Highlights

1. The trade data disseminated by Vietnam Customs recorded double -  digit  expansion in Vietnam’s external merchandise trade in May of 2012 (11.2% in comparison with the performance of last month), which totalled US dollars 19.92 billion in value terms. In which, the total merchandise export value reached US dollars 9.7 billion, an increase of  8.2% as compared to April of 2012. By importation, the total value was US dollars 10.22 billion, picked up strongly by 14.1% in comparison with the performance of the previous month.

2. In the first five months of 2012, Vietnam’s international trade-in-good jumped by 14.2%, which were summed up to US dollars 87.29 billion in value terms, as compared to the same period of last year. In which, the merchandise export was amounted to US dollars 43.38 billion, up by 24.4% as compared with the corresponding period of one year earlier. There was a slightly increase in the total merchandise import (5.7%), which came at US dollars 43.91 billion in value terms, as compared to the same period of 2011. Consequently, Vietnam’s trade balance was in deficit in the first 5 months of 2012, posting US dollars 535 million.

3. According to trade data for exports and imports released by Vietnam Customs, in the first five months of 2012, the total value of exportation and importation by foreign direct invested (FDI) traders was US dollars 46.3 billion Total value of FDI exportation reached US dollars 23.57 billion, advanced robustly by 43.3 %. By importation, the total value of those traders was US dollars 22.73 billion, considerably up by 24.6% .

Exports                        

6.  The following Table, which illustrates Top 10 major exported commodities of Vietnam in May 2012, shows  that  the leading exports of Vietnam to the world are inclusive of: textiles and garments (US dollars 1,244 billion); telephones, mobile phones and parts thereof (US dollars 769 million); foot-wears (USD dollars 724), crude oil (USD dollars 642), computers, electrical products, spare- parts and components thereof  (USD dollars 609 million); fishery products (US dollars 550 million);…

7. The following chart shows that the United States is the biggest partner importing Vietnamese products with the total value of US dollars 7.6 billion in the first five months of 2012; Japan is the second biggest importer of Vietnam; and then China, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Germany ,…

Imports

8. According to Table 3 which shows the top 10 major imported commodities in May 2012, it is evident that the leading imports of Vietnam from rest of the world were as follows: Machine, equipment, tools and instruments (US dollars 1,535 million); Textile, leather and foot-wears materials and auxiliaries group (1,213 million); Computers, electrical products, spare-parts and  components thereof  (US dollars 1,141 million); petroleum products (US dollars 810 million); Iron and steel (US dollars 555 million); Telephones, mobile phones and  parts thereof (US dollars 389 million);…  

9. China was the biggest partner exporting  goods  to Vietnam with the value of US dollars 10.6 billion in the first 5 months of 2012 , followed by: Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand…