The General Statistics Office reported Vietnam’s index of industrial production increased 10.5 percent on-year in the first half of this year. The metric was higher than the 7 percent growth recorded in the same period last year. General Statistics Office attributed this year’s industrial production growth to breakthroughs in the processing and manufacturing sector, which rose 12.7 percent, contributing 9.7 percentage points to the overall rate. Among the key industrial products that posted high index of industrial production increases in the six months were raw steel and iron, fabric, and sugar, among others. However, some other sectors saw lower growth, especially wood processing and products made from bamboo. Some sectors recorded industrial production declines. Repair-maintenance and installation of machinery and equipment dropped by 2.7 percent and crude oil and natural gas exploitation fell by 5.7 percent. Among the significantly reduced products, crude oil was down 10.9 percent.-VNA