-February fell 10.4% year-on-year to $49.44 billion, while import expenditure dropped 16% to $46.62 billion.

The top three major export products were mobile phones, and components with $9.42 billion, up 7.6% year-on-year; followed by electronics, computers and components with $6.87 billion, down 13.9%; and machines and equipment with $6.4 billion, down 1.6%.

Major imported goods were electronics, computers, and components with $12.76 billion, down 8.3% year-on-year; machines and equipment with $5.54 billion, down 21.8%; and petroleum with $1.7 billion, up 56.3%.

In the two months, China, the U.S., and South Korea were Vietnam’s biggest trade partners with turnovers of $22.8 billion, $15 billion, and $11.7 billion, respectively. Other top trade partners were ASEAN, the EU, and Japan with $10.7 billion, $9 billion, and $6.6 billion, respectively.

China remained the biggest import market of Vietnam with $14.6 billion, while the U.S. was the biggest export destination with $13.1 billion.

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