The General Department of Vietnam Customs estimates the country’s trade surplus this year at 7.21 billion USD, 5.1 billion USD higher than the figure registered last year.

The agency said on December 27 that the total trade turnover this year is likely to hit 482.23 billion USD, up 12.6 percent from a year earlier. In December alone, the trade value decreased by 2.6 percent month on month to about 42.2 billion USD. During the year, machinery, equipment and spare parts record the highest annual exports growth rate, 28 percent, to reach some 16.53 billion USD. They are followed by textile-apparel and computers, electronic products and components. Meanwhile, the fastest pace of imports is seen in fabric; computers, electronic products and components; and materials for textile, garment, leather and footwear production, according to estimates of the Vietnam Customs. –VNA