[HANOI] Vietnam registered a trade surplus of US$624 million in March, its customs department said on Wednesday, beating a US$100-million surplus estimated by the government for the same month.

March exports rose 49.7 percent from the previous month to US$15.12 billion and imports increased 40.8 percent during the same time to US$14.49 billion, the Finance Ministry-run customs department said in a report.

Vietnam in 2015 had its first annual trade deficit in four years at US$3.5 billion.

REUTERS