Exports of the processing and manufacturing sector was $159.92 billion during the period, said Bui Huy Son, head of the department.
The total export-import value during the period hit $369.59 billion—a YoY increase of 16.03 per cent, with a trade surplus of $8.4 billion, a domestic news agency reported.
However, the department pointed to an uneven recovery in industrial production, along with difficulties in energy production and supply, especially electricity and oil and gas, due to price fluctuation in international and domestic markets.
Obstacles to exports include rising prices, particularly those of farm produce and energy, surging shipping rates, and the pressure of trade remedies investigations and technical barriers on some key export items to big markets like the European Union (EU) and the United States.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)