VN’s top ten 2016 exports

Samsung’s smartphone factory in Viet Nam. Mobile and accessories were the country’s top export for 2016.-Photo xahoithongtin.com.vn

At the top of the list was mobile phones and phone accessories: Viet Nam’s biggest export was valued at $34.32 billion, up by 13.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. Major importers included the European Union with a turnover of nearly $11.24 billion, up by 11.1 per cent from 2015; the US with $4.3 billion, up by 55.5 per cent, the United Arab Emirates at $2.27 billion, up by 6.2 per cent.

Second on the list was textile products, with a total export value of over $23.84 billion for 2016, up by 4.6 per cent from 2015. The chief importer was the US with an import turnover of more than $11.45 billion, up by 4.6 per cent from 2015, followed by the EU at $3.56 billion, up by 2.7 per cent, and Japan at $2.9 billion, up by 4.2 per cent.

Third place belonged to computers, electronic devices and accessories, clocking in at $18.96 billion, up by 21.5 per cent from 2015. Main importers included China at $4.1 billion imported value, up by 47.2 per cent from 2015, followed by the EU at $3.73 billion, up by 16.5 per cent, the US at $2.89 billion, up by 2.05 per cent, and most significantly the Netherlands at $1.75 billion, up by 53.5 per cent compared to last year.

The fourth was footwear, with the annual value of $13 billion, up by 8.3 per cent from 2015. Major importers included the US, EU and China, all having increased their imported values compared to last year.

Other products on the list were machinery and tools, up by 24.3 per cent from 2015 at $10.14 billion in exported value; seafood at $7.05 billion, up by 7.4 per cent; wood and wooden products at nearly $6.97 billion, up by 1.1 per cent; agricultural products, including vegetables, pepper, coffee and rice, at a total of $12.45 billion, up by 16.2 per cent despite a drop in rice’s export; transport vehicles and accessories at $6.05 billion, slightly up by 3.7 per cent and in tenth was baggage and headgear at $3.16 billion, up by 10.2 per cent from 2015.

Overall major importers for Viet Nam were the US, China, the EU and Japan.

The ten products’ export value reached US$126.85 billion, in a context where many other Vietnamese exports had experienced sharp decline in exported value compared to the same period in 2015, with crude oil down by 36.5 per cent, cement down by 16 per cent, coal down by 23.8 per cent, ores and minerals down by 28.8 per cent or fertiliser down by 24.9 per cent.