In September, the country earned US$27 billion from exports, down 0.8 percent month-on-month and 0.6 percent year-on-year. It was also the second consecutive month that exports declined from the same period last year.
However, the nine-month figure still showed an 18.8 percent increase year on year to an estimated $240.5 billion.
Meanwhile, import was estimated at $26.5 billion in September, down 3.1 percent monthly, but the nine-month figure hiked by 30.5 percent annually to $242.65 billion.
Given such situation, Vietnam ran a trade surplus of $500 million in September and a deficit of $2.13 billion in nine months of this year.
According to Hai, the current trade deficit is not a cause for concern, considering that trade deficit dropped to $100 million in August after topping $2 billion in July, and September saw the return of trade surplus.
Vietnam’s exports are in favorable conditions thanks to opportunities from free trade agreements and rising market demand during year’s end, especially for goods of the country’s strength. Therefore, if there is no major change in the pandemic situation, export activities in southern localities are expected to regain speed in the last quarter of the year, helping balance trade, and even bring a trade surplus, he said.
