Vietnam’s exports expanded about 13.8% year-on-year in the first half of this year, and imports rose 18.4%, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Planning and Finance Department said at a press conference in Hanoi on June 19.

The signing of a series of new-generation FTAs such as the CPTPP, the Vietnam-EU FTA, and the RCEP is expected to significantly impact the Vietnamese economy by helping expand import-export markets and open up new potential markets.

Exports continued to recover in the first half of August, helping the country record 10 billion USD in trade surplus so far this year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

With a record trade surplus of 9.12 billion USD over the first 11 months and year-on-year export growth of 7.8 percent, experts believe that 2019 will be the fourth straight year Vietnam will post a trade surplus.

Vietnam and Turkey set up diplomatic relations on June 7, 1978. Turkey is currently Vietnam’s leading trade partner in the Middle East.

The value of Vietna's exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Natios tripled while import turnover doubled during 2006-2016. However, Vietnam has always had an import surplus with the bloc.