HANOI: Vietnam’s exports rose 19.8% in April from a year earlier to $37.45 billion, government data showed on Tuesday, ahead of the start of trade talks with Washington later this week.
Imports rose 22.9% in April from a year earlier to $36.87 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $580 million, the National Statistics Office said in a report.
The Southeast Asian economy, which is heavily reliant on exports for growth, is facing a 46% US tariff if a reduction cannot be negotiated before a US moratorium expires in July.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Monday the first round of tariff negotiations with the US, Vietnam’s largest export market, will begin on Wednesday.
The NSO said exports to the US in the first four months of 2025 totalled $43.4 billion, or 30.9% of total exports, while imports from China were $53.2 billion, or 39% of total imports.
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Industrial production rose 8.9% in April from a year earlier, while consumer prices rose 3.12%, the NSO said.
Vietnam is targeting gross domestic product growth of at least 8% this year, faster than an expansion of 7.09% last year, and Chinh on Monday said the country would stick to that target despite the looming tariffs.
For the first four months of this year, exports rose 13% from a year earlier to $140.34 billion, while imports were up 18.6% to $136.55 billion, according to the NSO.