The industrial production index rose by 5.4 percent in the first four months, in the process achieving a 0.6 percent year-on-year growth, the Ministry of Industry and Trade told a meeting in Hanoi on May 5.

Some industries are showing signs of recovery, it said.
In the same period exports topped US$45.74 billion, an increase of 16.9 percent over the same period last year, the ministry said.
The trade surplus was worth US$683 million as foreign firms achieved a surplus of nearly US$4.1 billion to offset a deficit of $3.4 billion by domestic businesses.