In the two-month period, nine product groups invoiced one billion dollars or more, accounting for almost three quarters of the income from foreign shipments.

Imports, meanwhile, rose by 15.9 percent, resulting in a trade deficit of 2.34 billion dollars.

The imbalance is typical of this time of year, as Vietnam makes large purchases on the occasion of the Lunar New Year celebrations. Market experts believe that in the rest of 2022 foreign trade will balance out and even end with positive figures.

The United States remained the largest recipient market for Vietnamese products with purchases of 18.3 billion dollars, more than a third of the total.

China, South Korea and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were Vietnam’s main suppliers.

In 2021, for the first time in its history, Vietnam concatenated six years with a favorable trade balance (surplus of four billion dollars) by realizing exports for a record value of 336.25 billion dollars.

Imports, meanwhile, amounted to 332.25 billion dollars, bringing the Indochinese nation’s foreign trade to an unprecedented 668.5 billion dollars.

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