Key export items were footwear, seafood, garments, electronics and coffee, which had corresponding values of $212 million, $110 million, $82 million, $60 million and $86 million.—Illustrative image/Photo thv

HA NOI (VNS)— Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Mexico reached US$199 million in the first quarter of this year, up 1.01 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Of the figure, Vietnamese exports earned $173 million, equal to 2012's first quarter, while its imports were valued at $26 million, up 8.33 per cent.

Vehicles and spare parts were on their way to becoming one of Viet Nam's five key export items to Mexico, according to the Viet Nam General Department of Customs.

Last year, bilateral trade totalled $795 million, including $683 million from Vietnamese exports.

Key export items were footwear, seafood, garments, electronics and coffee, which had corresponding values of $212 million, $110 million, $82 million, $60 million and $86 million.

Viet Nam mainly imported machinery, electronics, and cattle feed from Mexico, worth $32 million, $26 million and $4 million, respectively.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's American Market Department, bilateral trade between the two countries was expected to grow strongly in the near future when Mexico joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

Representatives of the Ministry and leading Vietnamese businesses made a fact-finding tour of Mexico last month to boost trade and industrial co-operation with the North American nation. — VNS