The trade value between Vietnam and the European Union in the first half of this year has gained year-on-year growth of 9.05 per cent. Export value from Vietnam to the EU increased by 8.68 per cent and import value to Vietnam from the EU surged by 10.28 per cent.

Vietnam mainly exports traditional products to the EU, including textiles, garments, footwear, and coffee, in addition to seafood and computers. Imports are of machines, equipments, tools and pharmaceutical products, in addition to milk and milk products.

Over the past years, the trade relationship between Vietnam and the EU has gained rapidly and developed efficiently. The bilateral trade value increased ten times from 2000 to 2015. Of this, the export value from Vietnam to the EU surged 11 times while import value from the EU to Vietnam rose eight times.

Some other products that grew between five per cent and ten per cent a year in export value were plastic products, wood and wooden products, handbags, suitcases and umbrellas, apart from pepper and cashew.

Vietnam started exporting telephones and components to the EU in 2011, but the export value of those products in 2015 accounted for 75 per cent of　its total national export value to EU.