Forestry posted the highest trade surplus, at 3.23 billion USD, amongst agricultural sectors in the first half of 2018, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNForest). VNForest also reported that more than 4.33 billion USD worth of forestry products were shipped abroad between January and June, up 12.7 percent year-on-year. Vietnamese wood products have been exported to over 100 countries and territories with major markets being the US, Europe, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China. The forestry sector has played an active role in negotiating with other countries, especially on timber origin, to remove obstacles from the trading of wood and wood products with such markets as Laos, Cambodia, the EU, China, the Republic of Korea, and Australia. It has also actively updated businesses about legal changes regarding legal timber exploitation and trading, as well as wood and forestry markets around the globe. From now to the end of 2018, VNForest will continue to promote the official signing of the EU-Vietnam Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade.-VNA