HANOI: Vietnam’s export-import turnover hit an estimated US$108.5bil (RM456bil) in the first two months of this year, up 13% compared with the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

       The export revenue posted an increase of 10.2% to US$53.79bil (RM226bil).

       In January and February, nine export commodities recorded a turnover of at least U$1bil (RM4.2bil), accounting for 71.6% of the total export value.

       The United States remained the biggest importer of Vietnamese commodities in the last two months, with an estimated US$18.3bil (RM77bil).

       Meanwhile, the country’s import turnover was up 15.9% during this period, with 13 types of goods valued at over US$1bil. Vietnam mainly imported goods from China, the South Korea and Asean.

       As a result, the country experienced a trade deficit of US$937mil (RM3.9bil) in the period.

       In February alone, the country’s foreign trade was valued at US$48.2bil (RM202bil), down 20% from the previous month but up 17.6% year-on-year.

       Export earnings were estimated at US$22.95bil (RM96bil), down 25.6% month-on-month and up 13.2% year on year.

       Imports were valued at US$25.28bil (RM106bil), down 14.2% from January, resulting in a trade deficit of US$2.34bil (RM9.8bil). — Vietnam News/ANN