Viet Nam’s export turnover in January 2013 is estimated at US$10.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 43.2%, according to the General Statistics Office.
The export turnover of State and foreign-invested sectors reached US$3.5 billion and US$6.6 billion (including crude oil), up 36.1% and 47.3%, respectively.
Main export items seeing high increase compared to 2012 include phones and spare parts (up 105.5%), computers and accessories (up 94.9%), coffee (up 68.8%), timber (up 50.3%), bags, wallets and hats (up 49.2%), iron and steel (up 46.1%), footwear and crude oil (up 36%).
The EU is the largest importer of Viet Nam’s products with the import value of US$1.3 billion, up 51.8%, then followed by the US with US$1.2 billion (up 41.1%), ASEAN US$975 million (up 44.5%), Japan US$875 million (up 20%) and China US$688 million (up 54%).
The import turnover in the first month of 2012 stood at US$9.9 billion, up 42.3% against the same period last year, of which the State sector achieved US$4.3 billion, up 31% and foreign-invested sector of US$5.6 billion, up 52.7%.
Export promotion as top priority
PM Nguyen Tan Dung recently urged the industry and trade sector to continue placing importance on promoting export, considering this task a top priority.
Accordingly, the sector should remove difficulties and create favorable conditions for enterprises in terms of capital, administrative procedures, and market information.
Information work of integration and FTAs should be enhanced in order to put the signed agreements into reality and expand new markets in South America, the Middle East and Africa.
The PM also urged competent agencies to speed up negotiations for new FTAs, especially those with the EU, EFTA, Republic of Korea and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.