To date, its staples have been exported to 50 countries and territories around the world, of which the European Union, the United States, Japan and China are the biggest importers. Currently, more than 150 local enterprises are involved in export activities, up 20 percent against 2005.

The shipbuilding industry plays a very important role in the city’s export activities, making up 60 percent of total export value. Thanks to its constant efforts in recent years, the industry has satisfied many demanding markets in the world such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and China. Many orders have been signed till 2009 and the industry is expected to fetch US$800 million from signed contracts with foreign partners by the time.

The garments and leather footwear sectors are also major hard currency earners of the northern port city. However, exports of the two major products dropped by 20 percent in 2006 due to garment export quotas and anti-dumping lawsuit against Vietnamese leather shoe makers lodged by the European Union. The two sectors are expected to bounce back in 2007 when garment export quotas are abolished and the EU reduces tariffs imposed on Vietnamese leather shoes.

The 2006 export achievements were attributed to the city’s efforts to simplify administrative procedures which helped enterprises save time and increase the efficiency of production and business activities, as well as their competitive capacity on the market. The city also applied E-customs services and paid special attention to attracting foreign investment capital, thereby facilitating import-export activities.