As per calculations, Vietnam will most likely witness a total export-import turnover of $475 billion, including $238 billion in exports and $237 billion in imports this year. Thus, the trade surplus for 2018 will be $1 billion. In the first nine months of this year, total export-import turnover is estimated to hit $352.43 billion, far higher than the $308.12 billion in the same period last year.

Notably, Vietnam enjoyed a record trade surplus of $5.39 billion during the period. As per MPI, despite the US-China trade war, in the first nine months of this year, the country’s total export turnover is estimated to touch $178.91 billion, increasing by 15.4 per cent on-year, with local exporters earning $51.07 billion, up 17.5 per cent, and foreign exporters raking in $127.84 billion (including crude oil exports), up 14.6 per cent. The export turnover of FIEs accounted for 71.5 per cent of total export turnover.

Meanwhile, the total import turnover is estimated at $173.52 billion, an increase of 11.8 per cent on-year, with $69.34 billion from domestic enterprises (up 11.7 per cent) and $104.18 billion from FIEs (up 11.9 per cent). It is expected that in the fourth quarter of 2018, the country’s total export turnover will be $59.09 billion and the total import turnover will be $63.48 billion.