HANOI: Vietnam's August coffee exports dropped 18.5 percent from a year ago to 83,700 tonnes, or 1.39 million bags, the Vietnam customs department said on Monday, slightly above market expectations.

Last month's shipment brought the total coffee exports from the world's top robusta producer in the January-August period to 968,400 tonnes, down 23.7 percent from a year ago, the Finance Ministry-run department said in its monthly report.

The government has estimated August coffee exports at 95,000 tonnes, while traders forecast the shipment last month at 70,000-80,000 tonnes.