Vietnam's Trade Deficit Reaches US$1.96 bln In Jan-Oct

- PRNewswire -

HANOI - Vietnam's trade deficit hit US$1.96 billion in the first ten months of this year, widening the gap between import and exports by 1.5 fold compared to the same period last year, the General Statistics Office announced. Exports during the period rose 6 per cent to US$13.41 billion, while imports increased by 17.1 per cent to US$15.37 billion. Garment and textile exports, a major export earner, topped US$2.17 billion, a 29.9 per cent increase; seafood US$1.7 billion, a 10.7 per cent rise; shoes US$1.5 billion, a 18.9 per cent rise; and rice US$700 million, a 24.1 per cent increase. Steel, automobiles, chemicals, pesticides and fuel were among the major imports