The southeastern province of Dong Nai achieved a record trade surplus of US$1.8 billion in the first eight months of the year, the highest in the country, according to the provincial statistics office.

In the first eight months of the year, total exports reached $12.2 billion in the province, up by nearly 12 per cent compared with same period last year, while the total import value for the period was $10.4 billion.

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), the country gained a trade surplus of $2.8 billion in the first eight months of this year, making up 64 per cent of the country’s total.

The province has around 50 products with high export turnover, including textiles and garments, footwear, wooden products, and steel, exported to around 170 countries and territories. The products are highly regarded by foreign businesses.

For the first eight months of the year, the province’s footwear exports reached more than $2.4 billion, up by 11 per cent compared with same period last year, while garment and textile value reached $1.3 billion, up by seven per cent, and textile fibres rose to $1.1 billion, up by 17 per cent.

Dong Nai’s main export markets are the US, the EU, South Korea, China and Japan.

Businesses in Dong Nai are increasingly taking advantage of trading blocs and free trade agreements that Viet Nam has inked with other countries, as well as the ASEAN Economic Community.

The Dong Nai Province’s Department of Industry and Trade said the province’s trade surplus would reach more than $2.5 billion this year.

Last year, the trade surplus of Dong Nai reached $2.2 billion, making up 77 per cent of the country’s surplus of $2.7 billion. — VNS