Vietnam Jan-Sept trade gap down 59 pct

Vietnam's trade deficit in the first nine months of this year is estimated to have fallen 58.8 percent from the same period last year to US$6.5 billion, the government said in a statement.

The Planning and Investment Ministry estimated January to September exports fell 14.3 percent to $41.7 billion and imports fell 25.3 percent to $48.2 billion, the statement said.

The report did not provide any further breakdown. The government statistics office is expected to release full trade data later in the month.

The Industry and Trade Ministry has forecast the trade deficit would drop to $11 billion this year from $18 billion in 2008.

The Planning and Investment Ministry also estimated September's industrial output rose 12.5 percent from the same month last year to VND62.56 trillion, while the value for the first nine months jumped 6.5 percent.

thanhnien, Reuters

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