Vietnam posts $177 mln trade deficit in May: customs office

By Reuters June 14, 2016 | 03:11 am PT

Vietnam reported a trade deficit of $177 million in May, the country's customs department said on Tuesday, far below the $400 million deficit predicted by the government.

May exports eased 0.1 percent from the previous month to $14.37 billion, while imports edged up 3.4 percent in the same period to $14.55 billion, the Finance Ministry-run Vietnam Customs said in a report on its website.

Vietnam exported $67.4 billion worth of goods during the January-May period and imported $65.8 billion in the same period, leaving a $1.6 billion trade surplus for the first five months of 2016, the report said.

Last year, Vietnam posted its first annual trade deficit in four years at $3.5 billion. February is the only other month so far this year to record a deficit, with a negative monthly trade balance of $191 million.

> Vietnam’s trade deficit with China drops

> Vietnam posts trade surplus of $1.76 billion in first four months