Vietnam’s Jan-Sep trade surplus triples to $21.6 bln: customs authorities

Vietnam posted a goods trade surplus of $21.64 billion in nine months through September, tripling the $6.9 billion recorded in the same period last year, customs data shows.

In the nine-month period, Vietnam’s exports declined 8.5% year-on-year to $258.97 billion, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said in a Friday report.

The biggest export staples were: computers, electronics and spare parts ($41.41 billion); phones and spare parts ($38.92 billion); machinery and equipment ($30.91 billion); and garments and textiles ($25.1 billion).

Foreign-invested companies in the country earned $208.37 billion from their shipments, down 9.3% year-on-year and 73% of the total.

Meanwhile, Vietnam imported goods worth $237.33 billion in Jan-Sept, down 14% year-on-year.

The biggest import items were: computers, electronics and spare parts ($62.82 billion); machinery, equipment ($30.35 billion); cloth ($9.59 billion); and plastic materials ($7.17 billion).

Imports by foreign invested companies declined 15% to $152.64 billion in the period, making up 64.3% of the national total.