Vietnam is estimated to obtain a record export value of US$39.6 billion this year, up 22.1 per cent on-year, while it imports US$44.41 billion worth of goods, up 20.1 per cent, resulting in a trade deficit of US$4.81 billion, an on-year growth of 3.4 per cent, according to the Government’s General Statistics Office (GSO).
In December, the country reports exports of US$3.5 billion, an on-year increase of 17.8 per cent, and imports of US$4 billion, up 21.2 per cent.
This month’s trade deficit is projected to stand at US$500 million, up 51.5 per cent against December 2005.
Of the total export value, foreign-invested enterprises contribute US$22.86 billion, an on-year increase of 23.2 per cent and domestic enterprises US$16.74 billion, up 20.5 per cent.
This year the number of export earners reporting revenue of over US$1 billion each rose to nine, totaling US$28.37 billion accounting for 71.64 per cent of the country’s total export value.
Crude oil remains the biggest cash earner with a total export volume of 16.61 million tons valued at US$8.32 billion, down 7.5 per cent and up 12.9 per cent on-year, respectively.
It is followed by garments and textiles, US$5.8 billion, up 19.9 per cent on-year; footwear US$3.55 billion, up 16.9 per cent; seafood US$3.36 billion, up 23.1 per cent; woodwork products, US$1.9 billion, up 21.9 per cent; electronic and computer parts, US$1.77 billion, up 24 per cent; rice with 4.75 million tons worth US$1.31 billion, down 9.5 per cent and 7.2 per cent; rubber, US$1.27 billion, up 58.3 per cent; and coffee worth US$1.1 billion, up 49.9 per cent.
In 2006, the United States is still Vietnam’s biggest export market worth US$8 billion; followed by the EU, US$6.8 billion; ASEAN, US$6.56 billion; Japan, US$5.2 billion; and China with US$3.2 billion.
During the year, foreign-invested companies imported US$16.42 billion worth of goods, up 20.4 per cent on-year while domestic ones paid US$27.99 billion, up 19.9 per cent.
The Southeast Asian country continues spending the most on the import of machinery and equipment (US$6.55 billion, up 24.1 per cent on-year), fuels (US$5.85 billion, up 16.4 per cent), cloth (US$2.95 billion, up 23.1 per cent), steel and iron (US$2.9 billion, down 0.9 per cent), electronic spare parts (US$2.05 billion, up 20.4 per cent), garment and textiles accessories (US$1.96 billion, down 14.1 per cent), plastics (US$1.85 billion, up 26.8 per cent), and chemicals with US$1.03 billion, up 18.6 per cent. (GSO Dec 2006).
Vietnamese
