Exports to the Americas rise sharply
(VOV) -Vietnam’s trade surplus to the Americas in 2012 is estimated to hit US$15.3 billion, a growth of 15 percent on the previous year.
Statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that two-way trade between Vietnam and American markets reached US$31.3 billion, of which Vietnam exports accounted for US$23.3 billion.
The strong performance is mainly due to the sharp increase in export revenue from several major markets, such as the US (US$19.5 billion, up 16 percent), Canada (US$1.14 billion, up 18 percent), Brazil (US$710 million, up 19 percent) and Mexico (US$658 million, up 16 percent).
Its key export items included garments (US$8 billion, up 9 percent), footwear (US$3 billion, up 17 percent), timber (US$1.88 billion, up 29 percent), seafood (US$1.56 billion, up 4 percent), machinary and equipment (US$1.08 billion, up 57 percent) and computer and electronic devices (US$1.05 billion, up 50 percent).
The success is partly thanked to numerous trade promotion and market development activities that Vietnam participated in over the year.
The country attended the Havana International Fair (FIHAV) in Cuba, the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) in Colombia and the American Economic Forum in Canada. It also sent trade delegations to several American countries to seek business opportunities and attract more investment.