HANOI- Vietnam’s goods exports in June rose 4.3 percent from a month earlier to $33.66 billion, led by an increase in shipments of electronics, government customs data showed on Tuesday.
Imports fell 6.9 percent from May to $30.46 billion, leading to a trade surplus of $3.2 billion in June, the Customs Department said in a report.
Exports of electronics in June rose 18.4 percent from a month earlier to $6.55 billion, while smartphone shipments rose 11.2 percent , according to the report.
The goods exports figure for June was higher than a preliminary forecast of $33.09 billion issued by the General Statistics Office late last month.
The export-oriented manufacturing hub is seeking to speed up its economic growth this year, after the pace of annual growth accelerated in the second quarter to 6.93 percent from 5.87 percent in the first quarter.
For the first half of 2024, exports rose 15 percent from a year earlier to $190.7 billion, while imports were up 17.3 percent at $179 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $11.7 billion for the six-month period.
Vietnam’s economic growth accelerated in the second quarter on robust exports, government data showed, but rising inflation remained a challenge for the Southeast Asian country.
Gross domestic product is estimated to have expanded to 6.93 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, faster than a growth of 5.87 percent in the first quarter, the government’s General Statistics Office (GSO) said.
The economy expanded 6.42 percent in the first half of this year, the GSO added.
Vietnam, an important exporter of smartphones, electronics and garments, is seeking to shore up business activity after missing last year’s growth target because of weak global demand and power shortages.
“Vietnam’s socio-economic situation continues a positive trend, with each quarter being better than the previous one,” the GSO said in a statement.
