Vietnam posts US$1.4b trade deficit in March: customs

[HANOI] Vietnam posted a trade deficit of US$1.39 billion in March, compared with an initial government estimate of a US$600 million deficit, Vietnam Customs said on Wednesday.

Exports surged 40.3 per cent from a month ago to US$13.344 billion in March and imports climbed 40.6 per cent to US$14.735 billion, the customs department, which operates under the finance ministry, said in a report on its website.

March figures brought Vietnam's exports value in the first quarter of this year to US$36.3 billion, up 8.8 per cent from the same time in 2014, while imports climbed 20.1 per cent during the three-month period to US$38.7 billion, the report said.

The government has projected exports to rise 10 per cent in 2015.

REUTERS